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Lesson 148 of 240

New here? This is lesson 148 of a free 240-lesson French course.

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Put it there in French

A delivery lands at Café des Tilleuls, and Odile already has a job for Sam. She points, he carries, and a yak nearby files a baguette in the wrong coat pocket.

By the end, you'll say where to put something, put it away, and ask someone to pass you things.

Le, la and les stand in for the thing you already named, so you can keep the line short.

By the end of this lesson

Say where you put or moved something.

  • Je le mets où ?Where shall I put it?
  • Pose-la ici.Put it down here.
  • Range-les dans le placard.Put them away in the cupboard.
  • Je l'ai mis sur l'étagère.I put it on the shelf.
  • Tu peux me les passer ?Can you pass them to me?
  • Laisse-les près de la porte.Leave them by the door.

Scene — the crate is open

Same café, a late morning on rue des Tilleuls. A delivery crate sits open by the zinc counter. Odile is already pointing.

The window table still has its blank brass sign. Gaspard sits at the next table on two chairs, coat pockets full, café crème untouched.

A wide late-morning café interior with an open crate by the zinc, Odile pointing, Sam beside it, and Gaspard at the next table.

Learn — put it there

Six lines put le, la and les on put, pass and leave.

You ask where it goes, set it down, and say you already put it on the shelf.

  1. Sam holds a carton from the open crate and looks around for where to put it.

    Je le mets où ?

    Where shall I put it?

    When to use it: Ask this when you hold a masculine thing and need a place for it.

    Le stands for a masculine thing you already named.

    Say it: The s at the end of mets is silent.

  2. Odile taps a clear spot on the zinc counter and points down at it, with a bottle still in the crate.

    Pose-la ici.

    Put it down here.

    When to use it: Tell someone to set a feminine thing down in this spot.

    La stands for a feminine thing you already named.

    Say it: The s in Pose is pronounced like z.

  3. Odile stands at an open cupboard and gestures for Sam to put coffee packets on the shelves inside.

    Range-les dans le placard.

    Put them away in the cupboard.

    When to use it: Tell someone to put several things away in a cupboard.

    Les stands for more than one thing, of either gender.

  4. Sam has just placed a carton on the shelf above the sink and turns back from it.

    Je l'ai mis sur l'étagère.

    I put it on the shelf.

    When to use it: Say this after you have already put a masculine thing on a shelf.

    Le or la becomes l' before ai. Here, mis shows the thing is masculine.

    Say it: L'ai is spoken as one syllable.

  5. Gaspard sits on two chairs and reaches toward the crate, lifting a jar.

    Tu peux me les passer ?

    Can you pass them to me?

    When to use it: Ask a friend to hand you several things that are near them.

    Les names the things; me means they come to you.

    Say it: The s in les is silent before passer.

  6. From over Sam's shoulder, Odile at the café door gestures toward the floor for empty boxes to be left there.

    Laisse-les près de la porte.

    Leave them by the door.

    When to use it: Tell someone to leave several things near the door for now.

    Les is plural, and it stays on Laisse with a hyphen.

Story — she points

Watch Sam put a delivery away while Odile points. Gaspard tries to help, then files the baguette in a coat pocket.

The highlighted words are the lines you just learned. Turn on Show English if you need it.

  1. A crate of café stock sits open by the zinc. Odile is already pointing at the counter.
  2. OdileTu peux m'aider ?Can you help me?
  3. SamJe le mets où ?Where shall I put it?
  4. She points at the shelf above the sink. The carton is still in his hands.
  5. OdileC'est ici.It's here.
  6. She taps the zinc and nods at a bottle still in the crate.
  7. OdilePose-la ici.Put it down here.
  8. SamD'accord.Okay.
  9. He sets the bottle on the zinc. Packets of coffee sit in the crate.
  10. OdileRange-les dans le placard.Put them away in the cupboard.
  11. SamComme ça ?Like this?
  12. OdileOui.Yes.
  13. The coffee packets are in the cupboard. A stack of cups is still in the crate.
  14. OdileTu peux me les passer ?Can you pass them to me?
  15. Sam hands her the cups. He slides the carton onto the shelf above the sink.
  16. SamJe l'ai mis sur l'étagère.I put it on the shelf.
  17. OdileMerci beaucoup.Thank you very much.
  18. SamDe rien.You're welcome.
  19. Empty boxes sit by the counter, still in the way.
  20. OdileLaisse-les près de la porte.Leave them by the door.
  21. Gaspard lifts a jar from the crate. A baguette still sticks out of his tote.
  22. GaspardJe le mets où ?Where shall I put it?
  23. SamC'est ici.It's here.
  24. Gaspard sets the jar on the counter. The baguette still sticks out of his tote.
  25. OdilePose-la ici.Put it down here.
  26. He slides the baguette into a coat pocket instead, still not at the window table.
  27. GaspardAh, bon.Oh, right.

Practice — le, la or les

Eleven quick items wait here. You'll listen, fill a gap, swap a word, and build a line.

They stay short, so the round moves fast.

0 of 11 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. What do you say?

    Odile points at the zinc beside Gaspard. Tell him to set the bottle down there.

  3. Fill the gap

    Put them away in the cupboard.

    Range-les dans le ____.

  4. What does it mean?

    Je l'ai mis sur l'étagère.

  5. Pick the reply

    Odile says:

    J'ai les tasses.

    I've got the cups.

    And you reply with:

  6. Build the line

    Leave them by the door.

    - .

    Tap the words in order.

  7. Swap the word

    You are holding a carton of coffee. Ask Odile where it goes.

    Je ____ mets où ?

  8. Match the pairs

    French

    Pose-la ici.Drop the English here
    Range-les dans le placard.Drop the English here
    Laisse-les près de la porte.Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its French, or tap one and then the other.

  9. What do you say?

    Odile already pointed: the crate stays by the door. You still cannot lift it alone.

  10. True or false?

    This line means the thing is over there.

  11. Pick the reply

    Odile says:

    Voilà ton café.

    Here's your coffee.

    And you reply with:

Say it — your turn to place it

Now you're Sam with a crate in your arms. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and speak the line.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the line. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. OdileTu peux m'aider ?Can you help me?
  2. Sam (you)Ask where you should put this carton.

    Je le mets où ?

    Where shall I put it?

0 of 5 said

Recap — what you can say now

FrenchEnglish
Je le mets où ?Where shall I put it?
Pose-la ici.Put it down here.
Range-les dans le placard.Put them away in the cupboard.
Je l'ai mis sur l'étagère.I put it on the shelf.
Tu peux me les passer ?Can you pass them to me?
Laisse-les près de la porte.Leave them by the door.
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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Want to keep these lines handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.

A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps le, la and les ready when you put things away.

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