How To Talk About The Home In French

You’ll eventually need to talk about something else besides the fainting couch.
elegant table setting with tablecloth and candles and green wall french house words

Great news: if you’ve ever heard of a chaise lounge, you already know one of the major French house words. Chaise actually just means “chair” in French, and you can probably get a lot of mileage out of that one.

However, if you’re invested in becoming conversational in French (or even if you’re vacationing in a French-speaking country and you just want to be able to communicate with your host somewhat efficiently), it’ll be worth your while to learn some basic vocabulary to talk about the various rooms and components of a home.

Below, you’ll find a list of the most common French house words and an audio pronunciation guide voiced by a native speaker.

Essential French House Words

the apartment — l’appartement

the house — la maison

the room — la pièce

the kitchen — la cuisine

the bathroom — la salle de bains

the bedroom — la chambre à coucher

the living room — le salon

the toilet — les toilettes

the floor — le sol

the wall — le mur

the door — la porte

the window — la fenêtre

the balcony — le balcon

the ceiling — le plafond

the roof — le toit

the stairs — l’escalier

the elevator — l’ascenseur

the furniture — les meubles

the table — la table

the chair — la chaise

the bed — le lit

the sofa — le canapé

the armchair — le fauteuil

the bookshelf — l’étagère

the dresser — la commode

the stool — le tabouret

the stove — la cuisinière

the fridge — le réfrigérateur

the freezer — le congélateur

the washing machine — la machine à laver

the dryer — le sèche-linge

the dishwasher — le lave-vaisselle

the heater — le chauffage

the air-conditioner — la climatisation

the microwave — le micro-ondes

the decor — la décoration

the curtain — le rideau

the carpet — le tapis

the mirror — le miroir

the lamp — la lampe

the coffee table — la table basse

Looking for more French lessons?
Steph Koyfman

Steph is a senior content producer who has spent over five years writing about language and culture for Babbel. She grew up bilingually and had an early love affair with books, and, later, studied English literature and journalism in college. She also speaks Russian and Spanish, but she’s a little rusty on those fronts.

Steph is a senior content producer who has spent over five years writing about language and culture for Babbel. She grew up bilingually and had an early love affair with books, and, later, studied English literature and journalism in college. She also speaks Russian and Spanish, but she’s a little rusty on those fronts.

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