nettoyeur
/nɛ.twa.jœʁ/masculine
The English word 'cleaner' can be translated into French as nettoyeur.
The term nettoyeur refers to a person who cleans. In formal or administrative settings like job descriptions, you might see agent de nettoyage or agent d'entretien to describe someone responsible for general maintenance and cleaning tasks. In the specific context of the restaurant industry, a person who performs dishwashing and cleaning duties is called a plongeur or plongeuse.
Meaning: person who cleans (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The noun nettoyeur is derived from the verb nettoyer, which means to clean.
Which one should you use?
While nettoyeur is a general term, agent de nettoyage and agent d'entretien are used in professional or administrative contexts. In a restaurant, the specific term plongeur or plongeuse is used for someone doing cleaning and dishwashing work.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form is nettoyeur, while the feminine form is nettoyeuse. If you wish to refer to the act of cleaning itself, use the noun nettoyage.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables and is pronounced /nɛ.twa.jœʁ/.
Did you know?
- Unlike English, where 'cleaner' can mean a chemical product, a French speaker would use nettoyant for the liquid and nettoyeur for the person.
- In French, the word nettoyer shares an ancestor with the English word 'neat', both tracing back to the concept of being 'clean' or 'orderly'.
- In French, nettoyage can refer to a 'clean-up' in a political or corporate sense, such as removing undesirable members from a group.
Examples in context
- Ziri est un nettoyeur de fenêtres.Ziri is a window cleaner.This sentence is useful for identifying someone's profession using nettoyeur.Tatoeba #12493863 by always, translation #10210123 by Amastan
- Ziri est devenu nettoyeur de fenêtres.Ziri became a window cleaner.This sentence is useful for describing how someone became a nettoyeur.Tatoeba #12493864 by always, translation #10210125 by Amastan
- La femme de ménage vient nettoyer notre maison tous les jours.The cleaner comes to clean our house every day.
- Je vais engager un agent d'entretien pour s'occuper de notre bureau.I am going to hire a cleaner to take care of our office.
- Le nettoyeur de tapis est arrivé.The carpet cleaner has arrived.
Example conversation
Chloe and Lucas are discussing office maintenance.
- ChloéOù est le nettoyeur ?Where is the cleaner?
- LucasIl est déjà parti, Chloé.He has already left, Chloe.
- ChloéLe bureau est encore sale.The office is still dirty.
- LucasJe vais appeler le nettoyeur.I will call the cleaner.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cleaner” translations and entries nettoyeur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nettoyeur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
