couverts de table
masculine, plural
The French word for cutlery is couverts de table.
couverts de table refers to eating and serving utensils. You may also encounter individual items such as a couteau (knife), a fourchette (fork) or a cuillère (spoon). In a restaurant setting, the word couverts is often used as a counter for the number of people served, such as describing a restaurant with a specific number of seats.
Meaning: eating and serving utensils (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
While couverts de table refers to the set of cutlery, the singular un couvert is used to refer to a single utensil or a single place setting.
Did you know?
- In France, a couvert can refer to the 'cover charge' on a bill, known as le couvert, which is a fixed fee for the service and the bread.
- In old French traditions, the couvert included not just the metal tools but also the individual linen cloth used to protect the table surface.
- The word table shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'tablet', as both derive from the Latin 'tabula'.
Examples in context
- Les couverts sont disposés avec élégance sur la table.The cutlery is elegantly arranged on the table.
- Les ustensiles de table sont en argent massif.The table utensils are made of solid silver.
- Il manque des couverts de table pour le dîner.There is a lack of cutlery for dinner.
- Nous devons nettoyer les couverts de table en argent.We must clean the silver cutlery.
Example conversation
Emma and Nathan are setting the dining table for dinner.
- EmmaNathan, peux-tu m'apporter les couverts de table ?Nathan, can you bring me the cutlery?
- NathanOui, je les apporte tout de suite.Yes, I'll bring them right away.
- EmmaMerci, il manque encore quelques fourchettes.Thanks, there are still a few forks missing.
- NathanJe vais regarder dans le lave-vaisselle.I will look in the dishwasher.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cutlery” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, table, CC BY-SA 4.0.
