va te brosser les dents
To say "go brush your teeth" in French, use va te brosser les dents.
This phrase is an instruction telling someone to clean their teeth with a toothbrush.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase va te brosser les dents literally translates to "go to yourself brush the teeth".
How does it change in a sentence?
In French, one uses the definite article les (the) instead of the possessive adjective tes (your) when referring to body parts in this context.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say va brosser tes dents by using the possessive tes (your). Instead, use the definite article les (the) as shown in the correct forms.
Did you know?
- The word brosser can be used in the expression se brosser, which is a colloquial way to say you are out of luck or will not get what you want.
- If you were to say va brosser tes dents, a French speaker might think you are telling them to go brush a different set of teeth that they happen to own.
- The imperative form va undergoes a strange transformation in formal writing: if it is followed by the pronoun y, it becomes vas, gaining an 's' it usually does not have.
Examples in context
- Va te brosser les dents maintenant.Go brush your teeth now.This sentence is useful for showing how to use the form va te brosser les dents with a time adverb.Tatoeba #10556373 by lbdx, translation #10551932 by CK
- Allez vous brosser les dents, s'il vous plaît.Go brush your teeth, please.
- Va te brosser les dents avant de dormir.Go brush your teeth before sleeping.
Example conversation
A parent telling a child to get ready for bed.
- HugoHugo, il est l'heure d'aller au lit.Hugo, it is time to go to bed.
- ChloéJe peux lire encore une page, Chloé ?Can I read one more page, Chloé?
- HugoNon, va te brosser les dents d'abord.No, go brush your teeth first.
- ChloéD'accord, j'y vais tout de suite.Okay, I'm going right now.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
