Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| bonne | /bɔn/ | feminine |
| servante | /sɛʁ.vɑ̃t/ | |
| bonne à tout faire | /bɔ.n‿a tu fɛʁ/ | feminine |
| domestique | /dɔ.mɛs.tik/ | feminine |
All these terms refer to a female servant or cleaner. In everyday conversation, you might use la femme de ménage to mean a maid or cleaning lady. In more professional or formal settings, such as a hotel, you would use la femme de chambre for a chambermaid or l'employée de maison to describe a house employee working in a private household.
What does it mean word for word?
The colloquial phrase bonne à tout faire literally means a 'good for doing everything', which describes a maid-of-all-work who performs all types of chores.
Which one should you use?
The terms vary significantly in tone and context. bonne is more colloquial and can sometimes carry a slightly patronizing or old-fashioned tone. In contrast, servante is a more formal and neutral term often found in literature or respectful contexts. domestique serves as a more clinical or formal way to refer to a domestic worker, typically used in administrative or legal contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word domestique is epicene, meaning it retains the same form for both masculine and feminine genders.
How do you pronounce it?
/bɔn/
Did you know?
- The word bonne is the feminine form of the adjective for 'good'. In this context, it evolved into a noun for a maid because servants were historically expected to be 'good' and obedient.
- In modern France, calling a cleaning lady a bonne is often seen as derogatory or patronizing, reflecting a classist history of domestic service.
- In French culture, the role of the femme de ménage is often distinguished from a 'maid' by the fact that she may be an independent contractor rather than a live-in servant.
Examples in context
- Il a une servante.He has a maid.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of servante.Tatoeba #976137 by sacredceltic, translation #476463 by Eldad
- La bonne fit mon lit.The maid made my bed.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of bonne.Tatoeba #3666073 by sacredceltic, translation #64402 by CK
- Il emploie une servante.He employs a maid.Tatoeba #478792 by sacredceltic, translation #476464 by CH
- J'ai demandé à la femme de chambre de nettoyer ma chambre.I asked the maid to clean my room.
- L'employée de maison a préparé un repas délicieux.The maid prepared a delicious meal.
- La bonne vient nettoyer la maison tous les jours.The maid comes to clean the house every day.
- J'ai embauché une femme de ménage pour m'aider avec les tâches ménagères.I hired a maid to help me with household chores.
- J'ai engagé une aide ménagère pour garder la maison propre.I hired a maid to keep the house clean.
- La gouvernante s'occupe du nettoyage des chambres dans l'hôtel.The maid takes care of cleaning the rooms in the hotel.
- 22 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are talking about housework.
- LéaLa maison est très sale, on a besoin d'une bonne.The house is very dirty, we need a maid.
- HugoEst-ce que tu connais quelqu'un de disponible ?Do you know someone who is available?
- LéaOui, ma voisine est une excellente bonne.Yes, my neighbor is an excellent maid.
- HugoSuper, demande-lui ses tarifs alors.Great, ask her for her rates then.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “maid” translations and entries bonne, servante, bonne à tout faire, domestique, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
