balayer
/ba.lɛ.je/
To sweep in French is balayer. Wiktionary also lists brosser.
Meaning: to clean using a broom or brush (verb)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| balayer | /ba.lɛ.je/ /ba.le.je/ |
| brosser | /bʁɔ.se/ |
The verb balayer is used for the act of sweeping floors or surfaces to remove dust or debris. If you want to be more specific about sweeping the ground, you can use the phrase Balayer le sol. The noun balayage refers to the act or process of sweeping.
Which one should you use?
While balayer means to sweep a floor with a broom, brosser is used for brushing surfaces or hair with a brush.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ba.lɛ.je/ and has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- In French hairdressing, un balayage is a specific technique for highlighting hair to create a sun-kissed effect. It uses the concept of 'sweeping' color onto the hair rather than using foils.
- While balayer is for brooms, brosser is used for the phrase brosser dans le sens du poil, which means to flatter someone. It literally means to 'brush in the direction of the fur'.
- In French, the expression balayer d'un revers de main literally means 'to sweep with the back of the hand', but it is used figuratively to mean dismissing an idea or a suggestion as completely unimportant.
Examples in context
- Va balayer ma chambre.Sweep my room.Tatoeba #7071789 by Micsmithel, translation #264792 by papabear
- Je lui ai fait balayer le sol.I made him sweep the floor.Tatoeba #793584 by U2FS, translation #260438 by CK
- Il m'ordonna de balayer la pièce.He ordered me to sweep the room.Tatoeba #1353821 by sacredceltic, translation #297712 by CK
- Dans les locaux de l'entreprise, il est important de balayer les sols régulièrement.In the company premises, it is important to sweep the floors regularly.
- N'oublie pas de balayer le sol après avoir cuisiné.Don't forget to sweep the floor after cooking.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are cleaning the kitchen together.
- GabrielEst-ce que tu peux balayer la cuisine ?Can you sweep the kitchen?
- LéaOui, je vais le faire tout de suite.Yes, I will do it right away.
- GabrielMerci, Léa, c'est très gentil.Thanks, Léa, that's very kind.
- LéaDe rien, Gabriel !You're welcome, Gabriel!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sweep” translations and entries balayer, brosser, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
