chiner
/ʃi.ne/
Thrifting in French is translated as chiner.
The verb chiner is used to describe the act of searching through flea markets or second-hand shops to find treasures or cheap items. You might visit a dépôt-vente (consignment store) to engage in this activity.
Meaning: Shopping for cheap items (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
As a regular -er verb, chiner follows standard conjugation patterns for the present tense, such as je chine (I thrift) and nous chinons (we thrift).
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of chiner is /ʃi.ne/.
Did you know?
- In a different historical context, chiner was used to describe the process of dyeing fabric with a specific type of lacquer from 'China', which explains the word's phonetic similarity to Chine.
- The word chiner is a linguistic relative of échiner, which means to 'break one's back' or exhaust oneself. This evokes the physical struggle of digging through heavy crates or dusty piles to find a hidden gem.
- In French culture, chiner is closely associated with the brocante, a traditional antique fair that is often a social event rather than just a shopping trip.
Examples in context
- J'apprécie le shopping d'occasion car on trouve souvent des pièces uniques à des prix abordables.I enjoy thrifting because you often find unique pieces at affordable prices.
- L'achat de vêtements d'occasion contribue à la réduction du gaspillage textile et de la pollution.Buying second-hand clothes contributes to reducing textile waste and pollution.
- On devrait passer au marché aux puces ce week-end pour voir s'il y a de bonnes affaires.We should go to the flea market this weekend to see if there are any good deals.
- La sensation de chiner des objets rares et précieux est simplement inégalable.The feeling of hunting for rare and valuable objects is simply unmatched.
- J'adore chiner le dimanche matin.I love thrifting on Sunday mornings.
- J'aime chiner des vêtements d'occasion.I love thrifting secondhand clothes.
- On peut chiner des objets anciens ici.We can thrift old items here.
- Tu veux chiner avec moi ce samedi ?Do you want to go thrifting with me this Saturday?
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their weekend plans.
- ChloéSalut Gabriel, tu veux chiner demain ?Hi Gabriel, do you want to go thrifting tomorrow?
- GabrielOui, je cherche une vieille lampe.Yes, I am looking for an old lamp.
- ChloéSuper, je cherche des livres.Great, I am looking for books.
- GabrielOn se voit au marché alors.Let's meet at the market then.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry chiner, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chiner, CC BY-SA 4.0.
