lave-toi les mains
In French, 'wash your hands' is said as lave-toi les mains.
This phrase is a command telling someone to clean their hands with soap and water.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, lave-toi les mains translates to 'wash yourself the hands'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form lavez-vous les mains is used when speaking to more than one person or when addressing one person formally. The default form lave-toi les mains is used for a single person whom you address using tu.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying lave tes mains. While English speakers often use the possessive 'your', in French you should use a reflexive pronoun and the definite article les instead of the possessive tes when referring to body parts.
Did you know?
- The reflexive structure in lave-toi les mains is so strict that using the possessive tes can sound to a native speaker as if you are washing hands that have been detached from your body.
- In French, se laver les mains is used as an idiom to describe someone avoiding responsibility or distancing themselves from a messy situation, similar to the English 'washing one's hands of' something.
- The word les in this phrase shares an ancient lineage with the Latin word 'ille', which is the root of the English word 'that'.
Examples in context
- Lave-toi les mains !Wash your hands!Tatoeba #6589065 by GB3, translation #6589058 by Eccles17
- Lave-toi les mains, s'il te plaît.Please, wash your hands.Tatoeba #5653932 by Yemana, translation #5651252 by Mar1L
- Lave-toi les mains, avant de toucher la nourriture !Wash your hands before you handle the food.Tatoeba #3630362 by sacredceltic, translation #268659 by CK
- Lave-toi les mains immédiatement !Wash your hands immediately!
- Lavez-vous les mains pendant au moins 20 secondes.Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo has just finished playing outside in the garden.
- ManonHugo, lave-toi les mains avant de manger.Hugo, wash your hands before eating.
- HugoD'accord, j'y vais tout de suite.Okay, I'm going right now.
- ManonN'oublie pas d'utiliser du savon.Don't forget to use soap.
- HugoC'est promis, Manon.I promise, Manon.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries les, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
