boîte en bois
The English phrase "wooden box" is translated into French as boîte en bois.
The phrase refers to a container made of wood.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of boîte (box), en (made of/in) and bois (wood).
Which one should you use?
Use boîte en bois to describe the material the box is made of. In contrast, the phrase boîte de bois would more literally imply a box that contains pieces of wood rather than being made from it.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because boîte is a feminine noun, the indefinite article une must be used for "a wooden box" (une boîte en bois). To make the phrase plural, you add an s to boîte, while en bois remains unchanged (des boîtes en bois).
Did you know?
- In modern French, une boîte is commonly used as a slang term for a nightclub.
- The expression boîte à lettres describes a mailbox, but boîte is also used to describe a company or a workplace in casual conversation.
- The word bois is a descendant of the Frankish word '*buskaz', which is a distant relative of the English word 'bush'.
Examples in context
- Je garde toutes mes vieilles photos dans une boîte en bois dans le grenier.I keep all my old pictures in the attic in a wooden box.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use boîte en bois when describing where objects are kept.Tatoeba #8427022 by Aiji, translation #2970619 by AlanF_US
- Pourriez-vous apporter le coffret en bois, s'il vous plaît?Could you bring the wooden box, please?
- J'ai trouvé une petite caissette en bois dans le grenier.I found a small wooden box in the attic.
- Elle a acheté une petite boîte en bois.She bought a small wooden box.
- Il y a un cadeau dans la boîte en bois.There is a gift in the wooden box.
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are cleaning out an old attic.
- ManonRegarde cette jolie boîte en bois, Nathan !Look at this pretty wooden box, Nathan!
- NathanElle est très ancienne, cette boîte en bois.This wooden box is very old.
- ManonTu penses qu'il y a quelque chose dedans ?Do you think there is something inside?
- NathanOn peut l'ouvrir pour voir.We can open it to see.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bois, boîte, en, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
