Le printemps est arrivé (Spring is here) and the longer days, changing seasons, and changing clocks bring up thoughts of le grand nettoyage de printemps et les fleurs épanouies (spring cleaning and blooming flowers). The end of the cold months means that people will start opening up their houses and letting in l’air frais (fresh air).

I didn’t realize I had a big hole in my vocabulaire français until I was chez mon ami (at my friend’s place) and we were going to take a picture but le soleil (the sun) was too strong. I had an interesting conversation with mon ami:

Je peux fermer les stores.
Les stores ?
Oui les stores. Pour le soleil.
Et comment ça s’écrit ?
Les stores. S-T-O-R-E-S.
Ah d’accord ! Je ne connaissais pas le mot pour les stores !

I can close the blinds.
The shutters?
Yes the shutters. For the sun.
And how do you spell it?
The blinds. B-L-I-N-D-S.
Ah okay! I didn’t know the word for shutters!

I then realized that je ne connaissais pas many of the word for shutters, curtains, and other window related vocabulary. I started asking mon ami how to say all kinds of words, but left still confused about how to say some things.

Une fois à la maison (once I was home), I looked up the words I could remember,  making sure I would never have trouble saying:

Est-ce que tu peux fermer les stores ?
Can you close the blinds?

One thing is for sure, I’ll be happy to profiter de (enjoy) the warmer season, possibly even enjoying une bière sur la terrasse (a beer outside)!

Voici un petit vocabulaire de la fenêtre :

La fenetre – Window
Le rideau – Curtain
Les rideaux – Curtains
Les stores – Blinds
Le volet – Shutter
Le balcon – Balcony
Le patio – Patio
La véranda – Lanai
L’air frais – Fresh air
Le rebord de fenêtre – Windowsill
Le carreau – Window pane
La vitre –  Window glass
La terrasse – Terrace (or generally “outside”)
Le brise-soleil – Awning
L’appentis – Lean-to

Do you know any other window words? Laissez un commentaire (leave a comment) and let me know!