French · Home, Clothes & Daily Life
"Laundry" in French: lessive
la lessive
Note: also: le linge
Laundry in French as the wash/detergent idea is la lessive. Faire la lessive means to do the laundry. Le linge is the clothes themselves — related, but this headword is lessive.
Shared flat
C'est mon tour de faire la lessive.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce lessive
Say it
lah leh-SEEV
/la lɛ.siv/
Lessive: leh-SEEV. Soft ss; final e light. La lessive is lah leh-SEEV.
"Laundry" in French: quick reference
| French | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| la lessive | laundry / detergent Wash day or product. | Wash day or product. |
| faire la lessive | to do the laundry Chore. | Chore. |
| jour de lessive | laundry day Schedule. | Schedule. |
| lessive liquide | liquid detergent Product type. | Product type. |
How to use lessive in real life
- 1Shared flat
C'est mon tour de faire la lessive.
It's my turn to do the laundry.
Faire la lessive.
- 2Supermarket aisle
Tu prends quelle lessive pour le noir ?
Which laundry detergent do you get for blacks?
Product sense.
- 3Weekend plan
Dimanche = lessive, courses, et sieste.
Sunday = laundry, errands, and a nap.
Lessive as chore label.
Mistakes English speakers make with lessive
Incorrect: Je fais le laundry.
Correct: Je fais la lessive.
Use lessive.
Incorrect: Je fais le linge, so I learned lessive.
Correct: Je fais la lessive.
Le linge is the clothes; the chore/product word here is lessive.
Good to know
In apartments without a machine, laverie means the laundromat. Faire la lessive covers the whole wash cycle; acheter de la lessive means buying detergent. Labels shout sans phosphates and peaux sensibles.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Dividing chores
ChatPal
Tu gères la lessive cette semaine ?
Are you handling laundry this week?
You
Oui — la lessive tourne déjà.
Yes—the laundry is already running.
ChatPal
Super. Moi je m'occupe du sol.
Great. I'll take care of the floor.
You
Deal. On se croise à 19 h.
Deal. See you at 7.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"Laundry" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "Laundry" in French
How do you say laundry in French?
La lessive.
How do you say do the laundry?
Faire la lessive.
What is le linge?
The clothes/linen — related, but not this headword.
How do you pronounce lessive?
leh-SEEV.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
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