French · Home, Clothes & Daily Life

"Towel" in French: serviette de bain

la serviette de bain

Say it: sehr-VYET duh banfeminine · la serviette de bainnoun/sɛʁ.vjɛt də bɛ̃/

Towel in French for bathing is la serviette de bain. Keep the full phrase—serviette alone often means napkin. Say une serviette de bain propre after a shower.

After a shower

Passe-moi la serviette de bain, s'il te plaît.
Pass me the bath towel, please.
Practice French out loud

Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free

How to pronounce serviette de bain

Say it

sehr-VYET duh ban

/sɛʁ.vjɛt də bɛ̃/

sehr-VYET duh ban. Serviette stresses VYET; bain is ban.

"Towel" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
la serviette de bainthe bath towel

Default headword.

serviette de plagebeach towel

Beach.

serviette (napkin)napkin

Table—different use.

drap de bainbath sheet

Large towel.

How to use serviette de bain in real life

  1. 1After a shower

    Passe-moi la serviette de bain, s'il te plaît.

    Pass me the bath towel, please.

    Full phrase.

  2. 2Hotel room

    Il manque une serviette de bain dans la salle de bain.

    There's a bath towel missing in the bathroom.

    Inventory.

  3. 3Gym bag

    J'ai oublié ma serviette de bain à la maison.

    I forgot my bath towel at home.

    Forgot it.

Mistakes English speakers make with serviette de bain

Incorrect: Une towel pour la douche.

Correct: Une serviette de bain pour la douche.

Use serviette de bain for a bath towel.

Incorrect: Le serviette de bain est mouillé.

Correct: La serviette de bain est mouillée.

Serviette is feminine.

Good to know

In restaurants une serviette is a napkin—add de bain when you mean towel. Hotels stock serviettes de bain by the sink; ask for une serviette supplémentaire if needed.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Packing for the pool

  1. ChatPal

    Tu as pris une serviette de bain ?

    Did you bring a bath towel?

  2. You

    Oui, une grande serviette de bain bleue.

    Yes, a big blue bath towel.

  3. ChatPal

    Parfait. Moi aussi j'ai ma serviette de bain.

    Perfect. I've got my bath towel too.

  4. You

    On y va alors.

    Let's go then.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

Practice this conversation in ChatPal

"Towel" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Towel" in French

How do you say towel?

La serviette de bain for a bath towel.

Is serviette enough?

Alone it often means napkin—add de bain.

What is a beach towel?

Une serviette de plage.

How do you pronounce it?

sehr-VYET duh ban.

Learn a word, then use it out loud

  1. Step 1: See it in context
  2. Step 2: Say it out loud
  3. Step 3: Get feedback
  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

Keep reading

Ready to say it out loud?

ChatPal is a voice-first app for practicing real conversations in French. Try real scenarios and get personalized feedback on your speaking.

Start with 7 days free.