Vocabulary list
Couvercle or bouchon: French words for lids, caps and corks
Name the lid of a saucepan, a jar lid, a bottle cap and a cork in French. Learn couvercle and bouchon with picture cards and a household quiz.
- A2
- 6 words
- Gender marked
- With examples
- Learn this in the A2 notebook →
In short
A saucepan or box has un couvercle (a lid). A bottle usually has un bouchon (a cap or stopper): un bouchon à vis screws on, and un bouchon en liège is a cork. Both nouns are masculine.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
Which part closes it?
Find:
A lid over the opening
A cap or stopper
| Container | Its lid or cap |
|---|---|
| la casserole | le couvercle de la casserole |
| le bocal | le couvercle du bocal |
| la bouteille | le bouchon de la bouteille |
| la gourde | le bouchon de la gourde |
A screw mechanism works with both words: you can dévisser le couvercle du bocal and dévisser le bouchon de la bouteille. Learn the usual pairing with the container. À vis tells you how it closes; en liège tells you the material.
What does bouchon mean on the road?
Il y a des bouchons sur la route. Nous allons arriver en retard.
There are traffic jams on the road. We’re going to arrive late.
On a journey, les bouchons means traffic jams. Être dans les bouchons means being stuck in traffic.