Picture scene
Couvert or couvercle: explore a French dinner table
Explore a dinner table to distinguish les couverts, mettre le couvert and un couvercle. Practise couvert, couverte, couverts and couvertes in context.
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In short
Les couverts means cutlery, and mettre le couvert means to set the table. Un couvercle is a lid. As an adjective, couvert means covered and agrees with the noun: la table est couverte de papiers.
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Explore the kitchen before dinner
Find:
les couvertscutlery
Focus: the utensils: knives, forks and spoons
Tu peux sortir les couverts du tiroir ?
Can you take the cutlery out of the drawer?
mettre le couvertto set the table
Focus: preparing places for the meal
Je mets le couvert pour deux personnes.
I’m setting the table for two people.
un couverclea lid
Focus: the part that closes a container
Remets le couvercle sur la casserole.
Put the lid back on the saucepan.
Deux couverts can mean two place settings. In a restaurant, vingt couverts can refer to twenty diners or places served. In the picture, there are deux couverts on the table, while les couverts dans le tiroir means the utensils in the drawer.
| Noun | Form | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| le plat | couvert | Le plat est couvert. |
| la table | couverte | La table est couverte de papiers. |
| les plats | couverts | Les plats sont couverts. |
| les tables | couvertes | Les tables sont couvertes de nappes. |
Le ciel est couvert, mais nous mangeons près de la fenêtre.
The sky is overcast, but we’re eating near the window.
In weather descriptions, couvert means overcast. The masculine singular form agrees with le ciel.