Common mistakes
Dos or dossier? A person’s back, a chair back and a folder
Match le dos and le dossier to six pictures. Learn a person’s back, a chair back, a book’s spine and the back of a sheet, then check your choices.
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In short
Le dos is a person’s back; le dossier is the backrest of a chair or seat. Use au dos de la feuille for the back of a sheet. In a paperwork or computer context, un dossier is a file or folder.
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Which kind of back?
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How do you translate “back” into French?
- le dosthe usual name for a chair’s backresta person’s back; the back or spine of certain objects
Le dos du livre est abîmé.The book’s spine is damaged.
For the supporting back of a chair, say le dossier de la chaise.
- le dossiera person’s backa backrest, or a file/folder
Le dossier du fauteuil est haut.The armchair’s back is high.
For a person, say le dos: On le voit de dos — we see him from behind.
- au dos deinside a folderon the back of
Écris ton nom au dos de la feuille.Write your name on the back of the sheet.
For documents placed inside a folder, use dans le dossier.
What does dossier mean in French?
- Lina
Où est mon dossier d’inscription ?
Where is my registration file?
- Marc
Sur la table, à côté de la chaise.
On the table, next to the chair.
- Lina
Merci. Cette chaise a un dossier très bas.
Thanks. This chair has a very low back.
- Marc
Tu préfères le fauteuil ? Son dossier est plus haut.
Would you prefer the armchair? Its back is higher.
- Lina
Oui, merci. Je vais poser mon sac à dos par terre.
Yes, thank you. I’ll put my backpack on the floor.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| de dos | seen from behind |
| le dossier du siège | the seat back |
| au dos de la carte | on the back of the card |
| ouvrir un dossier sur l’ordinateur | open a folder on the computer |
Dos already ends in -s: un dos, des dos. Dossier adds -s in the plural: des dossiers. Both nouns are masculine. In le dossier de la chaise, la chaise stays feminine, while adjectives describing le dossier are masculine: un dossier haut.