Essuyer or sécher? Wiping, drying and letting things dry

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Choose essuyer or sécher for dishes, hands and laundry. Compare wiping with air drying, check the present forms and try four questions.

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In short

Essuyer means to wipe, often with a cloth or towel; sécher means to dry or become dry. You can essuyer un verre to dry it with a tea towel, or laisser sécher un verre to let it dry by itself.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

A cloth in your hand, or water disappearing?

essuyerto wipe; to dry by wiping

Focus: the wiping action

essuyer + something

J’essuie la table avec un chiffon.
I’m wiping the table with a cloth.

Tu essuies les verres avec un torchon ?
Are you drying the glasses with a tea towel?

sécherto dry; to become dry

Focus: the loss of moisture

sécher + something / something + sèche

Elle sèche ses cheveux avec un sèche-cheveux.
She’s drying her hair with a hairdryer.

Le linge sèche dehors.
The laundry is drying outside.

The two verbs can describe the same job: J’essuie le bol avec un torchon and Je sèche le bol avec un torchon both work. The first names the wiping movement; the second names the drying. For laundry on a line, use Le linge sèche or Je fais sécher le linge.

What are you using?

What is the difference between essuyer and sécher?

On range la vaisselle
  1. Lina

    J’ai fini de laver les verres. Tu peux les essuyer ?

    I’ve finished washing the glasses. Can you dry them?

  2. Max

    Oui. Où est le torchon ?

    Yes. Where’s the tea towel?

  3. Lina

    À côté de l’évier. Pour les assiettes, on les laisse sécher.

    Next to the sink. We’ll leave the plates to dry.

  4. Max

    D’accord. Ce verre est propre, mais il est encore mouillé.

    OK. This glass is clean, but it’s still wet.

  5. Lina

    Essuie-le encore un peu avant de le ranger.

    Dry it a little more before putting it away.

Is it drying, or is it dry?
FrenchEnglishWhat the sentence tells you
Le torchon sèche.The tea towel is drying.A process: sèche is a verb.
Le torchon est sec.The tea towel is dry.A state: sec is masculine.
La serviette sèche.The towel is drying.A process: sèche is a verb.
La serviette est sèche.The towel is dry.A state: sèche is feminine.

For your own hands, use Je m’essuie les mains or Je me sèche les mains. The reflexive pronoun identifies whose hands they are, so the usual article is les. Add avec une serviette to say you are using a towel.

Study first: two present-tense spelling changes
Subjectessuyersécher
je / j’essuiesèche
tuessuiessèches
il / elle / onessuiesèche
nousessuyonsséchons
vousessuyezséchez
ils / ellesessuientsèchent
Question 1No account needed
The laundry is on the line. Which sentence says it is drying?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Le linge sèche.. Le linge sèche describes drying in progress. Le linge est sec says the laundry is already dry.

Question 2No account needed
Complete the present form of essuyer.Nous ___ les verres avant de les ranger.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

essuyons. With nous in the present, keep the y: nous essuyons. Essuyions is the imparfait.

Question 3No account needed
Which sentence says the towel is dry now?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

La serviette est sèche.. Est sèche describes the towel’s current state. The other sentences describe drying as an action or process.

Question 4No account needed
Which sentence describes wiping your own hands?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Je m’essuie les mains.. Je m’essuie les mains refers to your own hands. Les mains de Léa refers to Léa’s hands.

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