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French balcony vocabulary: a small outdoor corner

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Explore eight French balcony objects, from a railing to a planter. Learn the articles, compare a flowerpot with a jardinière and use location clues.

In short

Un balcon can have un garde-corps, a protective railing. A round flowerpot is un pot de fleurs; a long planter is une jardinière. Use une chaise pliante for a folding chair and un arrosoir for the watering can in this outdoor corner.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

This small balcony has one chair, a table and plants in two different kinds of container. The scene gives you eight objects to find. Begin with the larger furniture, then name what rests on it: the cushion on the chair and the watering can on the table.

A small balcony corner

A small balcony has a railing, round plant pot, folding chair with cushion, table with watering can, mat and long planter.

A pot and a planter are not the same shape

Un pot de fleurs is the general flowerpot, often round in a simple picture. Une jardinière is a planter, commonly a longer container that can hold several plants. Here, the round pot is on the left and the long planter is on the right. Both stand on the balcony floor.

Learn the object with its article
FrenchEnglishGender
un garde-corpsa railingMasculine
une chaise pliantea folding chairFeminine
un arrosoira watering canMasculine
une jardinièrea planterFeminine

Sur mon balcon, il y a une chaise près d’une petite table. Un coussin est sur la chaise et un arrosoir est sur la table. À gauche, il y a un pot de fleurs. À droite, il y a une jardinière.

On my balcony, there is a chair near a small table. A cushion is on the chair and a watering can is on the table. On the left, there is a flowerpot. On the right, there is a planter.

Question 1No account needed
Which object is a watering can?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Un arrosoir. An arrosoir is the container with a handle and spout used for watering plants.

Question 2No account needed
Which phrase names the folding chair?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Une chaise pliante. Pliante describes something that folds, so chaise pliante is a folding chair.

Question 3No account needed
What does the scene’s jardinière refer to?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

The long plant container. Jardinière names the rectangular planter, distinct from the round pot de fleurs.

For a simple description of your own balcony, choose two objects and one relationship: La chaise est près de la table. Add a smaller object only when its position is clear. Sur la chaise and sur la table use the same preposition but point to different supporting surfaces.

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