Vocabulary list
Poignée or anse: French handles, a handful and a small bay
Name a door handle, cup handle and bag handles in French. Picture cards and short examples also explain une poignée de and the coastal meaning of anse.
- A2
- 7 words
- Gender marked
- With examples
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In short
Use une poignée for a door or suitcase handle and une anse for the curved handle of a cup or basket. Both words are feminine, and bag descriptions can use either. Une poignée de also means a handful of; on the coast, une anse is a small bay.
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Look at the part, then name it
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Other meanings in complete phrases
What is the difference between poignée and anse?
| Whole object | Part | Description |
|---|---|---|
| la porte | la poignée de la porte | La poignée est froide. |
| le panier | l’anse du panier | L’anse est solide. |
| le sac | les anses du sac | Les anses sont noires. |
In son anse, son comes before a vowel even though anse is feminine. Compare sa poignée. The possessive form does not change the noun’s gender: une anse solide, une petite anse. For a bag, anses often describes loops, while poignées names the grips. The object’s shape and usual name guide the choice.
Il ne reste qu’une poignée de personnes dans la salle.
Only a handful of people are left in the room.
Une poignée de gives a small quantity. With people it is figurative, and it leaves the exact number open.