- Mettre means “to put” or “to place.”
- It is an irregular verb that follows the pattern of the -re verbs (like prendre, prendre, battre).
- It can also mean “to put on” (clothes), “to turn on” (a device), or “to set” (a table).
Common Uses
Here are some common expressions and meanings of mettre:
| Usage | Example (French) | Example (English) |
|---|
| Put/place something somewhere | Je mets le livre sur la table. | I put the book on the table. |
| Put on (clothes) | Il met un manteau. | He puts on a coat. |
| Turn on (a device) | Elle met la radio. | She turns on the radio. |
| Take time to do something | Ça met dix minutes. | It takes ten minutes. |
| Set the table | Nous mettons la table. | We set the table. |
Conjugation Summary
Below are the most important conjugations of mettre.
Present Tense
| Person | French | English |
|---|
| je | je mets | I put |
| tu | tu mets | you put |
| il/elle | il/elle met | he/she puts |
| nous | nous mettons | we put |
| vous | vous mettez | you put |
| ils/elles | ils/elles mettent | they put |
Passé Composé
Mettre uses avoir, and the past participle is mis.
| Person | French Example | English Example |
|---|
| j’ | j’ai mis | I put |
| tu | tu as mis | you put |
| il/elle | elle a mis | she put |
| nous | nous avons mis | we put |
| vous | vous avez mis | you put |
| ils/elles | ils ont mis | they put |
Imparfait
| Person | French | English |
|---|
| je | je mettais | I was putting / used to put |
| tu | tu mettais | you were putting |
| il/elle | il/elle mettait | he/she was putting |
| nous | nous mettions | we were putting |
| vous | vous mettiez | you were putting |
| ils/elles | ils/elles mettaient | they were putting |
Futur Simple
| Person | French | English |
|---|
| je | je mettrai | I will put |
| tu | tu mettras | you will put |
| il/elle | il/elle mettra | he/she will put |
| nous | nous mettrons | we will put |
| vous | vous mettrez | you will put |
| ils/elles | ils/elles mettront | they will put |
Subjonctif Présent
| Person | French | English |
|---|
| que je | que je mette | that I put |
| que tu | que tu mettes | that you put |
| qu’il/elle | qu’il/elle mette | that he/she put |
| que nous | que nous mettions | that we put |
| que vous | que vous mettiez | that you put |
| qu’ils/elles | qu’ils/elles mettent | that they put |
Example Sentences
| French | English |
|---|
| Je mets mes chaussures. | I put on my shoes. |
| Nous mettons la table chaque soir. | We set the table every evening. |
| Il a mis son manteau et est parti. | He put on his coat and left. |
| Mets le sucre dans le café. | Put the sugar in the coffee. |
| Elle met toujours vingt minutes pour se préparer. | She always takes twenty minutes to get ready. |
Tips
- mettre often requires an object: “mettre quelque chose ...”
- Don’t confuse mettre with poser (to set down) or placer (to place). Mettre is more general.
- With clothes, always use mettre, not porter (porter means “to wear”).
- In spoken French, the past participle mis is often short and quick.
