How to Teach the French Verb Mettre – A French Teacher’s Guide
The French verb mettre is an important irregular verb for students to learn because it has several meanings that don’t always correspond directly to the English verb they would naturally think of using.
I find it helpful to teach mettre as a verb with several common uses rather than limiting it to the translation “to put.” Some of these uses are quite literal, while others are idiomatic.
In this lesson, I start with the most common meanings and then introduce some of the other ways students will encounter mettre and se mettre in French.
French Verb “Mettre” Reference Guide – Foldable Handout Book
French Verb Mettre – French Grammar Activity
Looking for more resources to help you teach French verb mettre? Scroll down to the section at the end of this post to see my ready-to-use resources for this topic.
Start with METTRE = TO PUT
I begin with the most straightforward meaning of mettre: to put.
For example:
Je mets mon sac sur la table.
I put my bag on the table.
I am putting my bag on the table.
This is a good starting point because students can easily connect mettre with the physical action of putting something somewhere.
I also point out that the French present tense can correspond to either the English simple present or the present progressive, depending on the context.
METTRE = TO PUT ON
Next, I show students that mettre is also used for putting on clothing.
Tu mets ton tee-shirt bleu.
You put on your blue T-shirt.
You are putting on your blue T-shirt.
This is one of the first uses that students need to learn as an expression rather than trying to translate word for word.
In English, we use the phrasal verb “put on.” In French, mettre is enough.
I give students several examples involving clothing so they begin to recognize this use naturally.
METTRE = TO SPEND TIME DOING SOMETHING
This is one of the meanings I especially like to point out because students aren’t necessarily going to think of mettre when they want to say that someone spends a certain amount of time doing something.
For example:
Il met quinze minutes pour aller à l’école.
He spends fifteen minutes going to school.
Here, mettre is being used to talk about how long something takes.
This is a very useful structure for students to recognize because it doesn’t translate literally as “put.”
I make sure students notice the pattern:
mettre + amount of time + pour + infinitive
Once students have seen this construction several times, it becomes much easier for them to recognize it when they encounter it in French.
METTRE = TO SET THE TABLE
Another common use is:
Nous mettons la table.
We set the table.
We are setting the table.
This is another example where students need to learn the French expression rather than translating the English verb directly.
When I teach mettre as “to set the table,” I point out that the verb is still mettre, even though the English translation has changed.
This is a good opportunity to remind students that one French verb can have several different English translations depending on the context.
METTRE = TO TURN SOMETHING ON
I also teach students that mettre can be used when talking about turning something on.
For example:
Vous mettez la radio.
You turn on the radio.
You are turning on the radio.
This is another use that can feel surprising to English speakers.
Students may expect to see a French verb that literally means “to turn on,” so I want them to become comfortable recognizing mettre in this context.
I give them examples with things such as the radio and other everyday objects so they can begin to associate mettre with this use.
SE METTRE À = TO START DOING SOMETHING
Then I introduce the reflexive expression se mettre à + infinitive.
For example:
Ils se mettent à faire leurs devoirs.
They are starting to do their homework.
They’re starting their homework.
This is an important expression to teach as a unit.
The students aren’t simply learning another meaning of mettre. They are learning the expression:
se mettre à + infinitive = to start doing something
I give students several examples with different infinitives so they can see that the construction stays the same.
Other Common Uses of METTRE
Once students are comfortable with the main uses, I introduce some other meanings they will encounter.
These are useful because they help students recognize mettre in a wider variety of contexts.
METTRE = TO HANG OR PUT UP
For example:
Je mets les tableaux au mur.
I’m hanging the paintings on the wall.
Here, mettre can be used when putting something up on a wall.
Again, the English translation changes depending on what is being put somewhere.
METTRE = TO GIVE OR AWARD
Mettre can also be used when a teacher gives or awards grades.
D’habitude, ce professeur met de bonnes notes.
Usually, this teacher gives good grades.
This is another meaning that students aren’t necessarily going to guess from the basic definition “to put.”
I like including examples such as this one because students will encounter these idiomatic uses frequently enough that they need to recognize them.
SE METTRE = TO APPLY OR PUT ON
We can also use se mettre when talking about applying or putting something on oneself.
For example:
Elles se mettent de la crème solaire.
They are putting on sunscreen.
This is a useful example because students can see how the reflexive form changes the meaning and construction.
SE METTRE = TO WEAR OR DRESS
Another use of se mettre is related to clothing.
Ils se mettent souvent en jean.
They often wear jeans.
This is another expression that students are unlikely to arrive at by translating directly from English.
I want them to recognize se mettre as a French expression that can be used to talk about what someone wears or dresses in.
SE METTRE = TO SIT OR STAND
Students can also encounter se mettre when talking about positioning themselves somewhere.
For example:
Nous nous mettons toujours au premier rang.
We always sit at the front.
This is a good example to add after teaching se mettre because students can see yet another meaning that comes from the same verb.
METTRE À JOUR = TO UPDATE
Finally, I introduce the expression mettre à jour, which means to update.
For example:
Je mettrai le site à jour demain.
I will update the site tomorrow.
This is a particularly useful expression for students to recognize because mettre à jour does not translate literally as “to put to day.”
I teach it as a complete expression:
mettre à jour = to update
The example also gives students a chance to see mettre in another tense.
Don’t Try to Teach Every Meaning of METTRE at Once
There are many ways students will encounter mettre, so I don’t try to make them memorize a giant list of English translations.
Instead, I introduce the most useful meanings first and then continue adding expressions as students encounter them.
I want students to recognize that mettre can mean much more than “to put.”
Some uses are relatively literal:
mettre un sac sur la table
mettre un tableau au mur
Others are more idiomatic:
mettre la table
mettre la radio
mettre quinze minutes pour faire quelque chose
And then there are expressions with se mettre:
se mettre à faire quelque chose
se mettre de la crème solaire
se mettre en jean
se mettre au premier rang
Seeing these uses together helps students understand why mettre is such an important verb to learn.
Have Students Practice the Meaning from Context
When students practice mettre, I don’t want them to simply see the verb and automatically write “to put.”
Instead, I have them look at the entire sentence and determine which meaning makes sense in context.
For example:
Je mets mon sac sur la table.
Here, mettre means to put.
Tu mets ton tee-shirt bleu.
Here, it means to put on.
Il met quinze minutes pour aller à l’école.
Here, it means to spend time doing something.
Nous mettons la table.
Here, it means to set the table.
Vous mettez la radio.
Here, it means to turn on the radio.
And:
Ils se mettent à faire leurs devoirs.
Here, se mettre à means to start doing something.
This kind of practice helps students move away from looking for a single English equivalent every time they see mettre.
Have Students Notice the Different Expressions
Once students know the basic meanings, I like to give them examples containing mettre and se mettre and have them identify the expression being used.
For example:
mettre la table
mettre la radio
mettre quinze minutes
se mettre à faire quelque chose
se mettre de la crème solaire
se mettre en jean
se mettre au premier rang
mettre à jour
This reinforces the idea that students need to learn mettre in context.
The goal isn’t to memorize every possible translation of the verb. It’s to become familiar with the common expressions and recognize what mettre means in a particular sentence.
Practice The French Verb Mettre!
If you’re teaching the irregular French verb mettre, I have ready-to-use resources that introduce the different meanings and common expressions students need to know.
French METTRE | Present, Passé Composé & Imparfait | Games & Practice Bundle
