Dictionary / French / A chair
How to Say "A chair" in French
Une chaise
/yn ʃɛz/
Literally: A chair
Une
a
chaise
chair
Good to know
To invite someone to sit, say asseyez-vous (sit down), or more politely asseyez-vous, je vous en prie. Both sound more natural than mentioning the chair at all.
Correct
Une chaise
What people say wrong
Une chair
flesh
The mistake to avoid. La chair is a real French word, but it means flesh, as in the flesh of a fruit or human flesh. It looks like the English chair, which is why it slips out. A seat is une chaise, and an armchair is un fauteuil. Ask for une chair at the dinner table and you have asked for flesh, not a seat. For good measure, la chaire, with an e, is a pulpit or a university chair.
In context
Il manque une chaise à table.
We're one chair short at the table.
Tu peux m'aider à porter les chaises ?
Can you help me carry the chairs?
Elle s'est installée dans le fauteuil.
She settled into the armchair.