Mettre is one of the most common verbs in French, and its meaning changes with the context: to put something somewhere, to wear clothes, to turn on a device, to take time, to start an activity. Here are its main meanings, the reflexive form se mettre, the expressions to know and a short exercise to check yourself.
Key points
- The basic meaning of mettre is to put or place something.
- It also means to put on clothes, to turn on a device, to take time, to set the table.
- Se mettre à + infinitive means to start: il s’est mis à pleuvoir (it started raining).
- Mettre is a third group verb: je mets, nous mettons, past participle mis.
How to conjugate mettre
| Person | Present | Passé composé |
|---|---|---|
| je | mets | j’ai mis |
| tu | mets | tu as mis |
| il / elle / on | met | il a mis |
| nous | mettons | nous avons mis |
| vous | mettez | vous avez mis |
| ils / elles | mettent | ils ont mis |
Verbs from the same family follow the same pattern: permettre (to allow), promettre (to promise), admettre (to admit), remettre (to put back, to hand in), transmettre (to pass on).
The main meanings of mettre
| Meaning | Example |
|---|---|
| To put, to place | Il a mis le stylo dans la trousse. (He put the pen in the pencil case.) |
| To rest a body part | Elle a mis sa tête sur mon épaule. (She rested her head on my shoulder.) |
| To put on clothes | L’enfant met son manteau. (The child puts on his coat.) |
| To take someone somewhere | Le matin, elle met ses enfants à l’école. (In the morning she takes her children to school.) |
| To put up, to install | Ils ont mis du papier peint dans toute la maison. (They put up wallpaper all over the house.) |
| To turn on | Mets la télé, il y a un bon film. (Turn on the TV, there is a good film.) |
| To invest, to spend | Il a mis toute sa fortune dans ce projet. (He put his whole fortune into this project.) |
| To set to, to turn into | Il a mis ce poème en musique. (He set this poem to music.) |
| To take time | J’ai mis deux jours à finir ce livre. (It took me two days to finish this book.) |
| To suppose | Mettons que tu aies raison. (Let’s say you are right.) |
| To lay, to set | Les enfants mettent la table. (The children set the table.) |
Remember: to say how long something takes you, French uses mettre + time + à + infinitive: j’ai mis une heure à venir (it took me an hour to get here).
Se mettre: the reflexive form
- To get into a situation: il s’est mis dans une situation difficile.
- To take a position: l’enfant s’est mis debout (the child stood up).
- To become: le directeur s’est mis en colère (the director got angry).
- To start: elle s’est mise à apprendre le japonais (she started learning Japanese). Il se met à pleuvoir (it is starting to rain).
In the passé composé, se mettre takes être and the past participle agrees: elle s’est mise, ils se sont mis.
Common expressions with mettre
- mettre la table / mettre le couvert: to set the table
- mettre à cuire, mettre à sécher: to put something on to cook, to hang something out to dry
- mettre fin à: to put an end to
- mettre au point: to fine-tune, to clarify
- mettre les voiles (informal): to leave, to take off
- se mettre quelqu’un à dos: to turn someone against you
- mettre son grain de sel (informal): to put in your two cents
Exercise: what does mettre mean here?
Replace mettre with a more precise French verb.
- 1. Il a mis le livre sur la table.
- 2. Elle a mis une lettre à la poste.
- 3. Il sort et il met son blouson.
- 4. Après sa douche, David met sa serviette à sécher.
- 5. Elle n’a trouvé personne, elle a mis un mot sous la porte.
- 6. Il s’est mis au travail.
- 7. Claudine a mis le linge propre dans l’armoire.
- 8. Combien de temps as-tu mis pour venir ?
Answers: 1. Il a posé le livre. 2. Elle a posté une lettre. 3. Il enfile son blouson. 4. Il étend sa serviette pour qu’elle sèche. 5. Elle a glissé un mot sous la porte. 6. Il a commencé à travailler. 7. Elle a rangé le linge. 8. Combien de temps t’a-t-il fallu ?
Going further
Find more colourful expressions in our article on colours in French expressions. Want to know your level? Take our free French level test, then practise with a teacher in our French conversation lessons.
Frequently asked questions
What does se mettre à mean in French?
Se mettre à + infinitive means to start doing something: il s’est mis à pleuvoir (it started raining), elle s’est mise à courir (she started running).
How do you say it took me two hours in French?
Use mettre + time + à + infinitive: j’ai mis deux heures à finir ce travail. The question is combien de temps as-tu mis ?
Does mettre take être or avoir in the passé composé?
Mettre takes avoir (j’ai mis), but the reflexive se mettre takes être (je me suis mis, elle s’est mise).
What is the difference between mettre la table and mettre le couvert?
There is none: both mean to set the table.
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