#40 Making a Phone Call｜French Conversation Phrases
Izumi French Garden
#110 Using a Dry Cleaning Service｜French Daily-Life Phrases
Izumi
While traveling or staying abroad for an extended period, you may often need to have your clothes cleaned. Some hotels may not offer ironing or laundry services, so being able to use a local dry cleaner can be very convenient.
When requesting dry cleaning in French, it is important to clearly communicate the type of clothing, the level of cleaning required, and the preferred pick-up date and time.
In this lesson, I will explain useful French expressions for requesting dry cleaning, together with example dialogues and key points.
Contents
Dialogue
Bonjour, j’aimerais faire nettoyer cette veste, s’il vous plaît.
（Hello. I’d like to have this jacket cleaned, please.）
Très bien. Souhaitez-vous un nettoyage classique ou un traitement spécial ?
（Certainly. Would you prefer a standard cleaning or a special treatment?）
Un nettoyage classique suffira. Et pourriez-vous aussi repasser cette chemise ?
（A standard cleaning will be fine. And could you also iron this shirt?）
Bien sûr. Vous pourrez tout récupérer vendredi après-midi.
（Of course. You may pick everything up on Friday afternoon.）
Merci beaucoup. Pouvez-vous me dire combien cela coûtera ?
（Thank you very much. Could you tell me how much it will cost?）
La veste coûte 12 euros et la chemise 5 euros.
（The jacket is 12 euros, and the shirt is 5 euros.）
Très bien, je prends. Merci et à vendredi.
（All right, I’ll take that. Thank you, and see you on Friday.）
1. Expressing That You Want to Have Clothing Cleaned
The key structure used when requesting cleaning is “faire nettoyer ～” (to have something cleaned).
- J’aimerais faire nettoyer cette veste.
(I would like to have this jacket cleaned.)
This can be adapted to other types of clothing:
- J’aimerais faire laver ce pantalon.
(I would like to have these trousers washed.) - Je voudrais faire nettoyer cette robe.
(I would like to have this dress cleaned.)
2. Responding When Asked About the Type of Cleaning
Dry cleaners may ask what type of cleaning you prefer:
- Souhaitez-vous un nettoyage classique ou un traitement spécial ?
(Would you like a standard cleaning or a special treatment?)
Point:
- nettoyage classique
→ standard cleaning. - traitement spécial
→ special treatment such as stain removal or care for delicate fabrics.
A typical response:
- Un nettoyage classique suffira.
(A standard cleaning will be sufficient.)
The verb suffira (will be enough) expresses your intention politely and clearly.
3. Making Additional Requests
When you have more than one request, the following expression is useful:
- Pourriez-vous aussi repasser cette chemise ?
(Could you also iron this shirt?)
“aussi” adds the meaning “also,” making the request natural
Other useful expressions include:
- Pouvez-vous enlever cette tache ?
(Could you remove this stain?) - J’aimerais un traitement spécial pour cette robe.
(I would like a special treatment for this dress.)
4. Confirming the Pick-Up Date and Time
Since cleaning may take time depending on the item, always confirm when it will be ready.
- Vous pourrez tout récupérer vendredi après-midi.
(You may pick everything up on Friday afternoon.)
To ask additional questions:
- Quand puis-je revenir chercher mes vêtements ?
(When can I come back to pick up my clothes?) - Est-ce que ce sera prêt demain matin ?
(Will it be ready tomorrow morning?)
5. Asking About the Price
At the end, confirm the cost:
- Pouvez-vous me dire combien cela coûtera ?
(Could you tell me how much it will cost?)
To finalize the request:
- Très bien, je prends.
(All right, I’ll take that.)
”Je prends” means “I’ll go with that / I’ll take this option” and is widely used when confirming services or making purchases.
Summary
- J’aimerais faire nettoyer ～.
→ Basic expression for requesting dry cleaning. - Un nettoyage classique / un traitement spécial.
→ Useful for specifying the type of cleaning you want. - Pourriez-vous repasser cette chemise ?
→ Convenient expression for additional services such as ironing. - Quand puis-je récupérer mes vêtements ?
→ Essential question for confirming the pick-up time. - Combien cela coûtera ? / Je prends.
→ Expressions for confirming the cost and finalizing the request.
