Breakdown of Mettez les objets à étiqueter dans le bac vert.
dans
in, inside
mettre
to put / to put on
l'objet
the object, item (m)
vert
green
à
to (passive infinitive after a noun)
étiqueter
to tag
le bac
the bin
Questions & Answers about Mettez les objets à étiqueter dans le bac vert.
Why does it say à étiqueter instead of à être étiqueté for 'to be tagged'?
In French, the passive infinitive is simply formed with the preposition à followed by the active infinitive. You do not literally translate the passive 'to be done' with the verb être. So les objets à étiqueter perfectly translates to 'the objects to be tagged' or 'the objects that need tagging'.
Could I say les objets pour étiqueter instead?
No, because pour usually introduces a purpose or an action performed by a subject, meaning 'in order to'. The à + infinitive structure directly links the action to the noun, acting almost like an adjective describing the objects themselves. They are 'to-be-tagged' objects.
Is un bac just another word for a trash can?
Not exactly. While une poubelle is strictly for garbage, un bac is a more general word for a rigid bin, crate, tub, or tray used for sorting, recycling, or storage.
Are there any spelling changes to watch out for with the verb étiqueter?
Yes! It follows a stem-changing pattern. When conjugated with a silent ending, the t doubles to change the pronunciation of the preceding e. For example, 'I tag' is j'étiquette, but 'we tag' is nous étiquetons. In the infinitive form used in this sentence, it keeps the single t.
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