Je nettoie la poêle dans l'évier.

Because the word for a frying pan is feminine: la poêle. There is also a masculine noun le poêle, but that means a stove/heater (the appliance that heats a room). So:

• la poêle = the pan
• le poêle = the heater/stove (appliance)

A clear, neutral pronunciation is roughly: “zhuh neh-twah lah pwal dahn lay-vyay.”

• Je = “zhuh”
• nettoie = “neh-twah”
• la poêle = “lah pwal”
• dans = “dahn” (nasal vowel)
• l’évier = “lay-vyay”

In IPA: /ʒə nɛ.twa la pwal dɑ̃ le.vje/.

Nettoie is the first-person singular present of nettoyer (to clean). Present tense:

• je nettoie
• tu nettoies
• il/elle nettoie
• nous nettoyons
• vous nettoyez
• ils/elles nettoient

Note the spelling change: the stem alternates between nettoi- and nettoy-.

Often, yes. Both are common when talking about dishes:

• laver = to wash (with water/soap)
• nettoyer = to clean (remove dirt/grease; a bit broader)

With cookware, both are idiomatic. If you’re emphasizing degreasing or scrubbing, nettoyer feels slightly stronger.

Yes. Évier is the kitchen sink. The bathroom sink is le lavabo. So:

• dans l’évier = in the (kitchen) sink
• dans le lavabo = in the (bathroom) sink

• dans l’évier = inside the sink (the basin)
• sur l’évier = on the sink (on the counter area or rim), less typical for washing
• à l’évier is not idiomatic for location here

If you mean the action happens in the basin with water, use dans l’évier.

Yes, but keep it natural:

• Neutral: Je nettoie la poêle dans l’évier.
• Fronted (for emphasis or style): Dans l’évier, je nettoie la poêle. Avoid splitting the object oddly: Je nettoie dans l’évier la poêle sounds clunky.

Use the direct-object pronoun la:

• Je la nettoie dans l’évier. = I’m cleaning it in the sink. If you also want to replace the place with y:
• J’y nettoie la poêle. = I clean the pan there.
• With both: J’y la nettoie is wrong. You’d say: Je l’y nettoie (formal/literary; everyday speech usually keeps one element explicit to avoid heaviness).

French typically requires articles where English might omit them. Choose based on meaning:

• la poêle = the pan (a specific one, known in context)
• une poêle = a pan (non-specific; any pan) Both are grammatical; context decides which you want.

Two mnemonics:

• Cooking items ending in -e are often feminine: la cuillère, la casserole, la poêle.
• Contrast with the heater: la poêle (pan) vs le poêle (stove/heater). Cooking is “la cuisine” → la poêle.

Yes:

• la casserole = saucepan/pot
• la sauteuse = sauté pan (higher sides)
• la plaque (de cuisson) = stovetop/cooktop
• le poêle = room heater/woodstove (not for frying)