Nous vidons la machine à laver, puis nous la remplissons et mettons de la lessive.

Because the sentence is describing what we do, so the verbs have to be conjugated in the present tense.

• vider → nous vidons = we empty
• remplir → nous remplissons = we fill
• mettre → nous mettons = we put

So the sentence uses the present tense, first person plural: nous = we.

A useful detail here:

• vider is an -er verb, so with nous it becomes vidons
• remplir is an -ir verb of the finir type, so with nous it becomes remplissons
• mettre is irregular, so nous mettons has to be learned as a form

Here, la is a direct object pronoun meaning it.

The noun la machine à laver is feminine singular, so when you replace it with it, French uses la:

• Nous vidons la machine à laver = We empty the washing machine.
• Puis nous la remplissons = Then we fill it.

So la refers back to la machine à laver.

In French, object pronouns usually come before the conjugated verb.

So French says:

• nous la remplissons

not:

• nous remplissons la

This is a very common pattern:

• Je le vois = I see him/it
• Nous la prenons = We take it
• Ils les mettent = They put them

For an English speaker, this can feel backwards at first, because English usually puts the object after the verb.

Because the subject nous already applies to both verbs:

• nous la remplissons
• et mettons de la lessive

This is like English saying:

• We fill it and add detergent

You could repeat nous for emphasis or clarity:

• puis nous la remplissons et nous mettons de la lessive

But French often leaves it out when the subject is the same and the meaning is clear.

Because French often uses a partitive article when talking about an unspecified quantity of something.

Here, lessive means detergent / laundry detergent, and de la lessive means:

• some detergent

So:

• mettre de la lessive = to put in some detergent

This is different from English, where we often use no article at all:

• We add detergent

French usually needs something there:

• du for masculine singular
• de la for feminine singular
• de l’ before a vowel
• des for plural

Since lessive is feminine singular, it becomes de la lessive.

In this context, lessive means laundry detergent.

Depending on context, lessive can also relate more generally to laundry, but in the phrase mettre de la lessive, it clearly means the washing product you add to the machine.

So here it is not talking about the laundry itself, but about detergent.

La machine à laver is the normal French expression for washing machine.

Literally, it is something like:

• the machine for washing

French often uses à + infinitive to describe the purpose of an object:

• une machine à laver = a washing machine
• une brosse à dents = a toothbrush
• une salle à manger = a dining room

So à laver does not mean to wash in the sense of a full verb here. It helps describe what kind of machine it is.

Puis means then, next, or after that.

It is used to show the sequence of actions:

1. Nous vidons la machine à laver
2. puis
3. nous la remplissons et mettons de la lessive

So it connects the steps in order.

It is a bit more neutral or slightly more formal than ensuite, but both can often work in similar contexts.

The comma helps separate the two stages of the action:

• first, empty the machine
• then, fill it and add detergent

This is mostly a punctuation choice for clarity and rhythm. It is very natural here, especially because puis introduces the next step.

No. In vidons, the final -s is normally silent.

A learner might expect the s to be pronounced because it is written, but in standard French it is not.

Also:

• nous vidons has a nasal vowel in -ons
• nous remplissons ends with the sound -son
• nous mettons ends with a nasal -on

French spelling often keeps endings that show grammar, even when they are not fully pronounced.

Because remplir belongs to a common group of -ir verbs that add -iss- in some plural forms.

Compare:

• je remplis
• tu remplis
• il remplit
• nous remplissons
• vous remplissez
• ils remplissent

This happens with many verbs like:

• finir → nous finissons
• choisir → nous choisissons
• réfléchir → nous réfléchissons

So remplissons is completely regular for that verb type.

Because mettre is an irregular verb, and its nous form is mettons.

Some useful forms are:

• je mets
• tu mets
• il met
• nous mettons
• vous mettez
• ils mettent

So the double t is just part of the verb’s spelling pattern. It is something you learn as part of the conjugation of mettre.

Yes, absolutely.

You could say:

• Nous vidons la machine à laver, puis nous remplissons la machine à laver et mettons de la lessive.

But that sounds repetitive, because la machine à laver was already mentioned. French, like English, often replaces repeated nouns with a pronoun:

• nous la remplissons = we fill it

So the version with la is more natural and fluid.

Yes, that is what the grammar says.

A learner might notice that this sounds a little unusual logically, depending on context. But grammatically, the sequence is:

• we empty the washing machine
• then we fill it
• and add detergent

So from a language point of view, the structure is completely clear:

• vider = empty
• remplir = fill
• mettre de la lessive = add detergent

If the real-world situation feels odd, that is a context issue, not a grammar issue.