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Je range mes vêtements dans une commode blanche.

Je range mes vêtements dans une commode blanche.
I put my clothes away in a white dresser.
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Questions & Answers about Je range mes vêtements dans une commode blanche.

What exactly does range mean here, and how is it related to ranger?

Ranger is the infinitive verb meaning roughly “to put away,” “to tidy,” “to arrange in order.”

In the sentence, range is the conjugated form:

  • je range = “I put away / I tidy / I am putting away”

So:

  • ranger = to put away (dictionary form)
  • je range = I put away
  • tu ranges = you put away
  • il/elle range = he/she puts away

Here it describes the action of putting clothes neatly into the dresser, not just putting them anywhere.

Why is it range and not ranger, ranges, or rangé?

Because the subject is je (I) and the verb is in the present tense:

  • Infinitive: ranger (to put away)
  • Present tense:
    • je range
    • tu ranges
    • il/elle range
    • nous rangeons
    • vous rangez
    • ils/elles rangent

Rangé with an accent is the past participle (“put away,” “tidied”).

So:

  • Je range = I put away / I’m putting away (present)
  • J’ai rangé = I put away / I have put away (past)
What tense is this sentence in?

It is in the présent de l’indicatif (simple present indicative).

Just like English present, it can mean:

  • a habit: “I (usually) put my clothes away in a white dresser.”
  • something happening now: “I’m putting my clothes away in a white dresser (right now).”

Context would tell you which nuance is intended.

Could I use mettre instead of ranger, like Je mets mes vêtements dans une commode blanche?

You can, but the nuance changes slightly:

  • mettre = to put, to place
    → Je mets mes vêtements dans une commode blanche focuses on the action of placing the clothes there.

  • ranger = to put away tidily, to tidy up
    → Je range mes vêtements… suggests organizing/putting away neatly, not just dumping them in.

Both are grammatically correct; ranger emphasizes order and tidiness.

Why is it mes vêtements and not les vêtements or mon vêtements?

  1. mes is the possessive adjective for “my” with a plural noun:

    • mon livre = my book (singular, masculine)
    • ma chaise = my chair (singular, feminine)
    • mes livres / mes chaises = my books / my chairs (plural)

    Since vêtements is plural, you must use mes.

  2. les vêtements would mean “the clothes”, without specifying whose clothes:

    • Je range les vêtements = I put away the clothes

  3. mon vêtements is ungrammatical because:

    • vêtements is plural, so the possessive must also be plural: mes vêtements.

So mes vêtements = “my clothes.”

Is vêtements always plural? How do I say “a piece of clothing” or “one item of clothing”?

No, it’s not always plural.

  • Singular: un vêtement = a piece of clothing, a garment
  • Plural: des vêtements = (some) clothes / garments
  • With possession: mes vêtements = my clothes

To emphasize one item, you can say:

  • un vêtement = one item of clothing
  • un vêtement de sport = one sportswear item
  • un vêtement d’hiver = a winter garment
Why is it une commode blanche and not un commode blanc?

Because commode (meaning a chest of drawers / dresser) is feminine in French.

  • Gender: la commode (feminine noun)
  • Indefinite article (a/an): une commode

Adjectives must agree with the noun in gender and number:

  • Masculine singular: blanc
  • Feminine singular: blanche
  • Masculine plural: blancs
  • Feminine plural: blanches

Here:

  • Noun: commode (feminine, singular)
  • Adjective: must be feminine singular → blanche

So you get une commode blanche.

Why does blanc change to blanche?

This is a regular pattern for many adjectives ending in -c in the masculine form:

  • Masculine: blanc
  • Feminine: blanche

Other similar examples:

  • franc → franche (frank)
  • sec → sèche (dry)

The spelling and pronunciation change to reflect the feminine form.
So when modifying a feminine singular noun like commode, blanc becomes blanche.

Why is the adjective blanche placed after commode, and not before it?

In French, most adjectives come after the noun:

  • une commode blanche = a white dresser
  • un livre intéressant = an interesting book

Some common adjectives (especially those about beauty, age, goodness, size – often called BAGS adjectives) often come before the noun:

  • une belle maison (a beautiful house)
  • un petit chien (a small dog)
  • un jeune homme (a young man)

Color adjectives like blanc/blanche almost always come after the noun:

  • une chemise blanche
  • des murs blancs
  • une commode blanche
Why dans une commode and not dans la commode or sur une commode?

  1. dans une commode = in a dresser

    • dans = inside
    • une = “a / one” (not specified which one)
      This describes putting clothes inside the drawers of some dresser.

  2. dans la commode = in the dresser

    • This would refer to a dresser that is already known in the context (e.g. the one in my room).

  3. sur une commode = on top of a dresser

    • sur = on (the surface), not inside.

So your sentence specifically says: inside a dresser, which is why dans une commode is used.

How do you pronounce the whole sentence?

Approximate IPA transcription:

  • Je range mes vêtements dans une commode blanche.
    /ʒə ʁɑ̃ʒ me vɛt.mɑ̃ dɑ̃ yn kɔ.mɔd blɑ̃ʃ/

Key points:

  • Je: /ʒə/ (“zhuh”)
  • range: /ʁɑ̃ʒ/ (nasal “an” sound, final -e silent)
  • mes: /me/ (like English “may”)
  • vêtements: /vɛt.mɑ̃/
    • the ê is pronounced /ɛ/ (like “bet”)
    • the -ts of vêt is pronounced /t/,
    • -ments here is /mɑ̃/ with a nasal vowel; the final -ts is silent.
  • dans: /dɑ̃/ (nasal vowel, final -s silent)
  • une: /yn/ (u like French u)
  • commode: /kɔ.mɔd/ (both e pronounced like a short “o”)
  • blanche: /blɑ̃ʃ/ (nasal “an,” final -che pronounced /ʃ/ like “sh”)

There is no obligatory liaison in this sentence; you pronounce each word separately.

Could I replace mes vêtements with a pronoun, like Je les range dans une commode blanche?

Yes. Les is the direct object pronoun for both masculine and feminine plural (“them”):

  • Je range mes vêtements dans une commode blanche.
    = I put my clothes away in a white dresser.
  • Je les range dans une commode blanche.
    = I put them away in a white dresser.

You use les when the noun (here mes vêtements) is already known from context or mentioned earlier, and you don’t want to repeat it.