Learn Hardcore French: Dans la cuisine, le lave‑vaisselle est plus pratique que de faire la vaisselle à la main. - In the kitchen, the dishwasher is more practical than doing the dishes by hand.

dans = in / inside (the interior of)
- dans la maison – in the house
- dans la voiture – in the car
à is used more for general locations, places as points on a map, or institutions:
- à l’école – at school
- à Paris – in/at Paris

Since we’re talking about something located in the room itself, dans la cuisine is the natural choice. À la cuisine is possible in some contexts, but it tends to refer more to the activity/department “the kitchen” (e.g. in a restaurant: working in the kitchen staff) than to the physical room.

Why is there a comma after Dans la cuisine? Is it required?

The comma marks a fronted phrase:

Dans la cuisine, le lave‑vaisselle est plus pratique…

French often places time or place expressions at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis or flow, and a comma usually separates that introductory element from the main clause.

You could also say, without changing the meaning:

Le lave‑vaisselle est plus pratique que de faire la vaisselle à la main dans la cuisine.

The comma isn’t strictly “grammatically required,” but it is stylistically normal and makes the sentence easier to read.

What exactly does lave‑vaisselle mean, and why is it masculine (le)?

Lave‑vaisselle is the word for a dishwasher (the machine). It’s a compound noun:

laver = to wash
la vaisselle = dishes / the washing-up

Historically, this type of compound was treated as masculine, and the gender has simply become fixed: le lave‑vaisselle. There isn’t a logical rule you can deduce here; it’s more a matter of vocabulary you have to memorize:

le lave‑vaisselle – the dishwasher
un lave‑linge – a washing machine (for clothes), also masculine

The hyphen (lave‑vaisselle) is standard spelling for this noun.

Why is vaisselle repeated in lave‑vaisselle and faire la vaisselle? Does vaisselle mean two different things?

In French, vaisselle covers both:

The dirty / clean dishes themselves
- Je fais tomber la vaisselle. – I’m dropping the dishes.
The activity of doing the dishes
- Je déteste faire la vaisselle. – I hate doing the dishes.

So:

lave‑vaisselle = literally “dish‑washer” (the machine that washes dishes).
faire la vaisselle = literally “to do the dishes,” i.e. to wash them.

It’s the same noun vaisselle, used in two different expressions. Context tells you if it’s “dishes” or “the dishwashing” that is meant.

Why does French say faire la vaisselle instead of using a single verb like “dishwash”?

French often uses faire + definite noun for common household or routine tasks:

faire la vaisselle – do the dishes
faire le ménage – do the housework / clean the house
faire la cuisine – cook
faire le repassage – do the ironing

So faire la vaisselle is an idiomatic expression you should learn as a unit. There is a verb vaisseller in very old or specialised language, but it is not used in modern everyday French. The natural, normal expression is faire la vaisselle.

How does the comparison plus pratique que work here?

This uses the standard French comparative of adjectives:

plus + adjective + que = more … than

So:

plus pratique que = more practical/convenient than

Structure in the sentence:

le lave‑vaisselle (subject)
est plus pratique (verb + comparative adjective)
que de faire la vaisselle à la main (comparison term)

Pronunciation point:
In plus pratique, the final s of plus is normally silent before a consonant:

plus pratique → [ply pʁatik] (no s sound).

Why is it que de faire la vaisselle and not just que faire la vaisselle? What is that de doing there?

After a structure like plus / moins / aussi / trop / assez + adjective, and when what follows is an infinitive, French very often uses de:

C’est plus simple de partir. – It’s easier to leave.
Il est moins dangereux de rester ici. – It’s less dangerous to stay here.

In a comparison like this one, you get:

plus pratique que de faire la vaisselle à la main

So the pattern is:

plus + adjective + que de + infinitive

In everyday speech, some speakers may sometimes drop the de and say que faire la vaisselle, but que de faire is standard, clear, and stylistically safer, especially in writing.

Why is à la main used to mean “by hand”? Could you say something else?

À la main is a fixed, very common expression meaning by hand / manually:

faire la vaisselle à la main – do the dishes by hand
écrit à la main – handwritten

You generally don’t say par la main in this sense. Par is used more for agents (by someone) or means in a different way:

écrit par Marie – written by Marie

Other similar expressions with à la main:

lavé à la main – hand‑washed (e.g. delicate clothes)
fabriqué à la main – handmade

So for “by hand” in contrast to using a machine, à la main is the idiomatic phrase to remember.

Can I change the word order and put dans la cuisine at the end of the sentence?

Yes, French word order is flexible for place/time phrases. You could say:

Le lave‑vaisselle est plus pratique que de faire la vaisselle à la main dans la cuisine.

This is grammatically fine, but the emphasis is a bit different:

Original: Dans la cuisine, le lave‑vaisselle… puts focus on the location first.
Rearranged: …à la main dans la cuisine feels more like you’re specifying where the manual dishwashing happens.

Both are acceptable; the original has a slightly smoother, more neutral rhythm.

Why is it est (with le lave‑vaisselle as subject) and not c’est?

In the sentence, le lave‑vaisselle is a specific noun subject:

Le lave‑vaisselle est plus pratique… – The dishwasher is more convenient…

C’est is used when:

you introduce or comment on something in a more general / impersonal way, or
the subject is not an explicit noun already mentioned.

For example:

Dans la cuisine, c’est plus pratique d’utiliser le lave‑vaisselle.
– In the kitchen, it’s more convenient to use the dishwasher.

Here c’est = “it is,” and the real idea is it is more convenient (to do X), not “the dishwasher is more convenient.”

So:

Le lave‑vaisselle est… → focuses on the object as subject.
C’est… → more general comment, often followed by an infinitive or a clause.

Both are correct in their own constructions, but they are not interchangeable in the same sentence structure.

How do you pronounce lave‑vaisselle and where does the stress go?

Lave‑vaisselle is pronounced approximately:

[lav vɛsɛl]

Details:

lave → [lav] (like lav in lavender without the ender)
vaisselle → [vɛ‑sɛl] (two syllables: veh‑SELL)

French stress normally falls on the last syllable of the word or phrase, so you’ll naturally stress ‑selle in vaisselle:

lave‑vaisselle → lav‑vès‑SELLE

So the whole phrase le lave‑vaisselle est plus pratique would be something like:

[lə lav vɛsɛl ɛ ply pʁatik] in IPA.