Je pose le coussin sur le canapé.

In this sentence, poser means “to put (down)” in the sense of placing something somewhere, often gently or in a specific position.

• poser = to lay / to place (usually onto a surface)
  • Je pose le coussin sur le canapé. – I put/lay the cushion on the couch.
• mettre = to put, to place (very general)
  • Je mets le coussin sur le canapé. – Also correct, more neutral.

Nuance:

• poser emphasizes the action of setting something down.
• mettre is more general: you put something somewhere (clothes on, things away, etc.).

Both are correct here; poser is just a bit more precise about the “placing on a surface” idea.

French articles mark whether you’re talking about something specific or non‑specific:

• le coussin = the cushion, a specific one that both speaker and listener can identify.
• un coussin = a cushion, any cushion, not one in particular.

So:

• Je pose le coussin sur le canapé. – I’m putting the (known, specific) cushion on the couch.
• Je pose un coussin sur le canapé. – I’m putting a (not previously identified) cushion on the couch.

Both nouns are grammatically masculine:

• un coussin, le coussin
• un canapé, le canapé

There is no reliable rule that tells you the gender just from the meaning or spelling for all nouns. You usually must learn the gender with the noun:

• Learn un coussin (not just coussin).
• Learn un canapé (not just canapé).

There are some statistical patterns, but for everyday vocabulary like this, it’s safest simply to memorize the gender.

sur usually means on / on top of (touching the surface):

• sur le canapé – on the couch (resting on it)
• sur la table – on the table

Compare:

• au‑dessus de = above, not necessarily touching:
  • Le coussin est au‑dessus du canapé. – The cushion is above the couch (maybe hanging, not on it).
• dans = in / inside:
  • dans le canapé is unusual; you’d say this only if something is literally inside the structure (in a storage compartment, in a tear, etc.).

So sur le canapé is the normal way to say on the couch.

In French, only certain prepositions contract with le:

• à + le → au (e.g. au cinéma)
• de + le → du (e.g. du café)

Other prepositions do not contract with le, including sur:

• sur + le → sur le (no contraction)
• avec + le → avec le
• pour + le → pour le

So sur le canapé is the normal, correct form.

Yes, you can move the place phrase sur le canapé to the beginning for emphasis:

• Sur le canapé, je pose le coussin.

This is grammatically correct and sounds natural, with a bit more emphasis on “on the couch”. But the basic, neutral order is:

• Subject – verb – direct object – place
• Je pose le coussin sur le canapé.

French normally uses the simple present for the English present continuous:

• Je pose le coussin sur le canapé.
  • Can mean I put or I am putting the cushion on the couch, depending on context.

If you want to insist on the fact that the action is in progress right now, you can use:

• Je suis en train de poser le coussin sur le canapé.
  • Literally: I am in the process of putting the cushion on the couch.

You use the direct object pronoun le (for a masculine singular noun):

• Je pose le coussin sur le canapé.
  → Je le pose sur le canapé. – I put it on the couch.

Note the position:

• The pronoun le comes before the verb pose in a simple tense:
  • Je le pose, Je le prends, Je le vois, etc.

You need to make the nouns, articles, and any pronouns plural:

• Singular:
  Je pose le coussin sur le canapé.
• Plural objects, same couch:
  Je pose les coussins sur le canapé. – I put the cushions on the couch.
• Plural objects, plural couches:
  Je pose les coussins sur les canapés. – I put the cushions on the couches.

Key plural forms:

• le coussin → les coussins
• le canapé → les canapés

Use passé composé for a completed past action, and futur simple (or a near future) for the future:

• Past (passé composé) – I put / I placed:

  • J’ai posé le coussin sur le canapé.

• Simple future – I will put:

  • Je poserai le coussin sur le canapé.

• Near future – I am going to put:

  • Je vais poser le coussin sur le canapé.

In French:

• un canapé (singular) = a couch / sofa (furniture)
• des canapés (plural) can also mean little savory appetizers served on small pieces of bread or pastry, often at receptions.

The meaning is clear from context:

• Je m’assois sur le canapé. – I sit on the couch.
• On a servi des canapés au vin d’honneur. – They served canapés at the reception.

Yes, grammatically that’s fine:

• Je pose le coussin. – I put / lay the cushion down.

Without sur le canapé, you simply don’t say where you’re putting it. The verb poser is transitive, so it only requires a direct object (here le coussin). The place is optional and added with a prepositional phrase like sur le canapé, sur le lit, par terre, etc.

A rough phonetic guide in English-style writing:

• Je pose le coussin sur le canapé.
  /ʒə poz lə kusɛ̃ syr lə kanape/

Piece by piece:

• Je – /ʒə/ (like “zhuh”)
• pose – /poz/ (like “pose” in English, final e silent)
• le – /lə/ (like “luh”)
• coussin – /kusɛ̃/
  
  • cous- like “koos”
  • -sin is a nasal vowel /ɛ̃/, somewhat like “sang” but without fully pronouncing the ng.
• sur – /syr/ (like “syur”, lips rounded)
• le – /lə/
• canapé – /kanape/ (ka-na-PAY)

Liaisons:

• No mandatory liaison between pose and le or coussin and sur in this sentence, so you pronounce each word separately as above.