Je mets mon téléphone en mode silencieux pendant la séance.

I put my phone on silent mode during the session.

Breakdown of Je mets mon téléphone en mode silencieux pendant la séance.

• je: I
• mon: my
• en: in
• pendant: during
• le téléphone: the phone
• mettre: to put
• la séance: the session
• silencieux: silent
• le mode: the way

Questions & Answers about Je mets mon téléphone en mode silencieux pendant la séance.

Why is it “Je mets” with an s and not “Je met”?

Because “mettre” is irregular in the present tense. The conjugation is:

• je mets
• tu mets
• il / elle / on met
• nous mettons
• vous mettez
• ils / elles mettent

So for je, you must write mets with an s at the end, even though it’s silent. “Je met” is always wrong in standard French.

What exactly does the verb “mettre” mean in this sentence?

Mettre has many meanings (to put, to put on, to place, to set, etc.).

In “Je mets mon téléphone en mode silencieux”, it means roughly:

• to set / to switch my phone to silent mode
  (literally: I put my phone in silent mode)

So here mettre = “to put something into a certain state or mode.”

Why do we say “en mode silencieux” and not something like “sur silencieux” like in English “on silent”?

French doesn’t use sur here. Instead, it uses en + a noun phrase to express “in (such-and-such) mode/state.”

• en mode silencieux = in silent mode
• en mode avion = in airplane mode
• en veille = in standby mode

“Sur silencieux” would sound like a direct translation from English and is not idiomatic. The natural expression is “en mode silencieux” (or sometimes just “en silencieux” in casual speech).

Is the word “mode” really necessary? Could you just say “en silencieux”?

In careful or neutral French, “en mode silencieux” is the most standard and clear.

You might sometimes hear:

• Je mets mon téléphone en silencieux. (colloquial, but quite common)

However:

• en mode silencieux is explicit and fits well in written or polite spoken French.
• en silencieux is shorter, more informal, and can sound a bit “phone-jargon-y.”

Both are understandable, but if you’re learning, “en mode silencieux” is the safest and most idiomatic choice.

Why is it “mon téléphone” and not “le téléphone”?

Using mon emphasizes that it’s my phone, the one belonging to the speaker.

• Je mets mon téléphone en mode silencieux…
  → I set my phone to silent.

You could say “Je mets le téléphone en mode silencieux”, but that would usually refer to a specific phone already known in the context (for example, the office phone everyone uses).

In everyday conversation about your own phone, people naturally say mon téléphone.

Could you also say “mon portable” instead of “mon téléphone”?

Yes.

• mon téléphone = my phone (neutral, can be landline or mobile, but nowadays often mobile)
• mon portable = my mobile / cell phone (literally “my portable”)

Both are very common. In many contexts, “mon téléphone” is automatically understood as your mobile anyway. Saying “mon portable” just makes it explicit that it’s a mobile phone.

Why is it “la séance” and not “le séance”? What kind of thing is a “séance”?

Séance is a feminine noun, so it takes la:

• la séance, une séance, cette séance

A séance is a “session” of something:

• a cinema showing: une séance de cinéma
• a class / practice session: une séance de sport
• a therapy session: une séance de thérapie
• a meeting / sitting: une séance plénière (parliament, council, etc.)

So “pendant la séance” = during the session / showing / meeting that’s been mentioned in the context.

How does “pendant” work here? Could you use “pour la séance” instead?

Pendant means during / for the duration of:

• pendant la séance = throughout the session / while the session is happening.

Pour la séance would mean for the session in a more goal-oriented sense and is less natural here. It might sound like you’re setting your phone to silent for the sake of the session, but the usual, idiomatic way to express time-span is:

• pendant la séance = during the session (standard)
• (more formal/synonymous) durant la séance

Stick with pendant la séance in everyday speech.

Why is it “pendant la séance” and not just “pendant séance”?

In French, countable nouns almost always need an article (or another determiner):

• la séance, une séance, cette séance, ma séance, etc.

Saying “pendant séance” without an article is ungrammatical in standard French. You must say:

• pendant la séance (the session already known from context)
• or pendant une séance (during a session, not a specific one).

Why is it “mode silencieux” and not “mode silence”?

Because “silencieux” is an adjective meaning “silent,” agreeing with mode:

• un mode silencieux (masculine singular)
• des modes silencieux (masculine plural)

Silence is a noun, meaning “silence.”
You wouldn’t usually say un mode silence; that sounds odd. The normal pattern is:

• mode silencieux, mode avion, mode vibreur, etc.

So: “Je mets mon téléphone en mode silencieux” is the natural phrasing.

Can “Je mets” here mean both “I put” and “I am putting”, like in English?

Yes. French doesn’t have a separate -ing form for the present continuous. The simple present je mets can cover:

• right now: I’m putting my phone on silent (right now).
• habitually: I put my phone on silent during the session (I always do this).

Context tells you whether it’s a one-time action now or a general habit.

Could you say “Je me mets en mode silencieux pendant la séance”?

You can, but it means something different:

• Je me mets en mode silencieux = I put myself in silent mode
  (figuratively: I become silent / I stop talking / I switch to “quiet mode.”)

In your original sentence, you are changing the state of the phone, not yourself. That’s why the verb is not reflexive:

• Je mets mon téléphone en mode silencieux.

If you say “Je me mets en mode silencieux pendant la séance”, people will understand it metaphorically as “I’ll stay very quiet during the session,” not about your phone.