The Verbs Mettre and Porter

The Verbs Mettre and Porter

To describe what you are wearing and what you are putting on, you will use the verbs porter and mettre. The verb porter, meaning to wear, is a regular –er verb. That is to say that it uses the endings –e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, and  -ent with its conjugated forms. The verb mettre, meaning to put on, is an irregular verb.

The phrases in the table below are used in the conjugation of the verbs mettre and porter. Familiarize yourself with these phrases and practice your pronunciation by repeating each phrase aloud after the speaker. Click each phrase to hear the pronunciation. Some phrases include both the masculine (m) and feminine (f) gender. Remember, the final consonants in the singular forms are silent and the –ent is silent in the third person plural form.

Singular (s)		Plural (p)
Mettre
French	English	French	English
Je mets	I put on	Nous mettons	We put on
Tu mets	You put on	Vous mettez	You put on
Il met (m)	He put on	Ils mettent (m)	They put on
Elle met (f)	She put on	Elles mettent (f)	They put on
On met	We put on
Porter
Je porte	I wear	Nous portons	We wear
Tu portes	You wear	Vous portez	You wear
Il porte (m)	He wears	Ils portent (m)	They wear
Elle porte (f)	She wears	Elles portent (f)	They wear
On porte	We wear

Examples

Generally, the verb mettre means “to put on”. When you talk about what you are wearing at any given moment, porter is used. The sentences in the table below represent two examples using the verbs mettre and porter. Familiarize yourself with these sentences and practice your pronunciation by repeating each sentence aloud after the speaker. Click each sentence to hear the pronunciation.

French	English
Qu’est-ce que tu mets aujourd’hui?	What are you going to put on today?
Je porte une robe rouge aujourd’hui.	I’m wearing a red dress today.

 

The Verb Mettre and Porter Review

Now that you have studied the verbs mettre and porter, review your knowledge in this non-graded activity. Click the player to get started.