👜

How to Say ‘Handbag’ in French

Le sac à main

Luh sak ah manh

[Luh sak ah manh]

💬 Usage Tip: Word for word it's 'bag at hand'. In everyday speech people often just say un sac.

Phrase Breakdown

Le sac

Luh sak

The bag

Masculine noun. The final 'c' is pronounced: 'luh sak'.

Example

Le sac est rouge.

The bag is red.

Words in this phrase

[Luh]

The (masculine singular)

Definite article used before masculine singular nouns.

Example

Le chat est noir.

The cat is black.

sac

[sak]

bag

A bag, purse, or handbag depending on context.

Example

C'est un très joli sac noir.

It's a very pretty black bag.

à main

ah manh

hand (as in handbag)

'Main' (hand) has a nasal vowel, like 'mahn' with the n not fully pronounced.

Example

Un sac à main noir.

A black handbag.

Words in this phrase

[ah]

for / with

Here it links a noun to its purpose or feature: a bag for the hand.

Example

une tasse à café

a coffee cup

main

[manh]

hand

The hand; in class this usually means raising your hand to speak.

Example

Dans « Levez la main. », « main » désigne le geste pour demander la parole.

In “Raise your hand.”, “main” refers to the gesture used to ask to speak.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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