🦵📐

How to Say ‘Keep your knees bent’ in French

Pliez bien les genoux

plee-AY bee-ehn leh zhuh-noo

[plee-AY bee-ehn leh zhuh-noo]

💬 Usage Tip: French says les genoux "the knees" where English says "your knees". Body parts usually take les, not "your".

Phrase Breakdown

Pliez bien

plee-AY bee-ehn

Bend well

This is the polite imperative of 'plier'. Say 'plee-ay byahn'.

Example

Pliez bien la feuille.

Fold the sheet carefully.

Words in this phrase

Pliez

[plee-AY]

bend

Polite command form of 'plier' (to bend, fold).

Example

Pliez les bras.

Bend your arms.

bien

[bee-ehn]

well

An adverb meaning in a good way or satisfactorily.

Example

Dans Se passe bien ?, bien montre que l'on parle d'une situation positive.

In "Se passe bien?", "bien" shows that one is talking about a positive situation.

les genoux

leh zhuh-noo

the knees

'Genoux' sounds like 'zhuh-noo'. The 'x' is silent.

Example

J'ai mal aux genoux.

My knees hurt.

Words in this phrase

les

[leh]

the

Used before plural nouns to denote particularity.

Example

Les années passent vite.

The years pass quickly.

genoux

[zhuh-noo]

knees

The joints in the middle of the legs, often bent in yoga.

Example

Les genoux sont légèrement pliés.

The knees are slightly bent.

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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