French Phrase
Il est temps de faire du tri ?
Meaning
The sentence means “It’s time to sort (things out).” It is often used to suggest that a cleaning, organizing or decision‑making moment has arrived, whether you’re talking about a closet, a desk, or a set of ideas.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to encourage someone (or yourself) to start decluttering, to arrange items, or to resolve a pile of pending tasks. It works both in everyday household contexts and in more abstract situations like sorting out problems.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ilesttempsdefairedutri
Il est temps de + infinitif
This construction expresses that the moment has arrived to perform an action; the infinitive follows directly after 'de'.
du = de le
Before a masculine singular noun, 'de le' contracts to 'du', as in 'du tri' (the sorting).
faire du tri
An idiomatic phrase meaning to sort, organize or declutter items; can be used literally or figuratively.
🗨In Conversation
Il est temps de faire du tri, non ?
It’s time to sort things out, right?
Oui, je commence par le placard du salon.
Yes, I’ll start with the living‑room closet.
✕Common Mistakes
Il est temps de faire le tri.
Use 'du' (de le) because 'tri' is masculine and the idiom is 'faire du tri', not 'faire le tri'.
Il est temps pour faire du tri.
The correct preposition after 'temps' is 'de', not 'pour'.
Il est temps de faire du tri ?!
A question mark alone is enough; adding an exclamation can sound contradictory. Choose one punctuation based on intent.
↔Alternatives
Il faut faire le tri
We need to do the sorting
C’est le moment de trier
It’s the moment to sort
Il est temps de ranger
It’s time to tidy up
Cultural Tip
In France, the idea of 'faire du tri' fits well with the growing minimalism trend. When you suggest it, a friendly tone is preferred—adding a light question tag like 'non ?' softens the suggestion. Be aware that 'tri' can also refer to sorting paperwork or even ideas, so the phrase is versatile beyond just cleaning.