French Phrase
Mets‑les dans la boîte à jouets.
Meaning
This command tells someone to place the items (the toys) into the designated toy box. It’s a typical household instruction used when tidying up.
When to use
Use it when you want a child or another person to clean up toys, during playtime, or when organizing a room. It’s informal; for a polite or formal request you’d say ‘Mettez‑les…’.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Mets-lesdanslaboîteàjouets
Imperative of mettre
‘Mets’ is the 2nd‑person singular affirmative imperative of the verb ‘mettre’ (to put).
Pronoun placement
In the affirmative imperative, direct object pronouns follow the verb and are attached with a hyphen (e.g., mets‑les).
Hyphen & liaison
The hyphen links the verb and pronoun; a liaison occurs between ‘les’ and ‘dans’ (/le‿z‿dɑ̃/).
Noun‑to‑noun ‘à’ construction
‘boîte à jouets’ uses ‘à’ to link two nouns, meaning ‘box for toys’.
Article agreement
‘boîte’ is feminine, so the article is ‘la’, not ‘le’.
🗨In Conversation
Mets‑les dans la boîte à jouets.
Put them in the toy box.
D'accord, je les mets tout de suite.
Okay, I’ll put them away right now.
✕Common Mistakes
les mets dans la boîte à jouets.
In the affirmative imperative the pronoun follows the verb, not precedes it.
Mets‑les dans le boîte à jouets.
‘Boîte’ is feminine; the correct article is ‘la’.
Mets‑les dans la boîte à jouet.
‘Jouets’ must be plural because you’re referring to multiple toys.
Mettez‑les dans la boîte à jouets.
‘Mettez‑les’ is the formal/plural form; use ‘Mets‑les’ for a single familiar person.
↔Alternatives
Place‑les dans la boîte à jouets.
Place them in the toy box.
Dépose‑les dans la boîte à jouets.
Put them down in the toy box.
Range‑les dans la boîte à jouets.
Stow them in the toy box.
Cultural Tip
In French families, children are often taught the phrase ‘range tes jouets dans la boîte à jouets’ as part of daily routine. The word order with the pronoun after the verb is a hallmark of the affirmative imperative and can feel very natural to native speakers. When speaking to adults, switch to the formal ‘Mettez‑les…’ to show respect.