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French Phrase

Tu peux passer l'aspirateur dans le salon ?

/ty pø pase l‿aspiratœʁ dɑ̃ lə salɔ̃/
Meaning"Can you vacuum the living‑room?"
💡

Meaning

A polite, informal request asking whether the listener is able to vacuum the living‑room. The tone is friendly and assumes a shared responsibility for household chores.

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When to use

Use this sentence with a roommate, sibling, partner, or any familiar person when you need help with cleaning the living‑room. It works well in casual home settings, not in formal or professional contexts.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Tupeuxpasserl'aspirateurdanslesalon?

1

Tu

Informal second‑person singular pronoun, used with friends, family, or peers.

2

peux

Present tense of pouvoir; expresses ability or permission. Conjugated for ‘tu’ (peux, not peut).

3

passer

Infinitive meaning ‘to run/bring/hand over’; in the context of cleaning it means ‘to vacuum’.

4

l'aspirateur

Masculine noun ‘vacuum cleaner’; the article le is elided before a vowel (l’).

5

dans le salon

Prepositional phrase indicating location – ‘in the living‑room’. ‘Dans’ is used for an interior space.

🗨In Conversation

A

Tu peux passer l'aspirateur dans le salon ?

Can you vacuum the living‑room?

Oui, je le fais tout de suite.

Sure, I’ll do it right away.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Tu peut passer l'aspirateur dans le salon ?

    ‘Peut’ is the third‑person singular form; with ‘tu’ you must use ‘peux’.

  • Tu peux faire l'aspirateur dans le salon ?

    While understandable, the idiomatic expression is ‘passer l'aspirateur’.

  • Tu peux passer le aspirateur dans le salon ?

    Before a vowel the article elides to ‘l’’. Writing ‘le aspirateur’ sounds unnatural.

  • Tu peux passer l'aspirateur au salon ?

    ‘Au salon’ can be used, but ‘dans le salon’ is clearer for an interior space.

↔Alternatives

  • Est‑ce que tu peux passer l'aspirateur dans le salon ?

    Could you vacuum the living‑room?

  • Peux‑tu passer l'aspirateur dans le salon ?

    Can you vacuum the living‑room?

  • Tu pourrais passer l'aspirateur dans le salon, s'il te plaît ?

    Would you mind vacuuming the living‑room, please?

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Cultural Tip

In French households, ‘passer l'aspirateur’ is the standard way to talk about vacuuming. When speaking to someone you don’t know well, replace ‘tu’ with ‘vous’ (e.g., ‘Vous pouvez passer l'aspirateur…’) to keep the request polite. Also, note that ‘dans le salon’ is more precise than ‘au salon’, which can refer to the general area rather than the interior space.