French Phrase
Garde ça pour tes dossiers.
Meaning
Literally, ‘Keep that for your files.’ It is a short, informal way to tell someone to hold onto something (a document, a piece of information, an object) because it will be needed later in their personal or work files.
When to use
Use this phrase in a casual office or school setting when you want a colleague or classmate to retain a paper, email, or note for future reference. It’s also handy when reminding a friend to keep a receipt or a ticket for later filing.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Gardeçapourtesdossiers.
Garde (imperative)
‘Garde’ is the second‑person singular imperative of the verb *garder* (to keep, to hold).
ça (demonstrative pronoun)
‘ça’ is the informal spoken form of *cela*, meaning ‘that’ or ‘this’.
pour (preposition)
‘pour’ introduces the purpose or destination of the action: ‘for’, ‘to’.
tes (possessive adjective)
‘tes’ is the informal plural possessive adjective meaning ‘your’ (when speaking to a familiar person).
dossiers (noun)
‘dossiers’ is the plural of *dossier*, meaning ‘file’, ‘record’, or ‘folder’.
🗨In Conversation
Voici le contrat que tu dois signer.
Here’s the contract you need to sign.
Garde ça pour tes dossiers.
Keep that for your files.
✕Common Mistakes
Gardez ça pour vos dossiers.
‘Gardez’ is the formal or plural imperative; using it with a single familiar person sounds too stiff.
Garde ça pour vos dossiers.
‘Vos’ is formal/plural; if you’re speaking to a friend, use ‘tes’. Mixing registers can feel awkward.
Garde cela pour tes dossiers.
In spoken French, *ça* is preferred over the more formal *cela* in this context.
↔Alternatives
Conserve ça dans tes dossiers.
Store that in your files.
Mets ça de côté pour tes dossiers.
Set that aside for your files.
Garde-le pour tes dossiers.
Keep it for your files.
Cultural Tip
In French workplaces, the word *dossier* often refers to both physical folders and digital files. When you say *Garde ça pour tes dossiers*, you’re implicitly acknowledging the importance of organization—a value highly regarded in French professional culture. Using the informal *tes* signals familiarity; with a superior you’d switch to *vos dossiers*.