French Phrase
La table est pas propre.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘The table is not clean.’ It points out that the surface of the table needs to be wiped or washed.
When to use
Use this phrase when you notice a dirty table at home, in a café, or in a restaurant and want to comment on its condition, either to a friend or to staff.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Latableestpaspropre
Definite article (La)
‘La’ is the feminine singular definite article used before a noun that is known to both speakers.
Noun gender (table)
‘Table’ is a feminine noun, so it takes the article ‘la’ and any agreeing adjectives.
Verb être (est)
‘Est’ is the third‑person singular present of ‘être’ (to be).
Negation particle (pas)
In spoken French ‘pas’ often appears without ‘ne’, but in standard written French the full negation is ‘ne … pas’.
Adjective agreement (propre)
‘Propre’ agrees with the noun in gender and number; here it stays ‘propre’ because the noun is singular feminine.
🗨In Conversation
La table est pas propre.
The table is not clean.
Je vais la nettoyer tout de suite.
I’ll clean it right away.
✕Common Mistakes
La table est pas propre.
In written French you need the auxiliary ‘ne’ before the verb: ‘n’est pas’. Dropping ‘ne’ is only acceptable in casual speech.
La table est pas sale.
If you want a stronger statement, use ‘sale’ instead of ‘propre’. ‘Propre’ can sound mild or polite.
↔Alternatives
La table n'est pas propre.
The table is not clean.
La table est sale.
The table is dirty.
La table n'est pas très propre.
The table isn’t very clean.
Cultural Tip
In everyday spoken French many speakers drop the ‘ne’ and say ‘est pas’ only, especially in informal settings. However, in formal writing and most language‑learning contexts you should keep the full negation ‘n’est pas’. Also, ‘propre’ can sound a bit polite; ‘sale’ is a more direct way to say something is dirty.