French Phrase
Fais des coupes horizontales et verticales.
Meaning
The sentence is a direct command telling someone to make cuts that run horizontally and vertically. It can refer to cutting paper, fabric, hair, or any material where precise orientation matters.
When to use
Use this phrase in contexts such as cooking (cutting vegetables), tailoring (cutting fabric), hairdressing (making layered cuts), or any instructional setting where you need to specify the direction of the cuts.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Faisdescoupeshorizontalesetverticales
Imperative (2nd person singular)
Use the base form of the verb without the subject pronoun; for 'faire' the imperative is 'fais'.
Partitive article 'des'
Indicates an indefinite quantity of something countable; here it means 'some' cuts.
Adjective agreement
Adjectives 'horizontales' and 'verticales' agree in gender (feminine) and number (plural) with the noun 'coupes'.
Adjective placement
In French, most descriptive adjectives follow the noun, as seen with 'coupes horizontales et verticales'.
Conjunction 'et'
Links two coordinated elements; no comma is needed before 'et' in French.
🗨In Conversation
Fais des coupes horizontales et verticales, s'il te plaît.
Please make horizontal and vertical cuts.
D'accord, je les fais tout de suite.
Okay, I’ll do them right away.
✕Common Mistakes
Fait des coupes horizontales et verticales.
Use the imperative 'fais' for a command; 'fait' is the third‑person singular present.
Fais les coupes horizontales et verticales.
The partitive article 'des' is needed to indicate an indefinite amount; 'les' would imply specific known cuts.
Fais des coupes horizontal et vertical.
Adjectives must agree in gender and number with 'coupes' (feminine plural).
Fais des coupes horizontales, et verticales.
Do not place a comma before 'et' in French coordination.
↔Alternatives
Réalise des découpes horizontales et verticales.
Make horizontal and vertical incisions.
Effectue des coupes dans le sens horizontal et vertical.
Perform cuts in the horizontal and vertical directions.
Coupe en travers et en longueur.
Cut across and lengthwise.
Cultural Tip
In French culinary and tailoring schools, precision in the direction of cuts is emphasized; using the term 'coupes' signals a professional context. The imperative can sound blunt, so adding 's'il te plaît' or using a softer form like 'pourrais-tu' makes it more polite in everyday conversation.