French Phrase
Tu fais souvent du lèche‑vitrine ?
Meaning
Literally, ‘Do you often do the window‑licking?’, i.e. ‘Do you often go window‑shopping?’. It’s a casual way to ask someone if they like to look at shop windows without buying anything.
When to use
Use this sentence in informal conversations with friends, family, or classmates when you’re talking about shopping habits, a recent stroll through a shopping district, or planning a casual outing.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Tufaissouventdulèche-vitrine?
Subject pronoun (Tu)
‘Tu’ is the informal second‑person singular pronoun used with friends or peers.
Verb ‘faire’ (present)
‘fais’ is the 2nd‑person singular present of ‘faire’, meaning ‘to do’ or ‘to make’.
Adverb placement (souvent)
Adverbs of frequency such as ‘souvent’ normally go after the verb in affirmative sentences.
Partitive article (du)
‘du’ = de + le, used before a non‑countable or abstract noun; here it introduces the activity.
Compound noun (lèche‑vitrine)
‘lèche‑vitrine’ is a fixed idiom meaning ‘window‑shopping’; it stays hyphenated.
🗨In Conversation
Tu fais souvent du lèche‑vitrine ?
Do you often go window‑shopping?
Oui, surtout le week‑end quand il fait beau.
Yes, especially on weekends when the weather is nice.
✕Common Mistakes
Tu fais souvent du leche‑vitrine ?
The hyphen is required; without it the phrase looks like two separate words and loses its idiomatic meaning.
Tu fais le lèche‑vitrine souvent ?
‘Faire le’ changes the structure and sounds unnatural; the correct partitive construction is ‘du lèche‑vitrine’.
Tu souvent fais du lèche‑vitrine ?
Adverbs of frequency should follow the verb, not precede the partitive article.
↔Alternatives
Tu fais du lèche‑vitrine souvent ?
Do you often go window‑shopping?
Tu aimes faire du lèche‑vitrine ?
Do you like to window‑shop?
Tu passes du temps à regarder les vitrines ?
Do you spend time looking at shop windows?
Cultural Tip
‘Lèche‑vitrine’ is a quintessentially French idiom that dates back to the 19th‑century bourgeois habit of strolling along the boulevards and admiring shop displays. It’s informal, so avoid it in formal business settings. In Québec the same idea is expressed with ‘faire du lèche‑vitrine’ as well, but you’ll also hear ‘faire du lèche‑vitrine’ pronounced with a slightly different accent.