Les Noms Composés Compound Nouns verb + noun

Les Noms Composés Compound Nouns
verb + noun
For French compound nouns that follow the verb + noun combination, use the following construction:
verb conjugated in the 3rd person singular (il/elle/on)
+ noun without article, unless the last letter of the verb & first letter of the noun are vowels
Almost all French compound nouns are masculine, even if the noun is feminine.
To pluralize a compound noun, ask yourself if the noun is countable or not. If the noun can be counted (un lit, for example),
pluralize it as you normally would Ŧ. For collective nouns, you don't need to make any changes in the spelling. Some people
do prefer to adjust the spelling, and for those verbs, you'll find them in the table below unbolded.
FR Verb
amuser
casser
casser
casser
casser
chasser
couper
couper
couper
couvrir
couvrir
curer
essuyer
gratter
laver
laver
marquer
ouvrir
ouvrir
penser
porter
porter
porter
presser
presser
recourber
sécher
sécher
tailler
tirer
tromper
tuer
EN Translation
to amuse/entertain
to break
to break
to break
to break
to hunt / chase away
to cut
to cut
to cut
to cover
to cover
to scrape clean
to wipe
to scratch
to wash
to wash
to mark
to open
to open
to think
to carry
to carry
to carry
to press / squeeze
to press / squeeze
to bend
to dry
to dry
to carve / sharpen
to pull
to mislead
to kill
FR Noun
la bouche
la tête
la noix
le cou
la croûte
la neige
un ongle
le vent
le papier
le feu
le lit
une dent
la glace
le ciel
le linge
la vaisselle
la page
une boîte
une bouteille
la bête
la voix
la clé / clef
la parole
le citron
le papier
un cil
les cheveux
le linge
le crayon
le bouchon
un œil
un amour
EN Translation
mouth
head
nut
neck
crust
snow
finger / toe nail
wind
paper
fire
bed
tooth
window
sky
laundry
dishes
page
can (also box)
bottle
animal / beast
voice
key
word / speech
lemon
paper
eyelash
hair
laundry
pencil
cork / plug
eye
love
FR Noun with Plural
un amuse-bouche(s)*
un casse-tête(s)
un casse-noix**
un casse-cou(s)
un casse-croûte(s)
un chasse-neige
un coupe-ongles
un coupe-vent(s)
un coupe-papier(s)
un couvre-feu(x)
un couvre-lit(s)
un cure-dent(s)
un essuie-glace(s)
un gratte-ciel(s)
un lave-linge(s)
un lave-vaisselle(s)
un marque-page(s)
un ouvre- boîte(s)
un ouvre-bouteille(s)***
un pense-bête(s)
un porte-voix
un porte-clé(s)
un porte-parole(s)
un presse-citron(s)
un press-papier(s)
un recourbe-cils
un sèche-cheveux
un sèche-linge(s)
un taille-crayon(s)
un tire-bouchon(s)
un trompe-l'œil
un tue-l'amour
EN Translation
appetizer
brain teaser
nutcracker
daredevil
snack
snowplow
nail clippers
windbreaker
letter opener
curfew
bedspread
toothpick
windshield wiper
skyscraper
washing machine
dishwasher
bookmark
can opener
bottle opener
reminder
megaphone
keychain
spokesperson
citrus juice press
paperweight
eyelash curler
hairdryer
clothes dryer
pencil sharpener
corkscrew
trick of the eyes
turn off
* You can also say un amuse-gueule to mean the same thing. La gueule is a little more colloquial, however.
** Another term, and probably more common, for the same thing is un casse-noisette. Une noisette is a hazelnut.
*** un ouvre-bouteille is Canadian French. In France, a bottle opener is called un décapsuleur.
Ŧ Trompe-l'oeil
is an exception. Trompe-les-yeux?? Read more about its usage notes here.