French Word of the Day: Caisse
This French word could come up while grocery shopping or driving.
Why do I need to know caisse?
Because you might hear this while taking a road trip or checking out at the grocery store.
What does it mean?
Caisse - roughly pronounced kess - is a versatile French word that can describe many different objects.
The official definition for caisse refers to a box, or a rigid container device (like a crate). It is also the term for ‘cash register’.
If you visit a bar or restaurant in France, it is not uncommon for the server to say vous pouvez payer à la caisse (you can pay at the register) rather than waiting for your bill to come to the table.
Informally, caisse is a slang term for ‘car’. There are other colloquial ways to talk about vehicles in French, so if you do not care for the official word voiture you could instead say bagnole.
Due to caisse meaning ‘cash register’ it is also used in other expressions related to money. For example, caisse noire is the French term for ‘slush fund’.
Use it like this
Je paie à la caisse ou le serveur vient à la table ? - Shall I pay at the cash register, or will the waiter come to the table?
T'inquiète pas, la caisse est en assez bon état pour un trajet de deux heures. - Don’t worry, the car is in good enough shape for a two-hour drive.
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Why do I need to know caisse?
Because you might hear this while taking a road trip or checking out at the grocery store.
What does it mean?
Caisse - roughly pronounced kess - is a versatile French word that can describe many different objects.
The official definition for caisse refers to a box, or a rigid container device (like a crate). It is also the term for ‘cash register’.
If you visit a bar or restaurant in France, it is not uncommon for the server to say vous pouvez payer à la caisse (you can pay at the register) rather than waiting for your bill to come to the table.
Informally, caisse is a slang term for ‘car’. There are other colloquial ways to talk about vehicles in French, so if you do not care for the official word voiture you could instead say bagnole.
Due to caisse meaning ‘cash register’ it is also used in other expressions related to money. For example, caisse noire is the French term for ‘slush fund’.
Use it like this
Je paie à la caisse ou le serveur vient à la table ? - Shall I pay at the cash register, or will the waiter come to the table?
T'inquiète pas, la caisse est en assez bon état pour un trajet de deux heures. - Don’t worry, the car is in good enough shape for a two-hour drive.
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