Guide

French plumbing terms every English speaker in Paris should know

You'll never need to hold a conversation in French with us — but if a landlord, neighbour, or building manager (syndic) mentions one of these, it helps to know what they mean.

The basics

Plombier — plumber. Robinet — tap or valve. Robinet d'arrêt — the stopcock that shuts off water to your apartment, usually under the kitchen sink or near the water meter. Fuite d'eau — water leak. Compteur d'eau — water meter.

Around the bathroom and kitchen

Évier — kitchen sink. Lavabo — bathroom sink. WC or toilettes — toilet. WC bouché — a blocked toilet, exactly the kind of thing our Blocked Toilet page covers. Baignoire — bathtub. Douche — shower. Bonde — the drain plug or stopper in a sink or bath.

Hot water and heating

Chauffe-eau or ballon d'eau chaude — water heater or boiler. If someone tells you it's en panne (broken down), that's a job for our No Hot Water / Boiler page. Chaudière is also used, more often for a central heating boiler than a standalone hot water tank.

Drains and blockages

Canalisation — pipe or pipework, often used generally for the whole drainage system. Bouché(e) — blocked. Évier bouché or canalisation bouchée — a blocked sink or drain, covered on our Blocked Drain page. Siphon — the U-bend under a sink, often where a blockage sits.

Building and paperwork terms

Syndic — the professional company that manages a shared residential building (common in French apartment blocks). Propriétaire — landlord or owner. Locataire — tenant. Dégât des eaux — literally "water damage," but also the name of a specific insurance process used in France when a leak affects a neighbour or another floor. Devis — a written quote, which you're entitled to ask for before any repair work begins.

One phrase worth knowing

If you ever do need to explain something in French — to a neighbour, for instance — "J'ai une fuite d'eau, pouvez-vous appeler le syndic ?" ("I have a water leak, can you call the building manager?") covers a surprisingly large number of real situations. But with us, you'll never actually need it — every call and message stays in English from start to finish.