faire le plein de

ByFast French

The french phrase faire le plein de is a common and useful expression. It literally means to fill up, but it has several figurative meanings.

The core meaning: filling a tank

The most basic use of faire le plein is for filling the fuel tank of a vehicle.

  • Je dois faire le plein avant de prendre l’autoroute.
    I have to fill up before taking the highway.
  • Faites le plein, s’il vous plaît.
    Fill it up, please.
  • Le prix pour faire le plein a beaucoup augmenté.
    The price to fill up the tank has gone up a lot.

In this context, you will often hear the noun plein used alone.

  • Un plein d’essence, s’il vous plaît.
    A full tank of gas, please.

Figurative use: stocking up

You use faire le plein de to talk about getting a large quantity of something you need. It is like stocking up.

  • Il faut faire le plein de provisions pour le weekend.
    We need to stock up on supplies for the weekend.
  • Nous faisons le plein de bois pour l’hiver.
    We are stocking up on wood for the winter.
  • Elle a fait le plein de produits de beauté à la parfumerie.
    She stocked up on beauty products at the perfumery.
  • Ils font le plein de bonnes idées en lisant des livres.
    They are gathering lots of good ideas by reading books.

Figurative use: maximum amount of something abstract

It can also mean to gather or achieve a large amount of something non-material, like energy, happiness, or votes.

  • Après les vacances, j’ai fait le plein d’énergie.
    After the holidays, I am full of energy.
  • Le candidat a fait le plein des voix dans les grandes villes.
    The candidate got the most votes in the big cities.
  • On fait le plein de bonne humeur avec cette musique.
    This music fills us with good cheer.
  • Il va à la montagne pour faire le plein d’air pur.
    He goes to the mountains to get his fill of fresh air.

Synonyms and alternatives

  • For filling a tank: mettre de l’essence (to put in gas), prendre de l’essence (to get gas).
  • For stocking up: s’approvisionner en (to stock up on), faire des provisions de (to get supplies of), acheter en grande quantité (to buy in large quantity).
  • For gathering abstract things: accumuler (to accumulate), engranger (to gather in, to store up), récolter (to reap, to gather).

Summary

  • Faire le plein literally means to fill a fuel tank.
  • With de, faire le plein de means to stock up on something material.
  • It is also used to talk about getting a maximum amount of something abstract like energy or support.

Don’t miss new articles!

Get 1 email a week with new articles about French

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Similar Posts

  • confuse, confusing

    ByFast French

    The English verb “to confuse” and the adjective “confusing” can translate in several ways in French, depending on whether the meaning concerns mental uncertainty, a mix-up, or something that causes bewilderment. The main French verbs are confondre, embrouiller, troubler, dérouter, and brouiller. The common adjectives are confus(e), embrouillant(e), déroutant(e), and troublant(e). 1. “To confuse” meaning…

  • toutou

    ByFast French

    The French word “toutou” is a cute, affectionate term for a dog. It’s similar to saying “doggy” or “puppy” in English. People often use it when talking to children or when being playful about a dog. For example, you might hear someone say, “Regarde le toutou !” (“Look at the doggy!”) when pointing out a…

  • même

    ByFast French

    The French word même has several jobs. It can be an adjective, an adverb, or part of a compound word. Its core ideas are “same,” “even,” and “self.” Meaning 1: same (adjective) As an adjective, même agrees with the noun it describes. It changes to mêmes in the plural. Nous avons la même voiture.“We have…

  • x and ex

    ByFast French

    A common pronunciation mistake by French learners is the letter “x” and the letter combination “ex.” To fix these mistakes, we need to start at with the French alphabet and the letter “x.” In French, “x” in the alphabet is not pronounced EX like it is in English. Instead, it is pronounced EEKS. That’s important…

  • ce qui vs ceux qui

    ByFast French

    The difference between ce qui and ceux qui boils down to what they refer to and whether the idea is singular or plural. 1. ce qui Key point: ce qui is neutral and can refer to both concrete and abstract things, but it’s singular in meaning. 2. ceux qui Key point: ceux qui is plural…

  • lors de

    ByFast French

    Understanding the French Phrase “lors de” The phrase “lors de” is a formal preposition in French that translates to “during”, “at the time of”, or “on the occasion of” in English. It is often used in written or formal speech to refer to a specific event or moment in time. Unlike “pendant”, which can imply…