Ma routine du matin pour préparer un café

What does “porte-filtre” mean in French?

In this coffee video, the speaker names le porte-filtre: the small part that holds the paper filter over the cup. Here porte- does not mean “door.” It comes from the verb porter, “to carry” or “to hold.” So le porte-filtre is “the thing that holds the filter.” French builds many words this way, and once you see the pattern you can guess what each one holds.

In the clip he says: “ça c’est le porte-filtre. Je pose le porte-filtre sur la tasse” — “this is the filter holder. I put the filter holder on the cup.” He also says “le filtre à café” (the coffee filter) just before, so you hear the two words next to each other. The pattern is: porte- + a noun = “the thing that holds/carries that noun.” It comes from porter (to carry). You see it very often: un porte-monnaie (holds money = a coin purse), un porte-clés (holds keys = a keyring), un porte-manteau (holds coats = a coat rack). The porte- part never changes, even in the plural: deux porte-clés. So when you see a new porte- word, ask “what does it hold?” That often gives you the meaning.