La nourriture / Les aliments
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Food is a necessity, and can also be a source of great pleasure. Being able to talk about French food will come in handy while shopping, dining, traveling, and entertaining friends, so check out this vocab list for French food, including the basic food groups and related verbs. Bon appétit !
| to be hungry | avoir faim | |
| meal | le repas | |
| breakfast | le petit-déjeuner | |
| lunch | le déjeuner | |
| dinner | le dîner | |
| after-school snack | le goûter | |
| appetizer, starter | le hors d’œuvre l’entrée* |
|
| soup | la soupe le potage |
|
| main course | le plat principal | |
| salad | la salade | |
| dessert | le dessert | |
| kitchen, cooking | la cuisine | |
| dining room | la salle à manger | |
| restaurant | le restaurant |
Verbs
(click for conjugations)
| to eat | manger | |
| to have breakfast to have lunch |
déjeuner | |
| to have dinner | dîner | |
| to taste | goûter |
* In American English, “entrée” means main course, whereas in French une entrée refers to an appetizer / starter. Learn more: French meals and menus
Les fruits (m) Fruit
| l’abricot | (m) | apricot | |
| l’ananas | (m) | pineapple | |
| la banane | banana | ||
| la cerise | cherry | ||
| le citron | lemon | ||
| le citron vert | lime | ||
| la figue | fig | ||
| la fraise | strawberry | ||
| la framboise | raspberry | ||
| la grenade | pomegranate | ||
| la mandarine | tangerine | ||
| le melon | melon | ||
| la mûre | blackberry | ||
| la myrtille | blueberry | ||
| l’orange | (m) | orange | |
| le pamplemousse | grapefruit | ||
| la pastèque | watermelon | ||
| la pêche | peach | ||
| la poire | pear | ||
| la pomme | apple | ||
| la prune | plum | ||
| le pruneau | prune | ||
| le raisin | grape | ||
| le raisin sec | raisin | ||
Les légumes (m) Vegetables
| l’ail | (m) | garlic | |
| l’artichaut | (m) | artichoke | |
| les asperges | (f) | asparagus | |
| l’aubergine | (f) | eggplant | |
| la betterave | beet | ||
| la carotte | carrot | ||
| le céleri | celery | ||
| le champignon | mushroom | ||
| le chou-fleur | cauliflower | ||
| la citrouille | pumpkin (round) | ||
| le concombre | cucumber | ||
| la courge | squash | ||
| la courgette | zucchini | ||
| les épinards | (m) | spinach | |
| le haricot | bean | ||
| l’igname | (f) | yam | |
| la laitue | lettuce | ||
| l’oignon | (m) | onion | |
| le maïs | corn | ||
| la patate douce | sweet potato | ||
| les petits pois | (m) | peas | |
| le poireau | leek | ||
| le poivron | bell pepper | ||
| la pomme de terre | potato | ||
| le potiron | pumpkin (oval, somewhat flat) | ||
| le radis | radish | ||
| la roquette | arugula | ||
| la tomate | tomato | ||
Les produits laitiers Dairy products
| le babeurre | buttermilk | |
| le beurre | butter | |
| la crème | cream | |
| la crème fraîche | slightly sour thick cream | |
| le fromage | cheese | |
| le fromage blanc | ~ cream cheese | |
| la glace | ice cream | |
| le lait | milk | |
| le yaourt | yogurt |
La viande Meat
| l’agneau | (m) | lamb | |
| les anchois | (m) | anchovies | |
| le bifteck | steak | ||
| le canard | duck | ||
| la dinde | turkey | ||
| les escargots | (m) | snails | |
| le jambon | ham | ||
| le lapin | rabbit | ||
| le poisson | fish | ||
| le porc | pork | ||
| le poulet | chicken | ||
| le rosbif | roast beef | ||
| le saucisson | sausage | ||
| le veau | veal |
||
Le dessert Dessert
| le biscuit | cookie | ||
| les bonbons | (m) | candy | |
| le chocolat | chocolate | ||
| la crème brûlée | custard w/ burnt sugar | ||
| la crème caramel | flan | ||
| le fromage | cheese | ||
| les fruits | (m) | fruit | |
| le gâteau | cake | ||
| la glace | ice cream | ||
| la mousse au chocolat | chocolate mousse | ||
| la tarte | pie | ||
| la vanille | vanilla | ||
Et cetera
| la confiture | jam | ||
| le croissant | croissant | ||
| la farine | flour | ||
| les frites | (f) | fries (US), chips (UK) | |
| l’huile d’olive | (f) | olive oil | |
| la mayonnaise | mayonnaise | ||
| le miel | honey | ||
| la moutarde | mustard | ||
| un œuf des œufs** |
egg eggs |
||
| le pain | bread | ||
| le pain grillé | toast | ||
| la pâte à tartiner | ~ toast spread, like Nutella or peanut butter | ||
| les pâtes | (f) | pasta | |
| le poivre | pepper | ||
| le riz | rice | ||
| la sauce | sauce, dressing, gravy | ||
| le sel | salt | ||
| le sucre |
sugar | ||
| la tartine | toast | ||
** Note the difference in pronunciation between singular and plural.
In France, coffee is served after dessert, not with it. Learn more: French meals and menus
Expressions with and about food
Related features
Lessons
- Chores
- Colors
- Dishes and silverware
- Drinks
- Meals and menus
- Partitive articles
- Restaurant
- Shops and businesses
- Weights and measures
French listening comprehension
- Achats dans une grande surface
- Au restaurant
- La bouffe
- Chocolat à Paris
- Fête du citron à Menton
- Le repas de Noël en France
- Le salon du chocolat à Paris
- Pain au chocolat vs chocolatine
- Pourquoi les Français sont-ils si fiers de leur cuisine ?
- Que mangent les Français au petit déjeuner ?
- Traditions de Noël réunionnaises
French reading comprehension
French
lesson plans
- Food market (Worksheet, 1st grade)
- The Fridge (Worksheet, 1st grade)
- Grocery store
(Worksheet, 4th grade)
En español
In italiano
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