Bon Appétit: 150+ French Phrases for Meals and Drinks
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One of many quintessential components of finding out French is studying about meals and learn how to order meals. France and different French-speaking nations world wide have drastically contributed to the tradition of la gastronomie. The French particularly take nice pleasure of their meals and wine. Many French meals phrases are so iconic they’ve made their approach into the English language (la baguette, le champagne, and le restaurant come to thoughts).
Whether or not you might be able to make French delicacies at residence or getting ready to take pleasure in superb eating places in your subsequent journey, preserve studying to study extra about French phrases for meals! Rosetta Stone is right here that will help you study French!
The fundamentals of ordering at a restaurant in French
After studying primary French phrases, maybe subsequent most vital when studying about French meals vocabulary is learn how to order at a restaurant. Under is an inventory of phrases you’ll need to perceive and use:
| French | English |
| Bien sûr. | After all. |
| Bonjour / Bonsoir. | Hey / Good night |
| Comme entrée… | As an appetizer… |
| Comme plat principal… | For the principle course… |
| Excusez-moi. | Excuse me |
| Je vais prendre… | I’m going to have… |
| Je voudrais… | I would love… |
| Je vous écoute. | I’m listening. (Go forward.) |
| L’addition, s’il vous plaît. | The invoice, please. |
| Merci. | Thanks. |
| Nous sommes (deux, trois, and so forth.). | We’re (two, three, and so forth.). |
| Pour boire / Comme boisson… | To drink/For a drink… |
| Pour commencer… | To start out… |
| S’il vous plaît. | Please |
| Un verre de vin blanc/rosé/rouge | A glass of white/rosé/purple wine |
| Une carafe d’eau | A pitcher of water (faucet water, free) |
| Voici la carte. | Right here’s the menu. |
| Vous avez choisi ? | Have you ever determined? |
| Vous avez fini ? | Have you ever completed? |
| Vous êtes combien ? | For what number of? |
There are numerous extra conditions that come up when ordering at French eating places, particularly for these with dietary restrictions. Understanding learn how to order meals in French can take you additional in your observe earlier than your travels!
Fundamental French phrases for meals
Have you ever ever questioned “What’s the French phrase for meals?” There are literally just a few translations, based mostly on the context of the phrase.
| French | English |
| l’alimentation (f) | vitamin, food plan |
| les aliments (m) | meals (basic), foodstuff |
| la nourriture | meals, nourishment |
If you wish to ask somebody what their favourite meals is, it’s truly not a direct translation. It’s worthwhile to actually ask them what their favourite dish (plat) is:
- C’est quoi ton plat préféré ? = What’s your favourite meals?
- Mon plat préféré est le steak-frites. = My favourite meals (dish) is steak with fries.
Vegetables and fruit
For if you need to stroll by way of an open-air market, it is extremely useful to know French phrases for meals, beginning with les fruits et les légumes (vegatables and fruits):
| French | English |
| un abricot | an apricot |
| un ananas | a pineapple |
| une banane | a banana |
| une cerise | a cherry |
| une clémentine | a clementine |
| une figue | a fig |
| une fraise | a strawberry |
| une framboise | a raspberry |
| un kiwi | a kiwi |
| une mangue | a mango |
| un melon | a melon |
| une myrtille | a blueberry |
| une orange | an orange |
| un pamplemousse | a grapefruit |
| une pastèque | a watermelon |
| une pêche | a peach |
| une poire | a pear |
| une pomme | an apple |
| une prune | a plum |
| des raisins (m) | grapes |
| French | English |
| l’ail (m) | garlic |
| les asperges (f) | asparagus |
| un avocat | an avocado |
| le basilic | basil |
| le brocoli | broccoli |
| une carotte | a carrot |
| le céleri | celery |
| un chou | a cabbage |
| un chou-fleur | a cauliflower |
| un concombre | a cucumber |
| une courgette | a zucchini |
| les épinards (m) | spinach |
| la laitue | lettuce |
| le maïs | corn |
| un oignon | an onion |
| une patate douce | a candy potato |
| les petits pois (m) | peas |
| un poivron (rouge, vert) | a pepper (purple, inexperienced) |
| une pomme de terre | a potato |
| une tomate | a tomato |
When shopping for produce at un marché (a market), you should use related language to ordering at a restaurant:
- Je voudrais trois kiwis, s’il vous plaît. = I would love three kiwis please.
- Je vais prendre un panier de cerises, s’il vous plaît. = I would love one basket of cherries please.
Don’t neglect to deliver your reusable bag and by no means contact the produce. Wish to observe your pronunciation earlier than you go? Use Rosetta Stone’s TruAccent speech recognition engine to enhance your French-speaking abilities!
Meat and seafood
It’s additionally useful when at a market or restaurant to know learn how to say your favourite meat and seafood choices:
| French | English |
| le bacon | bacon |
| le bœuf | beef |
| les coquilles (f) | scallops |
| le crabe | crab |
| les crevettes (f) | shrimp |
| la dinde | turkey |
| les fruits de mer (m) | seafood |
| le homard | lobster |
| les huîtres (f) | oysters |
| les moules (f) | mussels |
| le mouton | mutton |
| le poisson | fish |
| le porc | pork |
| le poulet | hen |
| le saumon | salmon |
| le steak | steak |
| le thon | tuna |
| le veau | veal |
| la viande | meat |
| la volaille | poultry |
Dairy merchandise
Particularly in a rustic like France that prides itself on its dairy merchandise, you’ll need to ensure you know the next French meals phrases:
| French | English |
| le beurre | butter |
| la crème | cream |
| le fromage | cheese |
| la glace | ice cream |
| le lait | milk |
| le yaourt | yogurt |
Since most purchasing in France is finished at specialty outlets and markets, you’ll need to head to une fromagerie on your cheese and une crémerie for the remainder of your dairy wants!
Desserts, breads and different helpful phrases
Particularly when touring, you by no means need to flip down a possibility to strive the native desserts and bread merchandise!
| French | English |
| une baguette | a baguette |
| un biscuit | a cookie |
| des bonbons (m) | sweet |
| la confiture | jam |
| la crème brûlée | custard with burnt sugar |
| un croissant | a croissant |
| un éclair | an eclair |
| un gâteau | a cake |
| le miel | honey |
| la mousse au chocolat | chocolate mousse |
| le ache | bread |
| les pâtes (f) | pasta |
| la pizza | pizza |
| le riz | rice |
| une tarte | much like a pie |
Drinks and drinks
Whether or not at residence or out in town, having a standard French boisson (drink) could make any night really feel a bit fancier. Listed here are some phrases for frequent French drinks:
| French | English |
| la bière | beer |
| un boulevardier | a twist on a Negroni with whiskey and Campari |
| le café | espresso |
| le champagne | champagne |
| le chocolat chaud | sizzling chocolate |
| l’eau (f) | water |
| le French 75 | cocktail with gin and champagne |
| le jus (d’orange, de pomme, and so forth.) | juice (orange, apple, and so forth.) |
| le kir | crème de cassis (currant liqueur) and white wine |
| le kir royale | crème de cassis and champagne |
| le pastis | anise-flavored liqueur |
| St. Germain | elderflower liqueur |
| le thé | tea |
| le vin | wine |
To actually degree up your French fluency in the case of meals phrases, it’s important to grasp articles in French. Understanding when to make use of “the” or “a”, what’s masculine or female, and learn how to say you need “some” are all totally different in French. If you need extra observe with this, Rosetta Stone’s reside tutoring may help you’re feeling assured in all issues French grammar!
French meals phrases to make use of whereas cooking
For those who want to prepare dinner at residence, there’s nonetheless lots of French for use. Many French phrases about meals are proper in your kitchen, ready to be practiced! There are infinite cooking strategies and dishes to make use of from the consolation of your individual residence.
| French | English |
| aïoli | from the French phrase for garlic (ail), a selection utilizing mayonnaise and garlic |
| une bain-marie | a way that makes use of sizzling water to softly prepare dinner or preserve meals heat |
| blanchir | to blanch – to prepare dinner meals briefly then settle down in an ice water tub |
| la bouillabaisse | a standard stew from the area of Provence with fish and shellfish |
| le bouillon | a broth from meat or seafood, normally used as a base for different dishes |
| le cassoulet | a stew from the South of France containing white beans and meat (normally pork, lamb or duck) |
| le confit | when meat is cooked in its personal fats (normally duck) |
| une crêpe | a French traditional, like a skinny pancake and served with jam or Nutella |
| en croûte | when meals is cooked in pastry, similar to salmon or Beef Wellington |
| flambé | when alcohol (normally brandy) is used for cooking then lit on hearth |
| le foie gras | duck or goose liver, fattened by drive feeding the animal |
| une galette | the savory model of a crêpe, normally full of ham, cheese and egg |
| (au) gratin | to broil a dish to get a crusty prime, usually with cheese within the dish |
| julienne | to chop a meals (normally greens) into very high quality strips |
| le mirepoix | a mix of carrots, onions and celery normally as a base for soup |
| le ache perdu | actually “misplaced bread”, that is the French time period for French toast |
| (en) papillote | when meals (like salmon) is cooked in a packet, normally parchment paper |
| le pâté | a selection created from meat or fish, normally hen liver |
| la ratatouille | one other stew from the area of Provence, utilizing greens like eggplant and peppers |
| sauté | to prepare dinner frivolously over a stovetop in fats (sauter actually means to leap) |
| une tarte tatin | the French model of apple pie, with caramelized apples |
For further French observe, you would watch a cooking present or French film on Netflix whilst you prepare dinner!
Idioms and phrases with French meals vocabulary
Studying French is a bit of cake. You and French are two peas in a pod. Similar to in English, French has many frequent expressions (often called idioms) and phrases that use meals phrases. Many of those, you received’t discover in a French dictionary.
| French | English Translation | English Which means |
| avoir du ache sur la planche | to have bread on the plate | to have lots to do |
| avoir la banane | to have the banana | to have an enormous smile |
| avoir le cœur d’artichaut | to have an artichoke’s coronary heart | to be sentimental |
| les carottes sont cuites | the carrots are cooked | it’s over, it’s too late to do something |
| mon chou | my cabbage | my pricey (frequent time period of endearment) |
| en faire tout un fromage | to make all of the cheese about it | to make an enormous fuss about one thing |
| faire/raconter des salades | to make/inform salads | to inform tall tales/lie |
| une nouille | a noodle | an fool |
| occupe-toi de tes oignons | thoughts your onions | thoughts your individual enterprise |
| tomber dans les pommes | to fall within the apples | to faint |
Now that you’re able to make and order all types of food and drinks in French, let Rosetta Stone aid you take your French to the subsequent degree. Obtain the Rosetta Stone App to take with you wherever you go. Bon appétit !
