FlexiLingoIn one line
The hardest thing in this area is not the words — it is the partitive article:
du pain, notpain.
Nouns
Basics
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
le pain | /pɛ̃/ | bread |
le riz | /ʁi/ | rice |
les pâtes (f. pl.) | /pɑt/ | pasta |
la viande | /vjɑ̃d/ | meat |
le poisson | /pwa.sɔ̃/ | fish |
le poulet | /pu.lɛ/ | chicken |
le bœuf | /bœf/ | beef |
l'agneau (m.) | /a.ɲo/ | lamb |
l'œuf (m.) | /œf/ · plural /ø/ | egg |
le fromage | /fʁɔ.maʒ/ | cheese |
le lait | /lɛ/ | milk |
le beurre | /bœʁ/ | butter |
le yaourt | /ja.uʁt/ | yoghurt |
le sucre | /sykʁ/ | sugar |
le sel | /sɛl/ | salt |
le poivre | /pwavʁ/ | pepper |
l'huile (f.) | /ɥil/ | oil |
un œuf/œ̃.n‿œf/ butdes œufs/de.z‿ø/ — thefis silent in the plural. The same forun bœuf/des bœufs.
Fruit and vegetables
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
la pomme | /pɔm/ | apple |
la banane | /ba.nan/ | banana |
l'orange (f.) | /ɔ.ʁɑ̃ʒ/ | orange |
la fraise | /fʁɛz/ | strawberry |
le raisin | /ʁɛ.zɛ̃/ | grape |
la pêche | /pɛʃ/ | peach |
la poire | /pwaʁ/ | pear |
le citron | /si.tʁɔ̃/ | lemon |
la tomate | /tɔ.mat/ | tomato |
la pomme de terre | /pɔm də tɛʁ/ | potato |
la carotte | /ka.ʁɔt/ | carrot |
l'oignon (m.) | /ɔ.ɲɔ̃/ | onion |
l'ail (m.) | /aj/ | garlic |
la salade | /sa.lad/ | lettuce, salad |
le champignon | /ʃɑ̃.pi.ɲɔ̃/ | mushroom |
le concombre | /kɔ̃.kɔ̃bʁ/ | cucumber |
les haricots (m. pl.) | /a.ʁi.ko/ | beans |
les petits pois | /pə.ti pwa/ | peas |
les haricotstakes no liaison — thathis aspirated. Seeh-aspire.
le raisinis a grape, not a raisin. A raisin isun raisin sec. Seefaux-amis.
Drinks and sweet things
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
l'eau (f.) | /o/ | water |
le café | /ka.fe/ | coffee |
le thé | /te/ | tea |
le jus | /ʒy/ | juice |
le vin | /vɛ̃/ | wine |
la bière | /bjɛʁ/ | beer |
le gâteau | /ɡɑ.to/ | cake |
la glace | /ɡlas/ | ice cream |
le chocolat | /ʃɔ.kɔ.la/ | chocolate |
la confiture | /kɔ̃.fi.tyʁ/ | jam |
Meals
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
le petit-déjeuner | /pə.ti.de.ʒø.ne/ | breakfast |
le déjeuner | /de.ʒœ.ne/ | lunch |
le dîner | /di.ne/ | dinner |
le goûter | /ɡu.te/ | afternoon snack |
l'entrée (f.) | /ɑ̃.tʁe/ | starter |
le plat principal | /pla pʁɛ̃.si.pal/ | main course |
le dessert | /de.sɛʁ/ | dessert |
l'entréeis the starter, not the main course. In North American English "entrée" means the main dish — the exact opposite. In France it is the first thing you eat.
Verbs
| Verb | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
manger | /mɑ̃.ʒe/ | to eat |
boire | /bwaʁ/ | to drink |
cuisiner | /kɥi.zi.ne/ | to cook |
préparer | /pʁe.pa.ʁe/ | to prepare |
cuire | /kɥiʁ/ | to cook (food) |
couper | /ku.pe/ | to cut |
goûter | /ɡu.te/ | to taste |
avoir faim | /a.vwaʁ fɛ̃/ | to be hungry |
avoir soif | /a.vwaʁ swaf/ | to be thirsty |
prendre | /pʁɑ̃dʁ/ | to have, to order |
déjeuner | /de.ʒœ.ne/ | to have lunch |
avoir faimis "to have hunger", not "to be hungry". Seeavoir-expressions.
Adjectives
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
bon /bɔ̃/ | bonne /bɔn/ | good, tasty |
mauvais /mo.vɛ/ | mauvaise /mo.vɛz/ | bad |
délicieux /de.li.sjø/ | délicieuse /de.li.sjøz/ | delicious |
sucré /sy.kʁe/ | sucrée /sy.kʁe/ | sweet |
salé /sa.le/ | salée /sa.le/ | salty, savoury |
épicé /e.pi.se/ | épicée /e.pi.se/ | spicy |
frais /fʁɛ/ | fraîche /fʁɛʃ/ | fresh |
chaud /ʃo/ | chaude /ʃod/ | hot |
froid /fʁwa/ | froide /fʁwad/ | cold |
cru /kʁy/ | crue /kʁy/ | raw |
cuit /kɥi/ | cuite /kɥit/ | cooked |
végétarien /ve.ʒe.ta.ʁjɛ̃/ | végétarienne /ve.ʒe.ta.ʁjɛn/ | vegetarian |
Set phrases
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
Bon appétit ! | /bɔ.n‿a.pe.ti/ | enjoy your meal |
J'ai faim. | /ʒe fɛ̃/ | I'm hungry |
J'ai très faim. | /ʒe tʁɛ fɛ̃/ | I'm very hungry |
C'est délicieux ! | /sɛ de.li.sjø/ | it's delicious |
faire les courses | /fɛʁ le kuʁs/ | to do the shopping |
faire la cuisine | /fɛʁ la kɥi.zin/ | to do the cooking |
mettre la table | /mɛtʁ la tabl/ | to lay the table |
à point | /a pwɛ̃/ | medium (steak) |
bien cuit | /bjɛ̃ kɥi/ | well done |
saignant | /sɛ.ɲɑ̃/ | rare |
Bon appétithas no English equivalent and is said every time, at every meal, including to strangers at the next table in some settings. Not saying it is noticeable.
Traps
| Trap | Explanation |
|---|---|
| The partitive article is compulsory | Je mange du pain, not Je mange paindu masculine, de la feminine, de l' before a vowel. |
In the negative they all become de | Je ne mange pas de pain. — not pas du pain. |
After a quantity, also de | beaucoup de pain — see quantites. |
des œufs /de.z‿ø/ | The f is silent in the plural. |
avoir faim takes très, not beaucoup | J'ai très faim. |
la pêche means both peach and fishing | Context decides. And avoir la pêche means to be full of energy. |
prendre for ordering | Je prends un café, not Je bois. In a restaurant, always prendre. |
The partitive article — why it matters so much
because English has no equivalent
French distinguishes three things:
| Structure | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
Je mange le pain. | I'm eating the bread — that particular bread | /ʒə mɑ̃ʒ lə pɛ̃/ |
Je mange un pain. | I'm eating a whole loaf | /ʒə mɑ̃ʒ œ̃ pɛ̃/ |
Je mange du pain. | I'm eating some bread | /ʒə mɑ̃ʒ dy pɛ̃/ |
English has the first two and marks the third only optionally. "I eat bread" and "I eat some bread" are both correct English, and the shorter one is more usual. In French only the marked version exists: Je mange du pain.
So the problem is not that you cannot express the idea — it is that English lets you leave it out and French does not. Je mange pain is not informal French; it is not French.
The practical rule:
If you could say "some" in English, French needs
du/de la.
| Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
du pain du café de l'eau | some | /dy pɛ̃/ · /dy ka.fe/ · /də lo/ |
de la viande de la salade | some | /də la vjɑ̃d/ · /də la sa.lad/ |
des frites | some, a few | /de fʁit/ |
And three situations that break the article:
| Situation | Result | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| negative | pas de pain | /pa də pɛ̃/ |
| after a quantity | beaucoup de pain | /bo.ku də pɛ̃/ |
with possessive de | un morceau de pain | /œ̃ mɔʁ.so də pɛ̃/ |
The detail is in articles and au-du-des.