FlexiLingoIn one line
A shop's name is usually built from the shopkeeper's:
boulanger→boulangerie— and there are two ways to say you are going there:à la boulangerieorchez le boulanger.
Nouns
Shops
| French | Pronunciation | English | The shopkeeper |
|---|---|---|---|
la boulangerie | /bu.lɑ̃ʒ.ʁi/ | bakery | le boulanger |
la pâtisserie | /pɑ.tis.ʁi/ | cake shop | le pâtissier |
la boucherie | /buʃ.ʁi/ | butcher's | le boucher |
la charcuterie | /ʃaʁ.kyt.ʁi/ | delicatessen | le charcutier |
la poissonnerie | /pwa.sɔn.ʁi/ | fishmonger's | le poissonnier |
l'épicerie (f.) | /e.pis.ʁi/ | grocer's | l'épicier |
la pharmacie | /faʁ.ma.si/ | chemist's | le pharmacien |
la librairie | /li.bʁɛ.ʁi/ | bookshop | le libraire |
le supermarché | /sy.pɛʁ.maʁ.ʃe/ | supermarket | — |
le marché | /maʁ.ʃe/ | market | — |
le centre commercial | /sɑ̃tʁ kɔ.mɛʁ.sjal/ | shopping centre | — |
le kiosque | /kjɔsk/ | newsstand | — |
le bureau de tabac | /by.ʁo də ta.ba/ | tobacconist's | — |
la librairieis a bookshop, not a library. A library isla bibliothèque. The classic false friend — seefaux-amis.English builds the same names the same way — baker → baker's, butcher → butcher's — so the pattern is familiar. French uses
-eriewhere English uses-'s.
In the shop
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
le prix | /pʁi/ | price |
la caisse | /kɛs/ | till, checkout |
le caissier la caissière | /kɛ.sje/ · /kɛ.sjɛʁ/ | cashier |
le rayon | /ʁɛ.jɔ̃/ | aisle, department |
le panier | /pa.nje/ | basket |
le chariot | /ʃa.ʁjo/ | trolley |
le sac | /sak/ | bag |
le ticket de caisse | /ti.kɛ də kɛs/ | receipt |
la monnaie | /mɔ.nɛ/ | change, coins |
la promotion la promo | /pʁo.mo.sjɔ̃/ · /pʁo.mo/ | special offer |
les soldes (m. pl.) | /sɔld/ | the sales |
la liste de courses | /list də kuʁs/ | shopping list |
la queue | /kø/ | queue |
Quantities
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
un kilo de | /œ̃ ki.lo də/ | a kilo of |
un demi-kilo de | /œ̃ də.mi.ki.lo də/ | half a kilo of |
une livre de | /yn livʁ də/ | 500g (traditional) |
un litre de | /œ̃ litʁ də/ | a litre of |
une tranche de | /yn tʁɑ̃ʃ də/ | a slice of |
un morceau de | /œ̃ mɔʁ.so də/ | a piece of |
une boîte de | /yn bwat də/ | a tin of |
un paquet de | /œ̃ pa.kɛ də/ | a packet of |
une douzaine de | /yn du.zɛn də/ | a dozen |
Verbs
| Verb | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
acheter | /aʃ.te/ | to buy |
vendre | /vɑ̃dʁ/ | to sell |
payer | /pe.je/ | to pay |
coûter | /ku.te/ | to cost |
chercher | /ʃɛʁ.ʃe/ | to look for |
essayer | /e.se.je/ | to try, try on |
choisir | /ʃwa.ziʁ/ | to choose |
échanger | /e.ʃɑ̃.ʒe/ | to exchange |
rembourser | /ʁɑ̃.buʁ.se/ | to refund |
faire les courses | /fɛʁ le kuʁs/ | to do the (food) shopping |
faire du shopping | /fɛʁ dy ʃɔ.piŋ/ | to go shopping (for pleasure) |
faire les coursesandfaire du shoppingare different activities — the first is groceries, the second is browsing for clothes. English uses "shopping" for both.
Adjectives
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
cher /ʃɛʁ/ | chère /ʃɛʁ/ | expensive |
bon marché /bɔ̃ maʁ.ʃe/ | — | cheap — invariable |
gratuit /ɡʁa.tɥi/ | gratuite /ɡʁa.tɥit/ | free |
ouvert /u.vɛʁ/ | ouverte /u.vɛʁt/ | open |
fermé /fɛʁ.me/ | fermée /fɛʁ.me/ | closed |
frais /fʁɛ/ | fraîche /fʁɛʃ/ | fresh |
bio /bjo/ | — | organic — invariable |
en promotion /ɑ̃ pʁo.mo.sjɔ̃/ | — | on offer |
Set phrases
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
Combien ça coûte ? | /kɔ̃.bjɛ̃ sa kut/ | how much is it? |
C'est combien ? | /sɛ kɔ̃.bjɛ̃/ | how much? |
Ça fait combien ? | /sa fɛ kɔ̃.bjɛ̃/ | how much is that altogether? |
Je cherche… | /ʒə ʃɛʁʃ/ | I'm looking for |
Vous avez… ? | /vu.z‿a.ve/ | do you have…? |
Je voudrais un kilo de pommes. | /ʒə vu.dʁɛ.z‿œ̃ ki.lo də pɔm/ | I'd like a kilo of apples |
Et avec ceci ? | /e a.vɛk sə.si/ | anything else? |
Ce sera tout, merci. | /sə sə.ʁa tu mɛʁ.si/ | that's all, thank you |
Vous payez comment ? | /vu pɛ.je kɔ.mɑ̃/ | how are you paying? |
En espèces ou par carte ? | /ɑ̃.n‿ɛs.pɛs u paʁ kaʁt/ | cash or card? |
Vous avez la monnaie ? | /vu.z‿a.ve la mɔ.nɛ/ | do you have change? |
C'est trop cher. | /sɛ tʁo ʃɛʁ/ | that's too expensive |
Et avec ceci ?is the standard shop phrase for "anything else?" and you will hear it in every bakery. The expected answer isCe sera tout, merci.
Traps
| Trap | Explanation |
|---|---|
librairie = bookshop | A library is bibliothèque. |
monnaie = change | Money is l'argent. la monnaie is coins or the change you get back. |
bon marché does not change | une voiture bon marché — not bonne marché. |
After a quantity, de alone | un kilo de pommes, not des pommes. See quantites. |
chez le boulanger or à la boulangerie | Both correct. chez + person, à + place. See prepositions-lieu. |
Bonjour before anything else | Entering a shop without a greeting is straightforwardly rude. |
les soldes is masculine plural | les soldes d'hiver ont commencé. |
-erie — a suffix that makes a shop
learn one pattern instead of twenty words
In French a shop's name is usually the shopkeeper's name + -erie:
| Shopkeeper | Shop |
|---|---|
le boulanger /lə bu.lɑ̃.ʒe/ | la boulangerie /la bu.lɑ̃ʒ.ʁi/ |
le boucher /lə bu.ʃe/ | la boucherie /la buʃ.ʁi/ |
le pâtissier /lə pa.ti.sje/ | la pâtisserie /la pa.ti.sʁi/ |
le poissonnier /lə pwa.sɔ.nje/ | la poissonnerie /la pwa.sɔn.ʁi/ |
le fromager /lə fʁo.ma.ʒe/ | la fromagerie /la fʁo.maʒ.ʁi/ |
le bijoutier /lə bi.ʒu.tje/ | la bijouterie /la bi.ʒu.tʁi/ |
And they are all feminine — because -erie is feminine. See nominalisation.
So if you know the shopkeeper's name you know the shop's, and the other way round.
A few shops escape the pattern:
| Shop | Why |
|---|---|
la pharmacie | straight from Greek |
le supermarché | a modern compound |
le magasin | the general word for "shop", from Arabic makhzan, a storehouse |
That last one is worth knowing: magasin came from Arabic via Italian. It is the same root as English "magazine" — because a magazine was originally a storehouse of articles, and a rifle magazine a storehouse of bullets.
English speakers get this list almost free, because English does the same thing with -'s: baker's, butcher's, chemist's, fishmonger's. Learn the tradesman and the shop follows.