French Food Vocabulary
“Quel est le plat du jour ?”
Food plays a central role in our lives, ranging from daily shopping to socializing with friends over a nice meal. In France, this is taken to a whole different level, which is why you will find many opportunities to talk about food with French natives. That is why learning French food vocabulary is so important!
Our “Nutrition” deck is perfect for this goal. You can learn the 50 most common words for food items in French very quickly and recall them whenever you need them.
All of the words appear in example sentences like the one that opened this article and demonstrate their real-world use, so you can be sure you’re choosing the right words when speaking French.
That means no more awkward hesitation or silence with a French waiter when ordering at a bistro in Paris. French vocabulary will roll off your tongue, surprising you and those around you. Bon appétit!
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Study French food vocabulary!
Food in French
Here is a list of food-related vocabulary in French that you will find in our “Nutrition” deck. This is only an example, and there are many more words that you will get access to when you study with Lingvist.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| eau Cette eau vient de la source du village. | water This water comes from the village's spring. |
| cuisine J'aime bien la cuisine italienne. | cuisine I like Italian cuisine. |
| huile Mets un peu d'huile d'olive dans la salade ! | oil Put a bit of olive oil on the salad! |
| fruits J'ai acheté des pommes et d'autres fruits. | fruits I bought apples and other fruits. |
| vin J'adore le vin rouge ! | wine I love red wine! |
| alimentation Une alimentation saine est essentielle pour être en forme. | diet A healthy diet is essential to stay in shape. |
| repas Le repas est sur la table. | meal The meal is on the table. |
| manger Tu ne veux pas manger ? – Si, je veux. | to eat You don't want to eat? – Yes, I do. |
| restaurant Je t'emmènerai dans un vrai restaurant français. | restaurant I'll take you to an authentic French restaurant. |
| lait J'ai acheté du lait frais. | milk I bought fresh milk. |
| plat Quel est le plat du jour ? | dish, course What's the dish of the day? |
| salade Un croque-monsieur est un plat que vous pouvez servir avec une bonne salade verte. | salad A croque-monsieur is a dish that you can serve with a green salad. |
| sauce Voulez-vous de la sauce blanche avec le plat du jour ? | sauce Would you like some white sauce with your daily special? |
| légumes Il faut manger plus de légumes. | vegetables You've got to eat more vegetables. |
| pain Quelle est la différence entre pain complet et pain blanc ? | bread What's the difference between whole-grain and white bread? |
| aliments Les aliments contenant ces substances sont interdits. | foods Foods containing these substances are forbidden. |
| viande Elle ne mange pas beaucoup de viande. | meat She doesn't eat much meat. |
| nourriture Cette nourriture est très bonne. | food This food is very good. |
| jus Je voudrais boire un verre de jus. | juice I would like to drink a glass of juice. |
| poisson J'aime manger du poisson. | fish I like to eat fish. |
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