If there’s one thing the French are known for, it’s their love of food. So, today, I indulged in learning how to talk about all things related to French cuisine, from describing meals to ordering at a restaurant. And honestly, what better motivation is there to learn French than being able to talk about (and order) delicious French dishes? Let’s just say, I’m hungry already!
Meals in French: Le Petit-Déjeuner, Le Déjeuner, Le Dîner
First things first: the French love their meals, and they have specific terms for each one of them:
- Le petit-déjeuner (breakfast)
Example: Je prends mon petit-déjeuner à 8 heures. (I have breakfast at 8.) - Le déjeuner (lunch)
Example: Je mange un sandwich pour le déjeuner. (I eat a sandwich for lunch.) - Le dîner (dinner)
Example: Nous avons du poisson pour le dîner. (We’re having fish for dinner.)
The French are known for taking their time with meals, and they treat them as important social moments. While breakfast is usually quick, lunch and dinner are often multi-course meals, especially if you’re dining out or having a family gathering.
Talking About Food: Essential Vocabulary
When learning about food, I realized how much I could already say with the vocabulary I knew, but I wanted to expand it and really dive into French cuisine. Here’s some useful food-related vocabulary:
- Le pain (bread) – Essential for any meal in France!
- Le fromage (cheese) – A national treasure, obviously.
- Les fruits (fruit) – like une pomme (an apple) or une banane (a banana).
- Les légumes (vegetables) – like les carottes (carrots) or les tomates (tomatoes).
- La viande (meat) – including le poulet (chicken) and le bœuf (beef).
- Le poisson (fish) – fresh seafood is a big part of French cuisine.
- Les desserts (desserts) – my favorite category, of course, including le gâteau (cake) and les pâtisseries (pastries).
Describing Food and Taste
Once I had the basics down, I wanted to be able to describe what I was eating. Here are some adjectives to make my food descriptions more delicious:
- Délicieux / Délicieuse (delicious)
Example: Ce gâteau est délicieux! (This cake is delicious!) - Sucré / Sucrée (sweet)
Example: Le dessert est trop sucré. (The dessert is too sweet.) - Salé / Salée (salty)
Example: Ces frites sont un peu trop salées. (These fries are a bit too salty.) - Épicé / Épicée (spicy)
Example: Ce plat est trop épicé pour moi. (This dish is too spicy for me.) - Croustillant / Croustillante (crispy)
Example: Le pain est croustillant à l’extérieur et tendre à l’intérieur. (The bread is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.)
Ordering Food at a Restaurant
Feeling ready to tackle a real French restaurant, I practiced some key phrases for ordering food and navigating the menu. Here’s what I came up with:
- Je voudrais… (I would like…)
Example: Je voudrais une salade, s’il vous plaît. (I would like a salad, please.) - Qu’est-ce que vous recommandez? (What do you recommend?)
Example: Qu’est-ce que vous recommandez comme dessert? (What do you recommend for dessert?) - L’addition, s’il vous plaît. (The bill, please.)
And let’s not forget the most important phrase when food is good:
- C’était délicieux! (It was delicious!)
Cultural Insight: French Mealtime Etiquette
One thing I quickly learned is that eating in France is a cultural experience in itself. There are a few etiquette rules to keep in mind:
- Meals are meant to be enjoyed slowly: The French take their time with meals, especially lunch and dinner. It’s common for meals to last an hour or two, especially in social settings.
- Bread on the table: Bread is often served with meals, but you don’t put it on your plate. Instead, place it on the table next to your plate. Just don’t start eating it before the meal begins!
- Le plat principal and dessert: Meals are often multi-course, with a starter (une entrée), the main dish (le plat principal), and dessert (le dessert). It’s a way to savor different flavors and enjoy the experience.
- Don’t rush the check: In French restaurants, the check isn’t usually brought until you ask for it, so if you’re in a hurry, remember to ask: L’addition, s’il vous plaît.
Practice in Action: Planning My Dream French Meal
To practice everything I’d learned, I created an imaginary meal where I ordered my favorite French dishes. Here’s how it went:
“Je voudrais commencer avec une soupe à l’oignon, suivie d’un steak frites. Pour le dessert, je prendrai une tarte aux pommes, s’il vous plaît. C’était délicieux, merci!”
(I would like to start with French onion soup, followed by steak and fries. For dessert, I’ll have an apple tart, please. It was delicious, thank you!)
This exercise made me even more excited to visit France and try these dishes in real life. Now that I know how to order and talk about food, I feel like I’m ready for the full culinary experience.
A Little Humor: Food is Life
While practicing, I couldn’t help but laugh at how many ways I learned to say “delicious.” It seems like French has as many ways to compliment food as it has types of cheese (which is a lot). I might even start using phrases like:
“Ce croissant est tellement délicieux que je pourrais en manger dix!”
(This croissant is so delicious I could eat ten!)
Now I just need to work on my portion control…
Common Mistakes:
- Mixing up food adjectives: It’s easy to confuse adjectives like sucré (sweet) and salé (salty), but trust me—there’s a big difference!
- Forgetting the feminine forms: When describing food, remember that adjectives need to agree with the noun’s gender, like délicieux for masculine and délicieuse for feminine.
- Overusing “Je veux” instead of “Je voudrais”: While je veux (I want) is technically correct, it’s more polite to use je voudrais (I would like) when ordering food.
Tomorrow, I’ll be exploring French idioms—those quirky little phrases that don’t always make sense literally but are part of everyday language. À demain!
