Food in French

The common words for food in French are aliments or nourriture. Find out more words for foods in French with this free lesson! Listen to the audio of the French food words and practice your pronunciation with our voice recognition tool.

Also, I’ve listed some common French menu items with audio so you’ll be able to recognize them next time you’re dining French-style. I’ve also included some common French words and phrases that may come in useful when listening or speaking to the waiter. Bon appétit!

Resources for further reading:

Talking about Food in French

Practice Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record

Rocket Record lets you perfect your French pronunciation. Just listen to the native speaker audio and then use the microphone icon to record yourself. Once you’re done, you’ll get a score out of 100 on your pronunciation and can listen to your own audio playback. (Use a headset mic for best results.) Problems? Click here!

Avez-vous... ?

Do you have...?

Sont-ils ?

Are they?

Du beurre

Some butter

Une bière

A beer

le bœuf

beef

Le chocolat chaud

Hot chocolate

Les fruits de mer

Seafood

Les desserts

Desserts

Les escargots

Snails

Des fruits frais

Fresh fruit

Les pâtisseries

Cakes

Sans oignons

Without onions

Le poisson grillé

Grilled fish

Le vin blanc

White wine

Sel et poivre

Salt and pepper

Les aliments naturels

Health foods

While you're practicing these delicious French words and phrases, you can also begin to practice some of the trickier spellings as well. Many people find that the ultimate challenge in French pronunciation is the sound of the French “r.” As in any new vocal exercise, it’s about using parts of our vocal apparatus not commonly used and then practicing a lot.

It’s worth remembering that the reverse challenge also applies to non- English speakers when they learn to speak English. For them, dropping their “r”s is almost always very difficult! Don’t be shy about really making the most of the French “r” – you’ll sound a lot more convincing and people will admire your efforts to tackle the language on its own terms!

Some of the vowel combinations you’ll come across, like “ieu,” “eau,” or “oeu,” also need to be recognized and practiced. If you can make yourself understood when you’re talking about food, you’ll be welcomed into the French culture with open arms!

More Food in French

  • Que désirez-vous aujourd’hui?
  • What would you like today?

Comme entrée ?

For starters?

Le plat principal

The main dish

Le potage

Soup

La crème de champignons

Cream of mushrooms

Le feuilleté

Savory pastry

Les moules marinières

Mussels in white wine

Les cuisses de grenouilles

Frogs' legs

Le pâté de campagne

Fresh pate

Le châteaubriand

Porterhouse steak

L'entrecôte Bercy

Rump steak in white wine

Le filet en croûte

Beef Wellington

La daube de poisson

Fish casserole

Le gratin de légumes

Vegetable pie

Le gratin dauphinois

Scalloped potatoes

Les poires Belle Hélène

Pears in syrup

Les crêpes flambées

Pancakes glazed with brandy

La crème brûlée

Fresh cream with caramel

Les fromages

Cheeses

Juste le temps

Just enough time

Mettre le couvert

Set the table

Les cuillères à dessert

Dessert spoons

Le couteau

The knife

La fourchette

The fork

Je viens de…

I have just…

L'apéro/L'apéritif

The aperitif

That should be more than a healthy serving of French food vocabulary!

If you want dessert then try these lessons on French vocabulary:

À bientôt !

Marie-Claire Rivière and the Rocket French Team

Make It Stick With Rocket Reinforcement

Reinforce your learning from this lesson with the Rocket Reinforcement activities!