French for Shopping 2
More useful French expressiones for Shop-a-holics. If you haven't seen it already, make sure you check out our first article on French for shops which concentrates on clothes selling.
Food shops
We'll normally buy our food in one of the following food stores:
- boucherie - butcher's shop
- boulangerie - baker's
- poissonniers - fishmonger's
- supermarché - supermarket
Typical foods and drinks
Let's get started by having a look at some foods which we typically associate with French-speaking countries.
The French are very proud of their national cuisine. If you are in France, you won't be able to miss the following foods and drinks:
- vin - wine
- fromage - cheese
- pain - bread
- beurre - butter
- oignons - onions
- ail - garlic
Of course, if you're in Belgium:
- Chocolates - des chocolats
- Mussels - moules
- Beer - bière
Wine drinker?
- vin rouge - red wine
- vin blanc - white wine
- une bouteille de vin - a bottle of wine
- un magnum de champagne - a magnum of champagne
Weights
Don't even attempt to use imperial measurements. France invented the metric system, so it's kilos and grammes I'm afraid.
- balance - scales
- kilogramme - kilogramme
- kilo - kilo
- gramme - gramme
Some useful questions related to weight:
- How much is it per kilo?
- What is the price per kilo?
- Is that the price per kilo or per unit?
Possible responses:
- It's 3.50€ per kilo
- They are 4€ each
Vegetables
Some common vegetables:
- patate - potato
- tomate - tomato
- courgette - courgette
- poivron rouge - red pepper
- carotte - carrot
- panais - parsnip
- oignon - onion
- chou - cabbage
Fruits
Ok, if you're in French-speaking Africa, then I'm sure you'll have more exotic fruits, but for the moment, here are most of the common fruits we have in Europe and North America:
- pomme - apple
- banane - banana
- orange - orange
- citron vert - lime
- citron - lemon
- melon - melon
- pastèque - water melon
- grain de raisin - grape
- pêche - peach
Oh, and if you were wondering:
- food - aliments
- a drink - un verre
Clothes shopping
For phrases and vocabulary related to clothes shopping don't miss classes one and three of this section on French for shopping.
Communication problems
Don't get stressed if there's a communication breakdown!
- I'm sorry, I don't know the name in French.
- What is this called in French?
Thanks for visiting!
Some other stuff here
This Course
Travel French
All the French you'll need (well, nearly all) when you are travelling in a French-speaking region.
Other sections in this course
General Travel French
There's a little bit of everything in this section. We politely draw readers' attention to our fantastically comprehensive class on giving and asking directions in French. It's a real belter!
In the Hotel
Going to a French-speaking country on holiday or for business? Here's our language survival guide to hotels and other forms of accommodation.
Restaurants and Bars
Welcome to our section on French for restaurants and bars. In the classes on this course we'll cover all the French we need to successfully communicate with the waiter or barman. In passing, we'll also learn tonnes of French vocabulary related to food and cooking.
Transport
sec intro
Shopping
Who doesn't visit a shop when they are on holiday? Whether it's shopping for Cartier jewellery on a plush Paris boulevard or just buying your daily bread from the local baker, you'll need a minimum of French in order to get by.
Shopping
Other classes in this section:
Basic Phrases for Shops
In this third and final class on French for clothes shopping, we look at phrases which will help you get EXACTLY what you want, whether it's a different colour, a bigger size (no!, really??), or a different style altogether.
Understanding the Shop Assistant
Now that we've learnt some of the most useful questions to ask when we are out shopping in France, wouldn't it be great if we could understand the shop assistant's answers? Yes, it would!
Clothes and Accessories
Whether you're shopping for a fancy frock in Paris, or looking for a sexy bikini to wow the jet set on the Côte d'Azur, these French phrases should come in very handy.
French for Shopping 2
The second lesson in our series of classes on French for shopping.