At The Supermarket: 112 Useful French Vocabulary for Grocery Shopping
Learn about French words you’ll encounter when buying groceries at any local French store, so you can find your way around the various aisles with ease
Buying stuff at the store is a necessary part of living, regardless of whether you find it a mundane task you’re too lazy to do or you actually enjoy it.
When you’re in a French-speaking country, it’s incredibly important to know the French words for items you need to grab at the store, as well as the vocabulary that you will encounter during this task.
But even when you’re simply learning French from your own non-French-speaking country, the terms related to buying groceries are still among the common words to know. That way you can ask or list your groceries in French!
This article is all about food and basic items that usually make up your grocery list. We’ll be learning French words for different types of stores, common grocery items, meat products, dairy, as well as equipment usually found inside stores.
First, the types of stores.
- le supermarchésupermarket
- une épiceriesmall grocery store selling general items
- le marchéfarmer’s market
- un hypermarchésuperstore, big supermarket
- la boucheriebutcher shop
- la boulangeriebakery
- la charcuteriemeat shop/ delicatessen
- la confiserieconfectionery/ candy shop
- la crèmerie/ la laiteriemilk/ dairy products store
- la fromageriecheese store
- la pâtisseriepastry shop
- le cavistewine store
- la poissonneriefish shop
- la drogueriehousehold goods store (not a pharmacy)
- la quincailleriehardware store
Now let’s take a look at common grocery items and their corresponding French words.
- les provisionsgroceries
- les fruitsfruits
- les légumesvegetables
- les produits surgelésfrozen foods
- les céréalescereals
- le poissonfish
- la viandemeat
- la volaillepoultry
- les boissonsbeverages
- l’eauwater
- l’eau minéralemineral water
- le jus de fruitfruit juice
- le jus d’orangeorange juice
- la limonadelemonade
- la bièrebeer
- le cafécoffee
- le café instantanéinstant coffee
- le café décaféinédecaffeinated coffee
- le café mouluground coffee
- le café en grainscoffee beans
- le thétea
- le thé vertgreen tea
- le thé noirblack tea
- le vinwine
- le vin blancwhite wine
- le vin rougered wine
- le champagnechampagne
- le cidrecider
- les conservescanned goods
- les plats cuisinésready-made meals / prepared dishes
- les produits d’entretienhousehold cleaning items
- les articles de toilettetoiletries
- la nourriture pour animauxpet food
- l’électroménagerhousehold appliances
- les articles pour bébésbaby items
- les magazines/revuesmagazines
For the different types of meat, see below.
- le bœufbeef
- le porcpork
- le chevreuilvenison
- le veauveal
- le pouletchicken
- la dindeturkey
- le canardduck
- l’oiegoose
- le poulet préparédressed chicken
- l’agneaulamb
- le lapinrabbit
- le baconbacon
- le jambonham
- les saucissessausages
- les morceaux de viandemeat cuts
- le foieliver
- la viande hachéeground meat/ minced meat
- le grasfat
- la viande maigrelean meat
- la côte de bœufbeef rib
- la côtelettechop
- le filetfillet
- fumésmoked
- salésalted
- fermier / fermièrefarm-produced; free-range when describing poultry or eggs
- bioorganic
- la viande cuitecooked meat
- la viande crueraw meat
For vocabulary about fruits and grains, you can go here.
Now for the different dairy products.
- le laitmilk
- le fromagecheese
- le lait de vachecow’s milk
- le lait de chèvregoat’s milk
- le lait de brebissheep’s milk
- le lait entierwhole milk
- le lait écréméskimmed milk
- le lait condensécondensed milk
- le lait pasteurisépasteurized milk
- le lait non-pasteuriséunpasteurized milk
- le beurrebutter
- la crèmecream
- la margarinemargarine
- le yaourtyoghurt
- le babeurrebuttermilk
- la glaceice cream
- le lait en poudrepowdered milk
- le fromage à la crèmecream cheese
- la crème fouettéewhipped cream
- sans matières grassesfat-free
- le fromage râpégrated cheese
- le fromage fraisfresh cheese
- le bleublue cheese
If you want to know the names of the most popular French cheeses, you can check out this guide to French cheese.
And finally, here is a list of common things you find inside a supermarket in French.
- le caddietrolley/shopping cart
- le paniershopping basket
- l’étagèreshelf
- le caissiercashier
- la caissecheckout/ cash register
- le code-barresbar code
- le tapis roulantconveyor belt
- le sac à provisionsshopping bag
- le lecteur optiquescanner
- l’alléeaisle
Hopefully after reading this article you will be able to navigate through the supermarket in French and most of all buy groceries in French!
Here are some FAQs about French Grocery Shopping
What is a French shop called?
Un magasin !
How do you say “shopping list” in French?
La liste de courses !
How do you ask for something in a French shop?
Here are a few ways to ask:
- Je dois trouver… (I need to find…)
- Pardonnez-moi, je cherche… (Pardon me, I’m looking for…)
- Vous avez …? (Do you have…?)
What are some French vocabulary words?
This article has outlined 112 spectacular words you’ll come across when grocery shopping! Some other phrases you may need to know:
- Faire les courses (shopping for essentials)
- Faire du shopping (shopping for specific, non-essential items such as a hat)
- Les soldes (the sales; faire les soldes means to shop the sales)
- Heures d’ouverture (shop/opening hours)
- Je vais payer en liquide (I’ll pay in cash.)
- Je peux régler par carte ? (Can I pay by card?) You can also use: Puis-je payer par carte bancaire ?
