At The Supermarket: 112 Useful French Vocabulary for Grocery Shopping
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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.
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.
You can also download a copy of the vocabulary list in PDF format by clicking the yellow button.
First, the types of stores.
| le supermarché | supermarket |
| une épicerie | small grocery store selling general items |
| le marché | farmer's market |
| un hypermarché | superstore, big supernarket |
| la boucherie | butcher shop |
| la boulangerie | bakery |
| la charcuterie | meat shop/ delicatessen |
| la confiserie | confectionery/ candy shop |
| la crèmerie/ la laiterie | milk/ dairy products store |
| la fromagerie | cheese store |
| la pâtisserie | pastry shop |
| le caviste | wine store |
| la poissonnerie | fish shop |
| la droguerie | drugstore |
| la quincaillerie | hardware store |
Now let’s take a look at common grocery items and their corresponding French words.
| les provisions | groceries |
| les fruits | fruits |
| les légumes | vegetables |
| les produits surgelés | frozen foods |
| les céréales | cereals |
| le poisson | fish |
| la viande | meat |
| la volaille | poultry |
| les boissons | beverages |
| l'eau | water |
| l’eau minérale | mineral water |
| le jus de fruit | fruit juice |
| le jus d’orange | orange juice |
| la limonade | lemonade |
| la bière | beer |
| le café | coffee |
| le café instantané | instant coffee |
| le café décaféiné | decaffeinated coffee |
| le café moulu | coffee grounds |
| du café en grains | coffee beans |
| le thé | tea |
| le thé vert | green tea |
| le thé noir | black tea |
| le vin | wine |
| le vin blanc | white wine |
| le vin rouge | red wine |
| le champagne | champagne |
| le cidre | cider |
| les conserves | canned goods |
| les plats cuisinés | instant meals |
| les produits d’entretien | household cleaning items |
| les articles de toilette | toiletries |
| la nourriture pour animaux | pet food |
| l’électoménager | electrical products/ supplies |
| les articles pour bébés | baby items |
| les magazines/revues | magazines |
For the different types of meat, see below.
| le bœuf | beef |
| le porc | pork |
| le chevreuil | venison |
| le veau | veal |
| le poulet | chicken |
| la dinde | turkey |
| le canard | duck |
| l’oie | goose |
| le poulet préparé | dressed chicken |
| l’agneau | lamb |
| le lapin | rabbit |
| le bacon | bacon |
| le jambon | ham |
| les saucisses | sausages |
| les morceaux de viande | meat cuts |
| le foie | liver |
| la viande hachée | ground meat/ minced meat |
| le gras | fat |
| la viande maigre | lean meat |
| la côte de bœuf | beef rib |
| la côtelette | chop |
| le filet | fillet |
| fumé | smoked |
| salé | salted |
| fermier / fermière | free range |
| bio | organic |
| la viande cuite | cooked meat |
| la viande crue | raw meat |
https://www.talkinfrench.com/french–vocab–fruits–grains/” rel=”nofollow”>https://www.talkinfrench.com/french–vocab–fruits–grains/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>For vocabulary about fruits and grains, you can go here.
Now for the different dairy products.
| le lait | milk |
| le fromage | cheese |
| le lait de vache | cow's milk |
| le lait de chèvre | goat's milk |
| le lait de brebis | sheep's milk |
| le lait entier | whole milk |
| le lait écrémé | skimmed milk |
| le lait condensé | condensed milk |
| le lait pasturisé | pasteurized milk |
| le lait non-pasteurisé | unpasteurized milk |
| le beurre | butter |
| la crème | cream |
| la margarine | margarine |
| le yaourt | yoghurt |
| le babeurre | buttermilk |
| la glace | ice cream |
| le lait en poudre | powdered milk |
| le fromage à la crème | cream cheese |
| la crème fouettée | whipped cream |
| sans matières grasses | fat-free |
| le fromage râpé | grated cheese |
| le fromage frais | fresh cheese |
| le bleu | blue cheese |
If you want to know the names of the most popular French cheeses, you can check out this https://www.talkinfrench.com/guide–french–cheese/” rel=”nofollow”>https://www.talkinfrench.com/guide–french–cheese/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>guide to French cheese.
And finally, here is a list of common things you find inside supermarkets.
| le caddie | trolley/shopping cart |
| le panier | shopping basket |
| l’étagère | shelf |
| le caissier | cashier |
| la caisse | checkout/ cash register |
| le code-barres | bar code |
| le tapis roulant | conveyor belt |
| le sac à provisions | shopping bag |
| le lecteur optique | scanner |
| l’allée | aisle |
Did we miss anything? Make sure to add it in the comment section.
About the Author Frederic Bibard
Frederic Bibard is the founder of Talk in French, a company that helps french learners to practice and improve their french. Macaron addict. Jacques Audiard fan. You can contact him on Twitter and Google +
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