French · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 8 of 12
Food and shopping
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Buy food in a French shop: ask politely with je voudrais, say “some” with du and de la, and ask for quantities like a kilo of…
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Ask for things politely with je voudrais
- Say “some” with du, de la, de l' and des
- Ask for quantities: a kilo, a bottle, a piece
Listen
Monique does her shopping at a small grocer's in Aix-en-Provence. The grocer and Monique use vous. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Grocer
Bonjour, madame. Qu'est-ce que je vous sers ?
Hello. What can I get you?
Monique
Bonjour. Je voudrais un kilo de tomates, s'il vous plaît.
Hello. I'd like a kilo of tomatoes, please.
Grocer
Voilà. Et avec ceci ?
Here you are. Anything else?
Monique
Je voudrais aussi du fromage. Un morceau de comté, s'il vous plaît.
I'd also like some cheese. A piece of Comté, please.
Grocer
Très bien. Autre chose ?
Very good. Anything else?
Monique
Oui, une bouteille de lait, du pain et de la confiture.
Yes, a bottle of milk, some bread and some jam.
Grocer
Voilà le lait, une baguette et la confiture. Ce sera tout ?
Here's the milk, a baguette and the jam. Will that be all?
Monique
Oui, c'est tout. Ça fait combien ?
Yes, that's all. How much is that?
Grocer
Douze euros quarante, s'il vous plaît.
Twelve euros forty, please.
Understand
Je voudrais: asking politely
means “I would like”. It's the polite way to ask for something in a shop, a café or a restaurant. (I want) exists, but it sounds blunt to a shopkeeper.
You can also say … (I'll take…), which you know from chapter 2, or just name what you want and add .
- Je voudrais une baguette, s'il vous plaît.I'd like a baguette, please.
- Je voudrais aussi du fromage.I'd also like some cheese.
Some: du, de la, de l', des
When you mean “some” or an amount you don't count, French uses , , de l' or . English often leaves “some” out, but French never does: means “I'd like bread” or “I'd like some bread”.
Compare: is one whole loaf, is some bread. As you saw in chapter 4, is also the plural of and : , .
| Noun | “Some” | Example |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | ||
| feminine | ||
| before a vowel | de l' | |
| plural |
Quantities: un kilo de…
After a quantity, use only (or d' before a vowel), never , or : , , .
Most nouns make their plural with a silent -s (chapter 4), but nouns ending in -eau add -x instead: , (cakes).
| French | English |
|---|---|
| a kilo of tomatoes | |
| a bottle of milk | |
| a piece of cheese | |
| a packet of coffee | |
| a lot of bread | |
| a little jam |
More in the grammar: Articles: le, la, les, un, une, des, du · Nouns: masculine, feminine and plural · The conditional: je voudrais, si j'avais…
New words
- qu'est-ce que je vous sers ?what can I get you? · said by shopkeepers
- je voudraisI would like
- un kilo dea kilo of
- la tomatetomato
- et avec ceci ?anything else? · said by shopkeepers
- le fromagecheese
- un morceau dea piece of
- la bouteillebottle
- le laitmilk
- le painbread
- la confiturejam
- la baguettebaguette, French stick
- ce sera tout ?will that be all?
- c'est toutthat's all
Practise
1.You'd like some bread. What do you say?
2.Complete with , , de l' or .
I'd like some jam, please.
3.Complete: “a bottle of milk”.
a bottle of milk
4.Which is the most polite way to ask for a baguette in a shop?
5.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I'd like a kilo of tomatoes, please.
6.Match the food words.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Je voudrais une baguette, s'il vous plaît.
I'd like a baguette, please.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.