En cuisine avec Marie
Cooking at home · a free French immersion capsule
Useful sentences · 10
Phrases you'll actually use today. Tap Explain for the why behind each one.
Je dois acheter du beurre et de la farine au marché.
I need to buy butter and flour at the market.
Literal I must buy some butter and some flour at the market.
Uses partitive articles 'du' and 'de la' to express an unspecified quantity of ingredients.
- Partitive article 'du' (de + le) before masculine noun 'beurre'
- Partitive article 'de la' before feminine noun 'farine'
Commencez par préchauffer le four à deux cents degrés.
Start by preheating the oven to two hundred degrees.
Literal Begin by preheating the oven at two hundred degrees.
Imperative mood of 'commencer' used to give a cooking instruction, followed by an infinitive.
- Imperative: 'Commencez' (vous form)
- Infinitive after 'par': commencer par + infinitif
Ajoutez une cuillère à soupe d'huile d'olive dans la poêle.
Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.
Literal Add one soup spoon of olive oil in the pan.
Imperative instruction with a precise measurement. 'Une cuillère à soupe' is a tablespoon.
- Imperative: 'Ajoutez' (vous form)
- Measurement phrase: une cuillère à soupe + de + noun
Mélangez bien les œufs avec le sucre jusqu'à ce que le mélange soit mousseux.
Mix the eggs and sugar well until the mixture is fluffy.
Literal Mix well the eggs with the sugar until that the mixture be fluffy.
Imperative instruction with a subclause using 'jusqu'à ce que' + subjunctive.
- Imperative: 'Mélangez' (vous form)
- 'jusqu'à ce que' requires subjunctive: 'soit'
Versez lentement le lait chaud sur la préparation.
Slowly pour the warm milk over the mixture.
Literal Pour slowly the hot milk on the preparation.
Imperative of 'verser' with an adverb. 'Lentement' modifies the verb, placed after it.
- Imperative: 'Versez' (vous form)
- Adverb placement: after the verb in imperative sentences
J'aimerais goûter une sauce un peu plus épicée.
I would like to taste a slightly spicier sauce.
Literal I would-like to taste a sauce a little more spiced.
Conditional 'j'aimerais' expresses a polite preference. 'Un peu plus' means 'a little more'.
- Conditional: j'aimerais = I would like
- Comparative: un peu plus + adjective
Il faut couper les oignons en petits morceaux avant de les faire revenir.
You need to chop the onions into small pieces before sautéing them.
Literal It is necessary to cut the onions in small pieces before to make them return.
'Il faut' + infinitive is an impersonal construction meaning 'one must' or 'you need to'.
- Impersonal: il faut + infinitif
- Infinitive after preposition: avant de + infinitif
La soupe sent bon — on y a ajouté des herbes fraîches.
The soup smells good — we added some fresh herbs to it.
Literal The soup smells good — one there has added some fresh herbs.
'Sentir bon' means 'to smell good'. 'On y a ajouté' uses pronoun 'y' referring to the soup.
- 'sentir bon': to smell good (idiomatic)
- Pronoun 'y': replaces a location or indirect object
Je voudrais savoir comment préparer une bonne tarte aux pommes.
I would like to know how to prepare a good apple tart.
Literal I would-like to know how to prepare a good tart with apples.
'Je voudrais' is the conditional of 'vouloir', used for polite requests or desires.
- Conditional: je voudrais = I would like
- Interrogative infinitive: comment + infinitif
La table est mise — on peut enfin s'asseoir et manger ensemble.
The table is set — we can finally sit down and eat together.
Literal The table is set — one can finally to-sit-down and eat together.
'La table est mise' is an idiomatic expression meaning the table is set for a meal.
- Past participle as adjective: 'mise' agrees with 'table' (feminine)
- Reflexive infinitive: s'asseoir = to sit down
New words · 10
Themed vocabulary, each with an example you can borrow.
la farine
flour
J'achète de la farine pour faire du pain.
I buy flour to make bread.
Used with partitive article 'de la' to express an unspecified amount.
le beurre
butter
Ajoutez du beurre dans la poêle chaude.
Add butter to the hot pan.
Takes partitive article 'du' (de + le).
mélanger
to mix
Mélangez la farine avec les œufs.
Mix the flour with the eggs.
Regular -er verb; common in recipes as imperative 'mélangez'.
verser
to pour
Versez l'eau dans la casserole.
Pour the water into the saucepan.
Regular -er verb used frequently in cooking instructions.
la poêle
frying pan
Faites chauffer la poêle avant d'ajouter l'huile.
Heat the pan before adding the oil.
Distinguish from 'la casserole' (saucepan) and 'le faitout' (stockpot).
épicé(e)
spicy
Ce plat est trop épicé pour moi.
This dish is too spicy for me.
Agrees in gender: épicé (masc.), épicée (fem.).
les herbes
herbs
On utilise des herbes fraîches pour parfumer le plat.
We use fresh herbs to flavor the dish.
The 'h' in 'herbes' is silent in French.
couper
to cut / to chop
Coupez les légumes en petits morceaux.
Cut the vegetables into small pieces.
Regular -er verb; one of the most common imperative verbs in recipes.
préchauffer
to preheat
Préchauffez le four à cent quatre-vingts degrés.
Preheat the oven to one hundred and eighty degrees.
Compound verb: pré- (pre-) + chauffer (to heat).
la cuillère à soupe
tablespoon
Ajoutez une cuillère à soupe de sucre.
Add one tablespoon of sugar.
Literally 'soup spoon'. A 'cuillère à café' is a teaspoon.
Short reading
A tiny story stitched from today's words. Translation is hidden, tap to peek.
Ce soir, Marie prépare un dîner spécial pour sa famille. Elle commence par préchauffer le four, puis coupe les légumes en petits morceaux. Elle verse de l'huile d'olive dans la poêle et ajoute du beurre pour faire revenir les oignons. L'odeur des herbes fraîches embaume la cuisine. «J'aimerais que ce repas soit parfait», pense-t-elle en mélangeant la sauce. Enfin, elle dresse les assiettes avec soin et appelle tout le monde à table.
Sentence by sentence
Elle commence par préchauffer le four
She starts by preheating the oven
'Commencer par + infinitif' means 'to start by doing something' — a very natural French structure.
coupe les légumes en petits morceaux
chops the vegetables into small pieces
'En petits morceaux' (in small pieces) is a fixed phrase used constantly in recipes.
verse de l'huile d'olive dans la poêle
pours olive oil into the pan
Partitive article 'de l'' before 'huile' (feminine, starts with vowel). 'Dans la poêle' = into the pan.
J'aimerais que ce repas soit parfait
I would like this meal to be perfect
'Aimerais que' triggers the subjunctive: 'soit' (subj. of être). Expresses a heartfelt wish.
dresse les assiettes avec soin
plates the dishes carefully
'Dresser les assiettes' is the culinary term for plating. 'Avec soin' means 'with care'.
appelle tout le monde à table
calls everyone to the table
'À table!' is a classic French expression signaling that the meal is ready and everyone should sit.
Pattern of the day
One grammar move, explained once, that unlocks dozens of sentences.
Imperative Mood for Cooking Instructions
In French recipes, the imperative mood gives direct commands. For the 'vous' form, drop the subject pronoun and use the present-tense conjugation. This is one of the most practical structures in kitchen French.
Verb (imperative, vous-form) + [quantity/ingredient] + [location/manner]
Ajoutez du sel dans l'eau.
Add salt to the water.
Mélangez bien les ingrédients.
Mix the ingredients well.
Versez le lait lentement.
Pour the milk slowly.
Coupez les oignons en rondelles.
Cut the onions into rounds.
Mini practice · 5
Low-pressure, never graded. Just enough to make it stick.
Translate to French: 'You must heat the oven to two hundred degrees.'
Hint Start with 'Vous devez' followed by the infinitive of 'to heat'
Mélangez bien les œufs avec le sucre jusqu'à ce que le mélange soit _____.
Hint The mixture should become light and frothy
Which sentence completes this instruction correctly? 'Pour préparer la soupe, il faut couper les oignons en petits morceaux et _____.'
Translate to English: 'J'aimerais goûter une sauce un peu plus épicée.'
Hint j'aimerais = I would like; épicée = spicy
Rewrite this sentence in the imperative form: 'Vous devez ajouter une cuillère à soupe d'huile d'olive dans la poêle.'
Hint Use the imperative 'vous' form (2nd person plural command)
That’s today’s phraseberry.
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