Au supermarché
Grocery shopping · a free French immersion capsule
Useful sentences · 10
Phrases you'll actually use today. Tap Explain for the why behind each one.
Je cherche le rayon des fruits et légumes.
I'm looking for the produce section.
Literal I look for the section of fruits and vegetables.
Use 'chercher' to say you're looking for something. 'Le rayon' means a store section or aisle.
- 'Je cherche' uses the present tense of 'chercher' (to look for)
- Definite article 'le' before 'rayon' — a specific section
Excusez-moi, où se trouve le lait ?
Excuse me, where is the milk?
Literal Excuse me, where finds itself the milk?
'Où se trouve' is a polite way to ask where something is located, more natural than 'Où est'.
- 'Se trouver' is a reflexive verb meaning 'to be located'
- Definite article 'le' before 'lait' (masculine noun)
Je voudrais un kilo de tomates, s'il vous plaît.
I would like one kilogram of tomatoes, please.
Literal I would like one kilo of tomatoes, if it pleases you.
'Je voudrais' is the conditional of 'vouloir' — polite for making requests. 'Un kilo de' expresses quantity.
- Conditional tense 'voudrais' for polite requests
- Quantity expression: number + unit + 'de' + noun
Combien coûte cette bouteille d'huile d'olive ?
How much does this bottle of olive oil cost?
Literal How much costs this bottle of olive oil?
'Combien coûte' asks for the price of a singular item. 'Cette' is the feminine demonstrative adjective.
- Question word 'combien' (how much/many)
- 'Cette' agrees with feminine noun 'bouteille'
Il y a une promotion sur les yaourts cette semaine.
There is a promotion on yogurts this week.
Literal There is a promotion on the yogurts this week.
'Il y a' means 'there is/there are'. 'Une promotion' refers to a sale or special offer.
- 'Il y a' is used for existence, equivalent to 'there is/are'
- Definite article 'les' before plural 'yaourts'
Je prends cinq cents grammes de fromage, s'il vous plaît.
I'll take five hundred grams of cheese, please.
Literal I take five hundred grams of cheese, if it pleases you.
'Je prends' (I take/I'll take) is commonly used when choosing items at a deli or counter.
- Present tense 'prends' used for immediate decisions
- Quantity: number + 'grammes de' + noun
Est-ce que vous avez du pain complet ?
Do you have any whole wheat bread?
Literal Is it that you have some whole bread?
'Est-ce que' is a common question structure. 'Du pain' uses the partitive article 'du' for an unspecified amount.
- 'Est-ce que' + subject + verb = yes/no question
- Partitive article 'du' (de + le) for uncountable nouns
Les pommes sont en promotion, deux euros le kilo.
Apples are on sale, two euros per kilogram.
Literal The apples are on promotion, two euros the kilo.
'En promotion' means on sale. 'Le kilo' after a price means 'per kilogram' — a common way to display prices.
- 'En promotion' — prepositional phrase indicating a sale
- Price + 'le kilo/la pièce' for unit pricing
Je passe à la caisse maintenant.
I'm going to the checkout now.
Literal I pass to the checkout now.
'Passer à la caisse' is the standard phrase for going to pay. 'Maintenant' means now.
- 'Passer à' — to go to, to head to
- Definite article 'la' before feminine noun 'caisse'
Vous payez par carte ou en espèces ?
Are you paying by card or in cash?
Literal You pay by card or in cash?
A question the cashier often asks. 'Par carte' = by card; 'en espèces' = in cash.
- Inversion-free question using rising intonation
- 'Par' + mode of payment vs. 'en espèces' for cash
New words · 10
Themed vocabulary, each with an example you can borrow.
le rayon
aisle / section
Le rayon des céréales est au fond du magasin.
The cereal aisle is at the back of the store.
Used to refer to sections within a supermarket
la caisse
checkout / cash register
Il y a beaucoup de monde à la caisse.
There are a lot of people at the checkout.
Also means 'box' or 'crate' in other contexts
le kilo
kilogram
Un kilo de carottes coûte un euro.
One kilogram of carrots costs one euro.
la promotion
sale / special offer
Les fraises sont en promotion aujourd'hui.
Strawberries are on sale today.
chercher
to look for / to search
Je cherche les pâtes.
I'm looking for the pasta.
le fromage
cheese
J'achète du fromage chaque semaine.
I buy cheese every week.
la bouteille
bottle
Je prends une bouteille d'eau minérale.
I'll take a bottle of mineral water.
payer
to pay
Je préfère payer par carte.
I prefer to pay by card.
les légumes
vegetables
Les légumes frais sont dans ce rayon.
Fresh vegetables are in this section.
combien
how much / how many
Combien coûte ce paquet de café ?
How much does this packet of coffee cost?
Short reading
A tiny story stitched from today's words. Translation is hidden, tap to peek.
Sophie entre dans le supermarché et cherche le rayon des fruits et légumes. Elle prend un kilo de pommes et cinq cents grammes de tomates. Ensuite, elle demande à un employé où se trouve le lait. À la caisse, le caissier lui demande si elle paie par carte ou en espèces. Sophie sourit et répond qu'elle paie par carte.
Sentence by sentence
Sophie entre dans le supermarché
Sophie enters the supermarket
'Entrer dans' means to enter into a place. 'Le supermarché' uses the definite article for a known location.
elle cherche le rayon des fruits et légumes
she looks for the produce section
'Chercher' = to look for. 'Le rayon des fruits et légumes' is a set phrase for the produce aisle.
Elle prend un kilo de pommes et cinq cents grammes de tomates
She takes one kilogram of apples and five hundred grams of tomatoes
Quantity expressions: 'un kilo de' and 'cinq cents grammes de' both follow the pattern quantity + 'de' + noun.
elle demande à un employé où se trouve le lait
she asks an employee where the milk is
'Demander à quelqu'un où se trouve' — asking someone where something is located. Indirect question structure.
le caissier lui demande si elle paie par carte ou en espèces
the cashier asks her if she is paying by card or in cash
'Par carte' and 'en espèces' are fixed expressions for payment methods. 'Si' introduces an indirect yes/no question.
Pattern of the day
One grammar move, explained once, that unlocks dozens of sentences.
Quantity Expressions: number/unit + de + noun
In French, when specifying a quantity, you use a number or quantity word, followed by a unit, then 'de' (of), then the noun — without any article before the noun. This pattern applies to weights, volumes, and containers.
[quantity/unit] + de + [noun (no article)]
Je voudrais un kilo de pommes.
I would like one kilogram of apples.
Elle achète deux litres de lait.
She buys two liters of milk.
Donnez-moi cinq cents grammes de jambon, s'il vous plaît.
Give me five hundred grams of ham, please.
Il prend une boîte de thon.
He takes a can of tuna.
Mini practice · 5
Low-pressure, never graded. Just enough to make it stick.
How much does this bottle of olive oil cost?
Hint Use 'combien coûte' for 'how much does... cost'
Je prends cinq cents grammes de fromage, s'il vous plaît.
Hint Remember 'cents' means 'hundred' and 's'il vous plaît' is formal 'please'
Il y a une _____ sur les yaourts cette semaine.
Hint It's a word meaning a special price reduction
Which sentence correctly uses a quantity expression?
Rewrite using the correct quantity expression pattern: 'two kilos apples'
Hint Follow: number + unit + de + noun
That’s today’s phraseberry.
Nice work, you understood something real today. Come back tomorrow for a fresh one.
Make one about your own world
This is a ready-made capsule from our library. Sign up free to generate a daily French capsule about any theme you choose, hear it spoken, and save the bits you want to keep.