Describing healthy food and drink habits in French

• Use indefinite, definite or partitive articles ('some' or 'any') when talking about food and drink.

• Verbs such as commencer (to start) and continuer (to continue) are followed by à.

• Verbs such as arrêter (to stop) and éviter (to avoid) are followed by de.

• This guide contains reading and listening practice.

Did you know?

An after-school snack is often called un quatre-heures because it’s eaten around 4 pm.

When talking about food, you might need to use one of the following types of article:

• the indefinite article - un or une (a or an)

• the definite article - le, la, l’, les (the)

• the partitive article - du, de la, des, de l’ (some, any)

Using indefinite articles

Use indefinite articles (un, une) to talk about an individual item of food or one drink.

For example:

Je mange un fruit. - I’m eating a piece of fruit.

Elle va acheter une glace. - She is going to buy an ice cream.

Using definite articles

Use definite articles (le, la, l’, les) to talk about food and drink in general and after verbs of preference.

For example:

J’aime les glaces. - I like ice-cream.

Je déteste la viande – je préfère le poisson. - I hate meat – I prefer fish.

Using partitive articles

Partitive articles are the words ‘some’ and ‘any’. Use these to refer to an unknown quantity of something.

In French, the partitive article is formed with de (‘of’) and the definite article (‘the’).

The partitive article changes depending on whether the noun it goes with is masculine, feminine, starts with a vowel or a silent h, or plural.

Partitive articles are often used to talk about food and drink with verbs including:

When using negative expressions use de without the article (le, la, l’ or les).

Negative expressions include:

• ne … pas - not any

• ne … plus - no more

• ne … jamais - never

For example:

• Il n’y a pas de lait. - There isn’t any milk.

• Mon ami ne boit jamais d’eau minérale. - My friend never drinks mineral water.

With expressions of quantity use de without the article (le, la, l’ or les).

Expressions of quantity include:

• beaucoup de - a lot of

• trop de - too much / too many

• plus de - more

For example:

• Il y a beaucoup de légumes au marché. - There are a lot of vegetables in the market.

• J’ai bu trop de café aujourd’hui. - I have drunk too much coffee today.

• Je voudrais un peu plus de lait, s’il vous plaît. - I would like a bit more milk, please.

Find out more about using indefinite and definite and partitive articles in the Gender, nouns and articles guides.

Read the following blog post about the pros and cons of meal planning. Write one advantage and one disadvantage mentioned for each of the following:

1. Eating breakfast

2. Taking a packed lunch

3. Eating together as a family

Pour manger sain et équilibré, on doit s’organiser. Ce n’est pas difficile!

D’abord, il faut commencer la journée avec un bon petit-déjeuner. C’est vrai qu’on doit se lever un peu plus tôt et parfois, on n’a pas trop envie de manger le matin. Cependant, les études montrent que ce premier repas du jour nous aide à nous concentrer et à mieux travailler.

Ensuite, apportez votre propre déjeuner au collège ou au travail. Même s’il faut du temps pour le préparer, c’est beaucoup moins cher qu’acheter un repas et souvent plus sain aussi. Si vous trouvez ça ennuyeux, essayer d’ajouter des choses différentes – vous trouverez beaucoup d’idées sur Internet.

Finalement, le dîner, c’est une occasion pour s’asseoir ensemble autour de la table avec sa famille. On peut partager la préparation du repas et parler de sa journée. Le seul inconvénient, c’est quand il faut nettoyer la cuisine après car souvent, on se dispute.

Useful phrases to describe eating healthily include:

Useful phrases to describe making healthy drink choices include:

All Foundation Tier vocabulary listed in this guide can be found on the vocabulary sheet below.

Some verbs are followed by à and an infinitive or by de and an infinitive.

Verbs followed by à and an infinitive

Verbs followed by de and an infinitive

Remember

Modal verbs and verbs of opinion can be followed directly with an infinitive (and don’t take à or de).

Je veux boire quelque chose. - I want to drink something.

Tu aimes manger la nourriture française ? - Do you like eating French food?

Listen to the podcast extract in which a teenager talks about how they have changed their diet. Choose the three correct statements from the options given.

Click or tap on the image below for a list of useful vocabulary to use when describing healthy food and drink habits.

Useful phrases for describing eating healthily include:

All vocabulary listed in this guide can be found on the vocabulary sheet below.

Countable nouns are objects that can be counted, such as ‘brother’. You can say ‘I have one brother’ or ‘I have two brothers’.

Uncountable nouns are nouns that cannot be counted, such as ‘water’, and they are usually in the singular form with the partitive articles ‘some’ and ‘any’. This is the same in French. Use de, de la or de l’ with uncountable nouns to mean ‘some’ or ‘any’.

For example:

Je vais manger du chocolat. – I am going to eat some chocolate.

Tu as de l’eau? – Do you have any water?

Verbs followed by de and an infinitive include:

Click or tap on the image below for a list of useful Higher Tier vocabulary to use when describing healthy food and drink habits.

Now you have revised the important vocabulary and key grammar points for describing healthy food and drink habits, why not have a look at the Describing family traditions and celebrations in French guide?