Grocery shopping
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- Write a grocery list for daily food and drinks.
- Ask a shop assistant about a product in the supermarket.
- Partitive articles: "Du, De l', De la"
- The contracted articles: "Au, Aux, Du, Des"
Learn essential vocabulary and grammar for grocery shopping in French, including partitive and contracted articles, common food items, types of stores, and practical phrases. This lesson features verb conjugations, dialogues for real-life scenarios, and explanations to help you confidently navigate the market or supermarket.
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
Vocabulary (17) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Classify these words into two categories based on whether they refer to a type of store or a food product.
Types de magasins
Produits alimentaires
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
La liste de course
The shopping list
2
Choisir
To choose
3
Le fruit
The fruit
4
L'épicier
The grocer
5
Le jus
The juice
Exercice 5: Conversation exercise
Instruction:
- Describe the items on the shopping list. (Describe the items on the shopping list.)
- Ask the shop assistant for the location of the products. (Ask the shop assistant for the location of the products.)
- Pay for your products at the checkout. (Pay for your products at the checkout.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
|
Où est / sont ... ? Where is / are ...? |
|
Pourriez-vous m'aider un instant, s'il vous plaît ? Could you help me for a moment, please? |
|
Pourrais-je avoir un reçu ? Could I have a receipt? |
|
Ce produit est-il en promotion ? Is this product on sale? |
|
Puis-je payer en espèces / par carte ? Can I pay in cash / by card? |
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Avez-vous un sac ? Do you have a bag? |
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Ce prix est-il correct ? Is this price correct? |
|
Puis-je vous aider ? Can I help you? |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Je ___ des fruits frais au marché pour ma liste de courses.
(I ___ fresh fruits at the market for my shopping list.)2. Tu ___ les prix pour trouver la meilleure offre au supermarché.
(You ___ prices to find the best deal at the supermarket.)3. Il ___ du pain à la boulangerie tous les matins.
(He ___ bread at the bakery every morning.)4. Nous ___ toujours des légumes frais pour notre repas.
(We ___ always fresh vegetables for our meal.)Exercise 8: Grocery shopping at the supermarket
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Acheter - To Buy
Présent
- j'achète
- tu achètes
- il/elle/on achète
- nous achetons
- vous achetez
- ils/elles achètent
Comparer - To Compare
Présent
- je compare
- tu compares
- il/elle/on compare
- nous comparons
- vous comparez
- ils/elles comparent
Choisir - To Choose
Présent
- je choisis
- tu choisis
- il/elle/on choisit
- nous choisissons
- vous choisissez
- ils/elles choisissent
Faire - To Do
Présent
- je fais
- tu fais
- il/elle/on fait
- nous faisons
- vous faites
- ils/elles font
Exercise 9: Les articles partitifs: "Du, De l', De la"
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Partitive articles: "Du, De l', De la"
Show translation Show answersde la, de l', du
Exercise 10: Les articles contractés : "Au, Aux, Du, Des"
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: The contracted articles: "Au, Aux, Du, Des"
Show translation Show answersdu, au, des, aux
Grammar Share Copied!
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A1.20.3 Grammaire
Les articles contractés : "Au, Aux, Du, Des"
The contracted articles: "Au, Aux, Du, Des"
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Acheter to buy Share Copied!
present
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') j'achète | I buy |
| tu achètes | you buy |
| il/elle/on achète | He/she/one buys |
| nous achetons | we buy |
| vous achetez | You buy |
| ils/elles achètent | They buy |
Comparer to compare Share Copied!
present
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') je compare / j'compare | I compare |
| tu compares | you compare |
| (il/elle/on) il compare / elle compare / on compare | he compares / she compares / one compares |
| nous comparons | We compare |
| vous comparez | You compare |
| (ils/elles) ils comparent / elles comparent | they compare |
Choisir to choose Share Copied!
present
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') je choisis | I choose |
| tu choisis | You choose |
| (il/elle/on) il choisit / elle choisit / on choisit | he chooses / she chooses / one chooses |
| nous choisissons | We choose |
| vous choisissez | You choose |
| (ils/elles) ils choisissent / elles choisissent | they choose |
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Introduction to Grocery Shopping in French
This lesson introduces you to practical French vocabulary and grammar for grocery shopping, focusing on essential phrases and grammatical structures to help you navigate typical shopping scenarios. You will learn about partitive articles (du, de la, de l'), which are used to talk about unspecified quantities of food items, as well as contracted articles (au, aux, du, des), which combine prepositions with definite articles to describe places and quantities.
Key Vocabulary and Grammar
- Types of shops: la boucherie (butcher's), la boulangerie (bakery), l'épicerie (grocery store), le supermarché (supermarket).
- Common food items: la viande (meat), le pain (bread), le jus (juice), le légume (vegetable).
- Important phrases including requests like: "Je voudrais acheter du pain à la boulangerie." (I would like to buy some bread at the bakery.)
Usage and Examples
You will practice making shopping lists and asking questions about product availability, quantities, and preferences. Example sentences include "Je prends des biscuits et du jus pour la fête." (I am taking some biscuits and juice for the party.) and "Au marché, il y a des légumes frais et de la salade." (At the market, there are fresh vegetables and salad.)
Grammatical Focus
The lesson includes exercises on verb conjugations in the present tense for verbs commonly used in shopping contexts such as acheter (to buy), choisir (to choose), faire (to do/make), and comparer (to compare). Understanding these verbs will help you to construct sentences like Je choisis des fruits frais au marché pour ma liste de courses.
Additional Notes on French and English Differences
In French, partitive articles (du, de la, de l') are used when referring to an unspecified amount of a non-count noun (like bread or juice), whereas English often uses some or omits the article entirely. For example, "du pain" translates roughly to "some bread." Also, contracted articles such as "au" are combinations of prepositions and articles (à + le = au), which do not have a direct one-word equivalent in English but express location or direction, like "to the" or "at the."
Helpful phrases include: "Pouvez-vous me montrer de l'eau minérale, s'il vous plaît ?" (Can you show me some mineral water, please?) and "Je fais la liste de courses pour acheter des fruits et du fromage." (I am making the shopping list to buy some fruit and cheese.) These forms and vocabulary will prepare you for everyday grocery shopping situations in French-speaking environments.
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