How to Ask 'Is This Fresh?' and 'When Was This Picked?' in French
Learn beginner French questions for checking freshness at markets and shops: ask if produce is fresh, when it was picked, and understand the answers you may hear.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
When you buy fruit, vegetables, fish or bread in a French-speaking place, freshness matters. This lesson teaches you short, polite questions you can ask directly at a market stall, a bakery or a shop: whether something is fresh, when it was picked or made, and how to check the date. You will use the verb être (to be) for freshness and the verb cueillir (to pick) for harvest questions, plus a useful question with quand (when). All examples are in standard contemporary French, with notes on polite forms and regional differences where they matter.
By the end, you can…
- ask whether a specific item is fresh in French.
- ask when produce was picked or when a product was made.
- understand a short answer about freshness or a picking date.
- use polite forms such as s'il vous plaît and je voudrais in a market or shop.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
C'est frais ?
Is this fresh?
say freh
The most common informal question. Use it for one item you are pointing at or holding. In more formal speech, say Est-ce que c'est frais ?
Est-ce que c'est frais ?
Is this fresh?
ess kuh say freh
A neutral, standard question. Est-ce que makes the question clear and works in most situations.
C'est cueilli quand ?
When was this picked?
say kuh-yee kahn
Informal and very common at markets. Cueilli is the past participle of cueillir and agrees with the item: cueillie for a feminine noun.
Quand est-ce que c'est cueilli ?
When was this picked?
kahn ess kuh say kuh-yee
A fuller, standard question. Use it when you want to be clear and polite.
C'est de quand ?
When is it from? / What date is it?
say duh kahn
Useful for dated products such as cheese, bread or prepared food. It asks about the date rather than the harvest.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
For freshness, the basic pattern is C'est + adjective. C'est frais ? means 'Is this fresh?' The adjective frais has a special feminine form: fraîche. So for a feminine singular item, say C'est fraîche ? For plural items, use Ils sont frais ? (masculine) or Elles sont fraîches ? (feminine). Note that C'est frais ? is invariable in the common fixed expression, but when you use a pronoun and verb, agreement applies. For picking, use the past participle: C'est cueilli quand ? The participle agrees with the noun: des fraises cueillies (feminine plural), des abricots cueillis (masculine plural).
When to use it
Use C'est frais ? for one item you can point to: a fish, a melon, a piece of cheese. Use C'est cueilli quand ? mainly for fruit and vegetables at a market. For bread or pastries, ask C'est fait quand ? ('When was it made?') or C'est de quand ? For packaged food, ask Quelle est la date ? ('What is the date?'). Add s'il vous plaît to soften any question: C'est frais, s'il vous plaît ?
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Bonjour, elles sont fraîches, ces fraises ?
Hello, are these strawberries fresh?bohn-zhoor, ell sohn fresh, say frehzOui, elles ont été cueillies ce matin.
Yes, they were picked this morning.wee, ell zohn tay kuh-yee suh mah-tanD'accord. Et il est de quand, ce fromage ?
Okay. And when is this cheese from?dah-kor. ay eel ay duh kahn, suh froh-mahzhIl a été fait hier. Il est encore très bon.
It was made yesterday. It is still very good.eel ah ay-tay feh ee-yair. eel ay ahn-kor treh bohnA little context goes a long way
In France, asking about freshness at a market is normal and usually welcome, especially if you are polite. Use vous with a seller you do not know: C'est frais ? is fine, but adding s'il vous plaît or Excusez-moi, c'est frais ? sounds warmer. In Belgium, Switzerland and Quebec, market French is similar, but local words for produce can differ; for example, in Quebec you may hear different regional terms for certain fruits and vegetables. In West Africa, market French often uses direct questions and bargaining; politeness still matters, and a greeting before your question is expected.
One thing to watch for
Using C'est frais ? for a person, or forgetting adjective agreement when using a pronoun.
Try this instead: Use C'est frais ? for one item. When you use a pronoun, make the adjective agree: Elles sont fraîches ? for feminine plural items such as des tomates, and Il est frais ? for a masculine singular item such as un poisson. For a person, do not use frais to mean 'fresh'; use en forme or frais et dispos in a different context.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask 'Is this fresh?' in a neutral, standard way?
Show a sample answer
Est-ce que c'est frais ?
Est-ce que makes the question standard and clear. C'est frais ? is also correct but more informal. Both work in a shop or market.
2You are buying strawberries (des fraises). How do you ask when they were picked?
Show a sample answer
C'est cueilli quand ? or Quand est-ce que c'est cueilli ?
Both ask when the strawberries were picked. If you want full agreement, you can say Quand est-ce qu'elles ont été cueillies ? but the shorter forms are common and understood.
3A seller says: Elles sont cueillies ce matin. What does that mean?
Show a sample answer
They were picked this morning.
Cueillies agrees with the feminine plural noun. Ce matin means 'this morning'. The answer tells you the produce is very fresh.
Ask C'est frais ? for one item, C'est cueilli quand ? for produce, and C'est de quand ? for dated products. Add s'il vous plaît and watch adjective agreement: frais, fraîche, fraîches.
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