French for Beginners: Asking 'What's in this?' and 'Does this have ___?'
Learn to ask what is in a dish and whether it contains a common ingredient in French, using the patterns Qu'est-ce qu'il y a dans... and Est-ce qu'il y a...
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
When you sit down to eat in a French-speaking place, curiosity is often your best tool. You may want to know what is inside a dish, or whether a particular ingredient is part of it. This lesson gives you two beginner-friendly question patterns: one to ask what is in something, and one to ask whether it has a specific ingredient. You will also learn the French names of common ingredients and the small words that make questions polite and natural.
By the end, you can…
- ask what is in a dish or product in French.
- ask whether something contains a common ingredient.
- name several everyday ingredients in French.
- understand simple answers about ingredients.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Qu'est-ce qu'il y a dans ce plat ?
What is in this dish?
kess keel ya dahn suh plah
Use dans ce plat for a cooked dish; dans cette salade for a salad.
Est-ce qu'il y a des œufs ?
Does this have eggs? / Are there eggs?
ess keel ya day zœf
The plural des œufs is pronounced day zœf; the f in œufs is silent, and the vowel is the rounded œ sound, not 'uh'.
Est-ce qu'il y a du fromage ?
Does this have cheese?
ess keel ya doo froh-mahzh
Use du for a masculine ingredient such as fromage.
Est-ce qu'il y a de la crème ?
Does this have cream?
ess keel ya duh lah krem
Use de la for a feminine ingredient such as crème.
Il y a du poulet et des tomates.
There is chicken and tomatoes.
eel ya doo poo-lay ay day toh-mat
A simple answer pattern: Il y a + ingredient.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is Il y a, meaning there is or there are. To ask a yes-or-no question, put Est-ce que in front: Est-ce qu'il y a du fromage ? To ask what is there, use Qu'est-ce qu'il y a dans... ? For example, Qu'est-ce qu'il y a dans cette soupe ? The answer can be short: Il y a des pommes de terre. The word dans means in and is followed by a noun: dans ce plat, dans cette sauce.
When to use it
Use Qu'est-ce qu'il y a dans... when you want an open answer about all the ingredients. Use Est-ce qu'il y a... when you are checking for one ingredient. Both are neutral and polite enough for a café, a bakery or a friend's kitchen. If you want to be more formal with a server, you can add s'il vous plaît: Est-ce qu'il y a de la crème, s'il vous plaît ? In Quebec, you may hear the same structures, though everyday pronunciation can be more relaxed.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Bonjour, qu'est-ce qu'il y a dans cette quiche ?
Hello, what is in this quiche?bon-zhoor, kess keel ya dahn set keeshIl y a des œufs, de la crème et du fromage.
There are eggs, cream and cheese.eel ya day zœf, duh lah krem ay doo froh-mahzhEst-ce qu'il y a de la viande ?
Does it have meat?ess keel ya duh lah vyahndNon, il n'y a pas de viande.
No, there is no meat.nohn, eel nyah pah duh vyahndA little context goes a long way
In France, asking about ingredients is normal and usually welcome, especially in bakeries and markets. A simple Est-ce qu'il y a... ? is polite; adding s'il vous plaît makes it warmer. In more formal settings, use vous with staff. In Quebec and other Francophone regions, the same questions work, but local dishes and ingredient names may differ, so listen for regional vocabulary.
One thing to watch for
Saying Est-ce qu'il y a des fromage ? with a plural article for a non-count ingredient.
Try this instead: Use the partitive article that matches the noun: du fromage for masculine, de la crème for feminine, and des œufs for a plural countable item. For example: Est-ce qu'il y a du fromage ?
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Ask whether a soup has cream.
Show a sample answer
Est-ce qu'il y a de la crème dans cette soupe ?
This uses Est-ce qu'il y a plus de la because crème is feminine. You could also ask Est-ce qu'il y a de la crème ? if the soup is already clear from context.
2Answer: There is chicken and cheese.
Show a sample answer
Il y a du poulet et du fromage.
Both poulet and fromage are masculine, so du is used for each. Il y a des poulets would mean whole chickens, not chicken as an ingredient.
3Ask what is in a sauce.
Show a sample answer
Qu'est-ce qu'il y a dans cette sauce ?
This open question invites a list of ingredients. Dans cette sauce is correct because sauce is feminine; you could also say dans la sauce if both speakers know which sauce.
Use Qu'est-ce qu'il y a dans... ? for an open question and Est-ce qu'il y a... ? to check for one ingredient. Match du, de la or des to the noun, and keep s'il vous plaît handy for polite service situations.
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