French for Beginners: Ask 'How Do You Cook ___?' and Understand the Answer
Learn to ask how to cook a dish in French and understand simple recipe instructions, with polite question forms and common cooking verbs.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
When you want to learn how to make a dish, the most useful question in French is Comment on fait... ? or Comment est-ce qu'on fait... ? This lesson teaches you to ask how to cook a specific food and to understand short, practical answers. You will practice the key verbs cuire, cuisiner, and faire, learn to recognize cooking methods like bouillir and frire, and hear a natural mini-dialogue between two people discussing a recipe. The focus is on seeking guidance, not on giving step-by-step commands yourself, so you can ask for help and follow simple instructions.
By the end, you can…
- ask how to cook a particular dish using Comment on fait... ? or Comment est-ce qu'on fait... ?
- understand simple answers that mention cooking methods like bouillir, frire, cuire, and ajouter.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Comment on fait cuire le riz ?
How do you cook rice?
koh-mahn ohn feh kweer luh ree
Standard, neutral question. Use on for 'one/you' in everyday spoken French.
Comment est-ce qu'on fait une omelette ?
How do you make an omelette?
koh-mahn ess-kohn feh ewn oh-mlet
Slightly more formal or emphatic than Comment on fait. Common in careful speech.
Il faut faire bouillir l'eau d'abord.
You first need to boil the water.
eel foh fair boo-yeel loh dah-bor
Il faut + infinitive is the standard way to say 'one must' or 'you need to'.
On fait cuire les pâtes dix minutes.
You cook the pasta for ten minutes.
ohn feh kweer leh paht dee mee-newt
On fait cuire means 'you cook' in a general sense. Note the plural pâtes.
Ensuite, on ajoute du sel et du poivre.
Then you add some salt and pepper.
ahn-sweet, ohn ah-zheet dew sel eh dew pwavr
Ensuite means 'then/next'. Du is the partitive article for an unspecified amount.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To ask how to cook something, use Comment on fait + infinitive or Comment on fait cuire + food. Examples: Comment on fait cuire le poulet ? (How do you cook chicken?), Comment on fait une soupe ? (How do you make a soup?). The answer often starts with Il faut + infinitive: Il faut faire bouillir l'eau. (You need to boil the water.) or On fait cuire... (You cook...). These patterns let you ask for guidance and understand the first steps without needing to master all French verb forms.
When to use it
Use Comment on fait... ? in everyday conversation with friends, family, or colleagues. It is neutral and works in most French-speaking regions. If you want to be more formal or write a note, use Comment est-ce qu'on fait... ? or Comment fait-on... ?. When you hear an answer, listen for key verbs: bouillir (to boil), frire (to fry), cuire (to cook), ajouter (to add), and time expressions like dix minutes. For example, On fait frire les oignons cinq minutes. means 'You fry the onions for five minutes.'
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Comment on fait cuire le riz ?
How do you cook rice?koh-mahn ohn feh kweer luh reeIl faut faire bouillir l'eau, puis on ajoute le riz.
You need to boil the water, then you add the rice.eel foh fair boo-yeel loh, pwee ohn ah-zheet luh reeD'accord. Et on fait cuire combien de temps ?
Okay. And how long do you cook it?dah-kor. eh ohn feh kweer kohn-byen duh tahnEnviron dix minutes. Ensuite, on égoutte le riz.
About ten minutes. Then you drain the rice.ahn-vee-rohn dee mee-newt. ahn-sweet, ohn ay-goot luh reeA little context goes a long way
In France and many Francophone regions, home cooks often give advice using on rather than tu or vous, which makes the instruction sound general and less direct. This use of on is standard in spoken French. In Quebec, you may also hear Comment on fait... ? with the same meaning, though some cooking terms can differ (for example, 'dîner' refers to lunch in France but dinner in Quebec). When asking a stranger for a recipe, start with Excusez-moi, comment on fait... ? to be polite.
One thing to watch for
Using Comment faites-vous cuire... ? as the default everyday question.
Try this instead: While grammatically correct, this is quite formal and less common in casual conversation. For everyday French, use Comment on fait cuire... ? or Comment est-ce qu'on fait cuire... ? Example: Comment on fait cuire le riz ? is more natural than Comment faites-vous cuire le riz ? in most spoken contexts.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you ask 'How do you cook the chicken?' using the neutral on form?
Show a sample answer
Comment on fait cuire le poulet ?
This uses Comment on fait cuire + food. Comment est-ce qu'on fait cuire le poulet ? is also correct and slightly more formal.
2What does 'Il faut faire bouillir l'eau' mean?
Show a sample answer
You need to boil the water.
Il faut + infinitive expresses necessity. Faire bouillir means 'to boil'. You could also say On doit faire bouillir l'eau, but Il faut is more common.
3Translate into French: 'Then you add some salt.'
Show a sample answer
Ensuite, on ajoute du sel.
Ensuite means 'then'. On ajoute is 'you add'. Du sel is 'some salt' using the partitive article. Puis, on ajoute du sel is also correct.
To ask how to cook something, say Comment on fait cuire... ? and listen for Il faut + infinitive or On fait cuire... in the answer. This keeps your question natural and your understanding focused on the key cooking verbs.
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