Comparing Food Customs in French: 'Chez moi, on mange... mais ici, vous mangez...'
Learn to compare eating habits between your country and France using chez moi, on and vous, with correct articles and verb forms.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
Comparing customs is not the same as describing one custom. To say 'In my country, we eat X but here you eat Y', French uses two different subject patterns: chez moi + on for your own country, and ici + vous (or on) for the place you are in now. You also need the right article before each food, because French nouns almost always take an article: on mange du riz, on mange des pâtes, on mange de la soupe. This lesson gives you the exact frame, the articles, and the contrast words to make the comparison sound natural.
By the end, you can…
- compare a food habit in my country with a food habit here using chez moi, on and ici, vous
- choose the correct article (du, de la, des, le, la, les) before foods in these sentences
- use contrast connectors such as mais, alors que and par contre to link the two halves
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Chez moi, on mange du riz tous les jours.
In my country, we eat rice every day.
shay mwah, on mahnzh dew ree too lay zhoor
chez moi means 'where I'm from / in my home country'. on is the normal spoken subject for 'we' in general.
Mais ici, vous mangez du pain à tous les repas.
But here, you eat bread with every meal.
may ee-see, voo mahn-zhay dew pan ah too lay ruh-pah
ici means 'here, in this country'. vous addresses the people of the place you are visiting.
Chez moi, on ne mange pas de porc.
In my country, we don't eat pork.
shay mwah, on nuh mahnzh pah duh pork
After a negative, du/ de la / des usually become de: on ne mange pas de porc.
Ici, par contre, on mange beaucoup de fromage.
Here, on the other hand, people eat a lot of cheese.
ee-see, par kon-truh, on mahnzh boh-koo duh fruh-mahzh
par contre marks a clear contrast. beaucoup de is always followed by de, not des.
Alors que chez moi on boit du thé, ici on boit du café.
Whereas in my country we drink tea, here people drink coffee.
ah-lor kuh shay mwah on bwah dew tay, ee-see on bwah dew kah-fay
alors que links two clauses and can start the sentence or sit in the middle.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The comparison frame is: Chez moi, on + verb + article + food, mais / alors que / par contre, ici, vous (or on) + verb + article + food. For example: Chez moi, on mange du poisson, mais ici, vous mangez de la viande. Keep on for your own country because it presents the habit as general, not as a specific group of people. Use vous for the country you are in when you speak to its inhabitants, or on if you are describing the local habit in general: Ici, on dîne plus tard.
When to use it
Use this frame in real conversations about food, meals and daily habits, for example when a host asks about your country. It is neutral and polite. If you are talking to one friend rather than 'people here' in general, replace vous with tu: Chez moi, on mange tôt, mais toi, tu manges tard. In Quebec and in much of informal spoken French, on is also used for 'we' in everyday life, so chez nous, on mange... is very common and natural.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Chez moi, on mange du riz et des légumes le soir.
In my country, we eat rice and vegetables in the evening.shay mwah, on mahnzh dew ree ay day lay-gewm luh swahrIci, par contre, on mange souvent de la soupe et du pain.
Here, on the other hand, people often eat soup and bread.ee-see, par kon-truh, on mahnzh soo-vahn duh lah soop ay dew panAh bon ? Et vous mangez à quelle heure ?
Really? And what time do you eat?ah bon? ay voo mahn-zhay ah kel uhrNous mangeons vers vingt heures, alors que chez toi c'est plus tôt.
We eat around eight in the evening, whereas in your country it's earlier.noo mahn-zhon vair van tuh, ah-lor kuh shay twah say plew tohA little context goes a long way
In France, meals are often later than in many English-speaking countries, and bread accompanies most meals, but this varies by region and family. Avoid presenting one national habit as universal: use souvent, en général or chez moi rather than toujours. In Belgium, Switzerland and Quebec, food words and meal times can differ, so listen for local usage.
One thing to watch for
Chez moi, on mange le riz mais ici vous mangez le pain.
Try this instead: Use the partitive article for food in general: Chez moi, on mange du riz, mais ici, vous mangez du pain. Le riz would mean a specific, known rice, for example the rice on the table. Use du, de la, des for an unspecified quantity, and de after a negative: on ne mange pas de pain.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Translate: 'In my country, we drink tea, but here you drink coffee.'
Show a sample answer
Chez moi, on boit du thé, mais ici, vous buvez du café.
chez moi + on for your country, ici + vous for here, and du before each drink. Boire is irregular: vous buvez. On boit is also correct for a general habit.
2Which article fits? 'Chez moi, on mange ___ légumes.'
Show a sample answer
des
Légumes is plural, so the partitive is des: on mange des légumes. After a negative it becomes de: on ne mange pas de légumes.
3Make it negative: 'Ici, on mange de la viande.'
Show a sample answer
Ici, on ne mange pas de viande.
In a negative sentence, de la becomes de: pas de viande. This is standard in both spoken and written French.
Use chez moi + on for your country and ici + vous or on for here, keep an article before every food, and link the two halves with mais, par contre or alors que.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s French into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr