Learn French Drink Words: How to Say 'I Drink' and Order Water, Coffee, Tea, Juice, Milk, or Soda
Learn French words for water, coffee, tea, juice, milk, and soda, and how to say 'I drink ___' with the correct article and verb form.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn six common French drink words and the phrase 'I drink ___'. French uses the verb boire (to drink). The form for 'I drink' is je bois. The tricky part is the article after the drink word: French says je bois du café for 'I drink coffee' (some coffee), but je bois de l'eau for 'I drink water'. You will also learn je bois un café when you mean one cup of coffee. By the end, you can name drinks and make a simple statement about what you drink.
By the end, you can…
- name six common drinks in French: l'eau, le café, le thé, le jus, le lait, le soda.
- say 'I drink ___' using je bois with the correct article (du, de la, de l', or un/une).
- choose between je bois du café (coffee in general) and je bois un café (one coffee).
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Je bois de l'eau.
I drink water.
zhuh bwah duh loh
Use de l' before a vowel sound. Eau is feminine, but de l' replaces de la before a vowel.
Je bois du café.
I drink coffee.
zhuh bwah dew kah-fay
Du = de + le. Use du with masculine nouns when speaking generally.
Je bois du thé.
I drink tea.
zhuh bwah dew tay
Thé is masculine. Du thé means tea in general, not one specific cup.
Je bois du jus d'orange.
I drink orange juice.
zhuh bwah dew zhew dor-ahnzh
Jus is masculine. The d' before orange shows the vowel sound. In careful speech, jus d'orange links as zhew-dor-ahnzh.
Je bois du lait.
I drink milk.
zhuh bwah dew lay
Lait is masculine. The final t is silent. Du lait means milk in general.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is je bois + article + drink. For masculine nouns, use du: je bois du café, je bois du thé, je bois du lait. For feminine nouns, use de la: je bois de la limonade. Before a vowel sound, both du and de la change to de l': je bois de l'eau, je bois de l'orangeade. For a countable serving, use un or une: je bois un café (one coffee), je bois une eau minérale (one mineral water). The verb boire is irregular: je bois, tu bois, il/elle/on boit, nous buvons, vous buvez, ils/elles boivent. For this lesson, focus on je bois.
When to use it
Use je bois du/de la/de l' when you talk about what you drink in general or without counting: Je bois du café le matin. Use je bois un/une when you mean one specific serving: Je bois un thé, s'il vous plaît. In a café in France, ordering un café usually means a small espresso; un café au lait is coffee with hot milk. If you want water, say de l'eau. For sparkling water, say de l'eau gazeuse; for still water, de l'eau plate. In Canada, un café can also mean a regular brewed coffee. The pattern stays the same; only the serving size changes.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Qu'est-ce que tu bois le matin ?
What do you drink in the morning?kess-kuh tü bwah luh mah-tanJe bois du café. Et toi ?
I drink coffee. And you?zhuh bwah dew kah-fay. ay twahJe bois du thé. Parfois je bois du jus d'orange.
I drink tea. Sometimes I drink orange juice.zhuh bwah dew tay. par-fwah zhuh bwah dew zhew dor-ahnzhTu bois du lait aussi ?
Do you drink milk too?tü bwah dew lay oh-seeA little context goes a long way
In France, un café in a café usually means a small espresso, not a large brewed coffee. If you want coffee with hot milk, ask for un café au lait. In Canada, un café often means a regular brewed coffee. For water, de l'eau is still water unless you ask for de l'eau gazeuse (sparkling). In restaurants, asking for de l'eau is normal and free; une carafe d'eau is a jug of tap water. Soda is often called un soda or un Coca in France, while in Quebec you may hear un breuvage gazeux or a brand name. These are regional habits, not rules.
One thing to watch for
Saying je bois le café to mean 'I drink coffee' in general.
Try this instead: Use du, de la, or de l' for general drinks. Say je bois du café, not je bois le café. Use le café only for a specific known coffee, for example le café est chaud (the coffee is hot). For one serving, say je bois un café.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I drink water' in French?
Show a sample answer
Je bois de l'eau.
Eau starts with a vowel sound, so de la becomes de l'. Je bois de l'eau is the standard general statement. You could also say je bois une eau minérale if you mean one bottle of mineral water.
2Fill in the blank: Je bois ___ thé.
Show a sample answer
du
Thé is masculine, so the general article is du. Je bois du thé means 'I drink tea' in general. If you mean one cup, say je bois un thé.
3What is the difference between je bois du café and je bois un café?
Show a sample answer
Je bois du café means 'I drink coffee' in general. Je bois un café means 'I drink one coffee' or 'I'm having a coffee' (one serving).
Du café describes the drink without counting. Un café counts one serving, often an espresso in France. Both are correct; the choice depends on whether you are talking generally or about one specific coffee.
Use je bois + du for masculine drinks, de la for feminine drinks, de l' before a vowel sound, and un/une for one serving. Learn the six drinks and this pattern, and you can talk about what you drink.
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