How to Say 10 Staple Foods in French and Use 'Je mange' and 'J'aime'
Learn French names for bread, rice, apple, egg, cheese, chicken, fish, banana, tomato and potato, then say 'I eat ___' and 'I like ___' with correct articles.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
This lesson teaches ten everyday food words in French and the two sentence patterns you need to talk about them: je mange (I eat) and j'aime (I like). You will learn each food with its article, because French nouns normally appear with le, la, l' or des. You will also learn why j'aime can mean both 'I like' and 'I love', and how to say you do not like something with je n'aime pas. Keep the focus on individual food items here; meal times and restaurant ordering are separate topics.
By the end, you can…
- name ten staple foods in French with the correct article.
- say 'I eat ___' using je mange and a food word.
- say 'I like ___' and 'I don't like ___' using j'aime and je n'aime pas.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Je mange du pain.
I eat bread.
zhuh mahnzh dew pan
Use du with masculine food nouns when talking about an unspecified amount. The final n in pain is nasal; do not pronounce it as a clear English n.
Je mange du riz.
I eat rice.
zhuh mahnzh dew ree
Riz is masculine. The final z is silent. In careful speech the vowel is short and tense, not like English 'rye'.
Je mange une pomme.
I eat an apple.
zhuh mahnzh ewn pom
Pomme is feminine, so use une for one apple. The final e is silent, and the o is short.
J'aime le fromage.
I like cheese.
zhem luh froh-mahzh
J'aime plus le for a general liking. Fromage is masculine. The final e is silent; zh is the sound in English 'measure'.
Je n'aime pas le poisson.
I don't like fish.
zhuh nem pah luh pwah-son
Ne ... pas wraps around the verb. Poisson is masculine. The ss keeps the sound as s, not z; the final n is nasal.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
For 'I eat' plus a food, French usually needs a partitive article: du for masculine nouns, de la for feminine nouns, de l' before a vowel sound, and des for plural nouns. Examples: je mange du pain, je mange de la salade, je mange de l'ail, je mange des pommes. For 'I like' plus a food in general, use the definite article: j'aime le pain, j'aime la salade, j'aime les pommes. The article changes with the noun's gender and number, not with the speaker.
When to use it
Use je mange du / de la / de l' / des when you mean some of a food, as in je mange du riz or je mange de la soupe. Use j'aime le / la / l' / les when you mean you like the food in general, as in j'aime le poulet or j'aime les tomates. To say you do not like it, use je n'aime pas le poulet. For a specific item, use un or une: je mange une banane, j'aime la banane as a general statement.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Qu'est-ce que tu manges ?
What are you eating?kess-kuh tyoo mahnzhJe mange du pain et du fromage.
I'm eating bread and cheese.zhuh mahnzh dew pan ay dew froh-mahzhTu aimes les pommes ?
Do you like apples?tyoo em lay pomOui, j'aime les pommes, mais je n'aime pas les tomates.
Yes, I like apples, but I don't like tomatoes.wee, zhem lay pom, meh zhuh nem pah lay toh-matA little context goes a long way
In France and many French-speaking regions, j'aime can mean both 'I like' and 'I love', so context and tone matter. Je n'aime pas is a normal, polite way to reject a food; stronger wording can sound blunt. Food vocabulary also varies by region: in Quebec, déjeuner often means breakfast, while in France petit déjeuner is breakfast. Learn the item words first, then adapt to local usage.
One thing to watch for
Saying 'Je mange pain' without an article, or using j'aime du pain for a general liking.
Try this instead: Use an article with the food. Say je mange du pain for 'I eat bread' and j'aime le pain for 'I like bread'. The partitive du marks an unspecified amount, while the definite le marks a general liking.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I eat an apple' in French?
Show a sample answer
Je mange une pomme.
Pomme is feminine singular, so une is the correct indefinite article. Je mange de la pomme would mean 'I eat some apple' rather than one apple.
2How do you say 'I like cheese' in French?
Show a sample answer
J'aime le fromage.
Fromage is masculine and the statement is general, so use le. J'aime du fromage is not the usual way to express a general liking.
3How do you say 'I don't like fish' in French?
Show a sample answer
Je n'aime pas le poisson.
Negation wraps ne ... pas around the verb: je n'aime pas. Poisson is masculine, so use le. In informal speech you may hear j'aime pas le poisson, but the full form is standard.
Learn each food with its article, then use je mange du / de la / de l' / des for 'I eat some' and j'aime le / la / l' / les for 'I like' in general.
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