French for Telling a Family Recipe's Origin: Personal History in Conversation
Learn to tell the origin story of a family recipe in French, using past tenses, family vocabulary, and conversational connectors to share personal history.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
When you describe a dish, you list ingredients and steps. When you tell a recipe's origin, you tell a story about people: who made it, where it came from, and why it matters. In French, this means using the passé composé and imparfait together, family terms like ma grand-mère and mon arrière-grand-père, and connectors such as d'abord, ensuite, and c'est pour ça que. This lesson gives you the phrases and patterns to share that personal history naturally in conversation.
By the end, you can…
- tell when and from whom a family recipe came, using the passé composé and imparfait.
- ask follow-up questions about someone's family food story in French.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Cette recette vient de ma grand-mère.
This recipe comes from my grandmother.
set ruh-SET vyen duh ma grahn-MAIR
Use venir de to state the origin of a recipe. In conversation, cette recette is feminine; ma grand-mère can mean either grandmother.
Elle la tenait de sa mère.
She got it from her mother.
el la tuh-NAY duh sa MAIR
The imparfait tenait describes an ongoing or habitual past state. The pronoun la replaces the recipe. This is common when tracing a recipe back a generation.
On la prépare pour les grandes occasions.
We make it for big occasions.
ohn la pray-PAR poor lay grahnd oh-kah-ZYOHN
On often means we in everyday French. Use this to explain when the recipe is traditionally made.
C'est ma mère qui m'a appris à la faire.
It was my mother who taught me to make it.
say ma MAIR kee ma ah-PREE ah la FAIR
This cleft structure c'est ... qui highlights the person. The passé composé m'a appris marks a completed action.
Tu la tiens d'où, cette recette ?
Where did you get this recipe from?
tew la tyen DOO, set ruh-SET
Informal question with tu. The pronoun la and the noun cette recette are repeated for emphasis in spoken French.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To tell a recipe's origin, combine the imparfait for background and the passé composé for events. Example: Quand j'étais petite, ma grand-mère préparait une tarte chaque dimanche. Un jour, elle m'a montré la recette. The imparfait (étais, préparait) sets the scene; the passé composé (a montré) marks the key moment. Use venir de for origin: Cette recette vient de ma grand-mère. Use tenir de for inheritance: Je la tiens de ma mère.
When to use it
Use these patterns when someone asks D'où vient cette recette ? or Tu la tiens d'où ? In a relaxed conversation, start with the person: C'est une recette de mon oncle. Then add place or time: Il l'a apprise en Algérie. Then explain meaning: On la fait pour l'Aïd. In more formal settings, replace on with nous and avoid dropping the subject: Nous la préparons pour les fêtes. In Quebec, you may hear ma grand-maman instead of ma grand-mère; both are understood, but grand-maman is especially common in family speech there.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
D'où vient cette recette de soupe ?
Where does this soup recipe come from?doo vyen set ruh-SET duh SOOPElle vient de ma grand-mère. Elle la tenait de sa mère, qui vivait en Bretagne.
It comes from my grandmother. She got it from her mother, who lived in Brittany.el vyen duh ma grahn-MAIR. el la tuh-NAY duh sa MAIR, kee vee-VAY ahn bruh-TAHNYEt tu la prépares souvent ?
And do you make it often?ay tew la pray-PAR soo-VAHNSurtout en hiver. C'est ma mère qui m'a appris, et maintenant je la fais avec mes enfants.
Especially in winter. It was my mother who taught me, and now I make it with my children.sewr-TOO ahn ee-VAIR. say ma MAIR kee ma ah-PREE, ay mahn-tuh-NAHN zhuh la fay ah-vek may zahn-FAHNA little context goes a long way
In French-speaking cultures, family recipes are often tied to regions, migration, and religious or secular holidays. Mentioning a region (la Bretagne, le Maghreb, l'Acadie) or an occasion (Noël, l'Aïd, un anniversaire) is normal and adds context. Avoid assuming everyone has a single 'traditional' family dish; many families blend influences. In formal settings, use nous rather than on, and avoid very informal pronunciation like chuis for je suis.
One thing to watch for
Using only the passé composé for background: Ma grand-mère a préparé cette tarte chaque dimanche.
Try this instead: Use the imparfait for repeated past actions: Ma grand-mère préparait cette tarte chaque dimanche. Reserve the passé composé for a single completed event: Un dimanche, elle a préparé cette tarte pour mon anniversaire.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you say 'This recipe comes from my grandfather' in French?
Show a sample answer
Cette recette vient de mon grand-père.
Venir de expresses origin. Mon grand-père is masculine singular. You could also say Elle vient de mon grand-père if the recipe was already mentioned.
2Choose the correct tense: Quand j'étais enfant, ma tante (préparait / a préparé) ce plat chaque été.
Show a sample answer
préparait
Chaque été signals a repeated past action, so the imparfait is correct. The passé composé would suggest a single completed event.
3Ask informally: 'Where did you get this recipe from?'
Show a sample answer
Tu la tiens d'où, cette recette ?
This uses tu, the pronoun la, and tenir de. A more formal version would be D'où tenez-vous cette recette ?
To tell a recipe's origin in French, name the person with venir de or tenir de, set the scene with the imparfait, mark key moments with the passé composé, and connect with c'est ... qui for emphasis.
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