Grocery shopping in France can take you from a large hypermarché to a neighborhood épicerie, with different stores and sections for everyday foods.
Une brique de lait is a carton of milk. Grocery-store vocabulary also helps you find the right section, recognize how products are packaged, and understand common questions at the checkout.
Grocery stores
French uses different words for large supermarkets, small neighborhood grocery stores, and stores specializing in particular kinds of food:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un supermarché | supermarket |
| un hypermarché | hypermarket / large supermarket |
| une épicerie | grocery store |
| une supérette | small supermarket / convenience grocery store |
| une épicerie bio | organic grocery store |
| une épicerie fine | specialty food shop / delicatessen |
An hypermarché is a particularly large store that sells groceries as well as clothing, household products, electronics, and other goods.
An épicerie is generally a smaller food shop. Épicerie fine refers to a shop specializing in higher-quality or specialty foods.
For buying food from individual vendors and stalls, see At the market.
Supermarket sections
Supermarkets are divided into rayons, sections or aisles devoted to particular kinds of products:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un rayon | aisle / department |
| le rayon fruits et légumes | produce section |
| le rayon frais | refrigerated section |
| le rayon surgelés | frozen-food section |
| la boulangerie | bakery section / bakery |
| la boucherie | butcher counter / butcher shop |
| la poissonnerie | fish counter / fish shop |
| la fromagerie | cheese counter / cheese shop |
| la caisse | checkout |
| un chariot | shopping cart |
| un panier | shopping basket |
Un rayon can refer to an aisle or to a section devoted to a particular type of product. A supermarket may also have counters such as la boucherie or la poissonnerie, using the same words as the independent shops.
Asking where to find something
If you cannot find a product or section, you can ask where it is or say what you are looking for:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Excusez-moi, où est le rayon des produits laitiers ? | Excuse me, where is the dairy section? |
| Où est-ce que je peux trouver le riz ? | Where can I find the rice? |
| Vous avez du lait d'amande ? | Do you have almond milk? |
| Je cherche de la farine. | I'm looking for flour. |
| Vous en avez encore ? | Do you have any more? |
Je cherche... is a simple way to ask for help. Follow it with the product you are looking for, as in Je cherche de la farine or Je cherche du riz.
Grocery packaging and containers
Grocery products are often described by the container or package they come in. Knowing these words can help you identify how a product is packaged:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| une bouteille | bottle |
| une boîte | box / can / tin |
| un paquet | package / packet |
| un pot | jar / container |
| une brique | carton |
| une canette | beverage can |
| un sachet | bag / packet |
| une barquette | tray / small container |
Une boîte is a general word that can refer to a box or a can or tin of food. Une canette is normally a can containing a drink.
To say what a container holds, use the container followed by de and the food or drink:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| une bouteille d'eau | a bottle of water |
| une boîte de tomates | a can of tomatoes |
| un paquet de pâtes | a package of pasta |
| un pot de yaourt | a container of yogurt |
| une brique de lait | a carton of milk |
| une canette de soda | a can of soda |
| un sachet de riz | a bag of rice |
| une barquette de fraises | a container of strawberries |
See À or de between nouns for more about this pattern. For kilos, grams, and other amounts, see Food quantities and portions.
Words on food labels and packaging
Food labels contain words that can help you identify a product, check where it comes from, and understand how it should be stored:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| les ingrédients | ingredients |
| le poids | weight |
| l'origine | origin |
| frais / fraîche | fresh |
| surgelé / surgelée | frozen |
| bio | organic |
| sans sucre | sugar-free / without sugar |
| sans gluten | gluten-free |
| sans lactose | lactose-free |
| à conserver au frais | keep refrigerated |
Origine may be followed by the country or region where a product was produced. À conserver au frais tells you that the product needs to be kept refrigerated.
Paying at the grocery store
When you have finished shopping, you go to la caisse. There are a few words and expressions you are likely to encounter while paying:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| la caisse | checkout / register |
| le caissier | cashier |
| la caissière | cashier |
| un sac | bag |
| un ticket de caisse | receipt |
| payer | to pay |
| en espèces | in cash |
| par carte | by card |
A few questions and responses come up frequently at the checkout:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Vous avez un sac ? | Do you have a bag? |
| Vous voulez un sac ? | Would you like a bag? |
| Non merci, j'ai un sac. | No thanks, I have a bag. |
| Je peux payer par carte ? | Can I pay by card? |
| Vous voulez le ticket ? | Would you like the receipt? |
| Non merci. | No, thank you. |
In France, shopping bags are not automatically provided at supermarket checkouts. If you need one, you have to ask for one and pay for it, or bring your own reusable bag.
From learning to practice
In a French-speaking grocery store, you can use rayon names to find the right section, packaging words to identify what is on the shelf, and label vocabulary to check the product itself. If you need help, Je cherche... or Où est-ce que je peux trouver...? can get you to the right place, while words such as sac, ticket, espèces, and carte help you follow what happens at the checkout.