Markets remain a common place to buy fresh and regional food in France, with vendors selling fruit and vegetables, cheese, meat, fish, bread, prepared foods, and other products.
Shopping at a market involves more conversation than choosing something from a supermarket shelf. You can ask what is in season, where something comes from, which product the vendor recommends, or how to prepare something unfamiliar.
French market vocabulary
Markets may be held outdoors or inside a permanent covered market. Individual vendors sell their products from stands.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un marché en plein air | open-air market |
| un marché couvert | covered market |
| un stand | stall |
| un marchand / une marchande | vendor / seller |
| un producteur / une productrice | producer / grower |
| un primeur | fruit and vegetable seller |
| les produits locaux | local products |
| les produits de saison | seasonal products |
At some stands, the person selling the food is also the person who produced it. At others, vendors sell products from different producers or regions.
Asking a market vendor for a recommendation
Speaking directly with a vendor gives you the opportunity to ask what is particularly good or in season:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Qu'est-ce que vous me conseillez ? | What do you recommend? |
| Qu'est-ce qui est bon en ce moment ? | What's good at the moment? |
| Qu'est-ce qui est de saison ? | What's in season? |
| Lesquelles sont les meilleures ? | Which ones are the best? |
| Vous me conseillez lequel ? | Which one do you recommend? |
Lequel, laquelle, lesquels, and lesquelles are useful when choosing between products that are already in front of you.
Choosing fruit and vegetables for today or later
With fresh produce, you can tell the vendor when you plan to eat something. This can help them choose fruit or vegetables at the right stage of ripeness.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| C'est pour aujourd'hui. | It's for today. |
| C'est pour ce soir. | It's for tonight. |
| C'est pour demain. | It's for tomorrow. |
| Je voudrais des avocats à manger dans deux ou trois jours. | I'd like some avocados to eat in two or three days. |
| Vous en avez des plus mûres ? | Do you have some that are riper? |
| Je préfère qu'elles ne soient pas trop mûres. | I'd prefer them not to be too ripe. |
The last example uses the subjunctive. You do not need to master the structure here, but you may encounter it when someone expresses a preference about how something should be.
Asking where food comes from
A market also gives you the opportunity to ask where a product was grown, made, or produced:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Ça vient d'où ? | Where does it come from? |
| C'est produit où ? | Where is it produced? |
| C'est cultivé dans la région ? | Is it grown in the region? |
| C'est vous qui les produisez ? | Do you produce them yourself? |
| Ce sont des produits locaux ? | Are these local products? |
| Ça vient de quelle région ? | What region does it come from? |
A vendor may answer with the name of a town, department, region, farm, or producer.
Comparing products at a market
A stand may offer several varieties of the same fruit, vegetable, cheese, or other product. You can ask about differences in flavor, ripeness, or how each one is used.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Quelle est la différence entre les deux ? | What's the difference between the two? |
| Lequel est le plus sucré ? | Which one is sweeter? |
| Laquelle est la plus douce ? | Which one is milder? |
| Celui-ci est plus fort ? | Is this one stronger? |
| Lequel convient mieux pour cuisiner ? | Which one is better for cooking? |
Celui-ci, celui-là, and their other forms let you refer to products without repeating their names:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je vais prendre celui-ci. | I'll take this one. |
| Et celui-là, il est plus doux ? | And that one, is it milder? |
| Je préfère ceux-là. | I prefer those. |
Asking how to prepare an unfamiliar food
If you find a product you do not recognize, you can ask the vendor what it is and how people normally eat or prepare it:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Qu'est-ce que c'est ? | What is it? |
| Comment ça se mange ? | How do you eat it? |
| Comment ça se prépare ? | How do you prepare it? |
| Ça se mange cru ? | Do you eat it raw? |
| Il faut le faire cuire ? | Does it need to be cooked? |
| Ça va bien avec quoi ? | What does it go well with? |
| Vous le préparez comment ? | How do you prepare it? |
Expressions such as ça se mange, ça se prépare, and ça se cuisine describe how something is normally eaten, prepared, or cooked.
Understanding common expressions from market vendors
Vendors often use short expressions because both people already know which product they are talking about:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Et avec ceci ? | Anything else? |
| Je vous en mets combien ? | How many / how much shall I give you? |
| Ça vous va ? | Is that okay for you? |
| Il vous en faut combien ? | How many / how much do you need? |
| Je vous mets autre chose ? | Shall I get you anything else? |
| Ce sera tout ? | Will that be all? |
The pronoun en appears frequently because the product has already been mentioned. If you are buying peaches, for example, Je vous en mets combien ? asks how many you want without repeating pêches.
From learning to practice
At a French market, asking Qu'est-ce qui est de saison ?, Qu'est-ce que vous me conseillez ?, or Ça vient d'où ? can turn a simple purchase into a conversation with the vendor. Understanding short responses with en, celui-ci, and ceux-là also makes it easier to follow the exchange when the products are already in front of you.
For conversations related to this lesson, see Conversations at a French market.