Choosing a light snack | Learn French in English

About This Lesson

Use Choosing a light snack to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Je veux une collation.

zhuh vuhz oon koh-lah-SYON I want a snack.

Je n'ai pas très faim.

zhuh nay pah treh FAN I am not very hungry.

Alors, choisis quelque chose de léger, comme du yaourt.

ah-LOHR shwah-ZEE kelk shoz duh lay-ZHAY, kohm dew yah-OOR Then choose something light, like yogurt.

Est-ce qu'on a aussi des noix ?

ess-kuh ohn ah oh-SEE day NWAH Do we have nuts too?

Il y en a dans le placard.

eel yah nah dahn luh plah-KAHR There are some in the cupboard.

Le yaourt avec des noix, ça a l'air bon.

luh yah-OOR ah-VEK day NWAH, sah ah LAIR BOHN Yogurt with nuts sounds good.

Prends un petit bol.

prahnz uhn puh-TEE BOHL Take a small bowl.

Ce n'est pas trop.

suh nay pah TROH It is not too much.

Je vais en préparer un maintenant.

zhuh vay ahn pray-pah-RAY uhn man-tuh-NAHN I will make one now.

Laisse-moi quelques noix, s'il te plaît.

less-MWAH kelk NWAH, seel tuh PLAY Leave some nuts for me, please.

Word by Word

Je Je means I here and identifies the person speaking. In Je veux une collation, it is placed before the verb. Use Je + verb to say what you do, want, or feel.

veux veux means want in Je veux une collation. It is the form of vouloir used with Je. Je veux + thing is a useful pattern for stating what you want.

une une means a or one before the feminine noun collation. In une collation, it introduces one nonspecific snack. Use une before a feminine singular noun when referring to one item.

collation collation means snack in Je veux une collation. The word names a small food occasion or item between meals. Use une collation when talking about having or choosing a snack.

n'ai n'ai is the form of avoir used with Je in Je n'ai pas très faim. Together with pas très faim, the expression says I am not very hungry. The shortened n' appears before ai in this negative expression.

pas pas helps make Je n'ai pas très faim negative, giving the meaning not very hungry. It works with n' in the pattern ne or n' ... pas. Use this pattern to negate a statement.

très très means very and strengthens the expression Je n'ai pas très faim. Here it makes the degree of hunger low rather than simply saying not hungry. It is placed before the word or expression whose degree it intensifies.

faim faim means hunger in Je n'ai pas très faim. With avoir, it is used to express how hungry someone is, so the whole expression means I am not very hungry. Use Je n'ai pas faim to say that you are not hungry.

Alors Alors means then or so and introduces the suggestion that follows. In Alors, choisis quelque chose de léger, it connects the lack of hunger with the advice to choose something light. Use Alors at the start of a response when drawing a conclusion or making a suggestion.

choisis choisis tells one person to choose something in choisis quelque chose de léger. It is a direct instruction in this home conversation. Use choisis + object when telling one person what to select.

quelque chose quelque chose means something in choisis quelque chose de léger. quelque contributes the idea of some or a certain amount, and chose means thing; together they form the expression something. Use quelque chose de + adjective to describe an unspecified thing.

de de links quelque chose to léger in quelque chose de léger, meaning something light. After quelque chose, de introduces the adjective that describes the unspecified thing. Use the pattern quelque chose de + adjective.

léger léger means light here, describing the snack that should be chosen. In quelque chose de léger, it characterizes the unspecified food as not heavy. Use quelque chose de léger when suggesting a light food or choice.

comme comme means like and introduces yogurt as an example in comme du yaourt. It connects a general suggestion with a specific example. Use comme + noun when giving an example.

du du introduces an unspecified amount of yaourt in du yaourt. In this food context, it means some yogurt rather than one whole item. Use du before a food or substance when referring to an unspecified amount.

yaourt yaourt means yogurt in comme du yaourt and Le yaourt avec des noix. It names the food being suggested and combined with nuts. Use du yaourt for some yogurt and le yaourt when referring to the yogurt as the food in question.

Est-ce Est-ce begins the question form in Est-ce qu'on a aussi des noix ? It helps turn the following statement into a question and is not the complete meaning of is it by itself here. Use Est-ce que + clause to ask a yes-or-no question.

qu'on qu'on connects the question form to the clause in Est-ce qu'on a aussi des noix ? It contains que followed by on, where on refers to we in this conversation. Use Est-ce qu'on + verb to ask whether we have or do something.

a a means has or have in on a aussi des noix. It is the form of avoir used with on, which means we in this question. Use on a + thing to say that we have something.

aussi aussi means also or too in Est-ce qu'on a aussi des noix ? It adds nuts as an additional item being asked about. Use aussi when adding another person, thing, or possibility.

des des introduces the plural noun noix in des noix. It refers to some nuts without specifying an exact number. Use des before a plural noun when referring to unspecified plural items.

noix noix means nuts in des noix and quelques noix. It names the food being added to the yogurt. Use des noix when referring to some nuts and quelques noix when referring to a few nuts.

Il Il is part of the expression Il y en a dans le placard, which says that some are in the cupboard. Here it does not refer to a particular person. Use Il y en a + location to say that some items are available in a place.

y y means there as part of Il y en a dans le placard. It points to the location mentioned by dans le placard. Use Il y en a when saying that some previously mentioned items are there.

en en replaces the previously mentioned nuts in Il y en a dans le placard and means some of them. It avoids repeating des noix. Use Il y en a to say that some of a previously mentioned item are available somewhere.

dans dans means in and introduces the location dans le placard. It shows where the nuts are located. Use dans + place when saying that something is inside or located in a place.

le le means the before placard in le placard. It identifies the cupboard as a specific place known in the conversation. Use le before a specific noun when referring to the item or place as known.

placard placard means cupboard in dans le placard. It names the place where the nuts are stored. Use dans le placard when saying that something is in the cupboard.

avec avec means with and connects yogurt and nuts in Le yaourt avec des noix. It shows that the two foods are together. Use avec + item when describing what something is combined with.

ça ça means it or that in ça a l'air bon. Here it refers to the yogurt with nuts as a whole. Use ça a l'air + adjective to give an impression of something.

a l'air a l'air means seems or looks in ça a l'air bon. a supplies the verb part and l'air contributes the idea of appearance; together they express how something appears. Use ça a l'air + adjective to describe an impression.

bon bon means good in ça a l'air bon. It describes the yogurt with nuts as appearing appealing in the speaker's judgment. Use ça a l'air bon when saying that something seems good.

Prends Prends tells one person to take something in Prends un petit bol. It is a direct instruction in the conversation. Use prends + object when telling one person to take an item.

un un means a or one before bol in un petit bol. It introduces one bowl without making it a previously identified bowl. Use un before a singular noun when referring to one item.

petit petit means small and describes bol in un petit bol. It specifies the size of the bowl to take. Use un petit + noun when asking for or describing one small item.

bol bol means bowl in un petit bol. It names the container for the snack. Use un bol when referring to one bowl.

Ce Ce means it or this in Ce n'est pas trop. It refers to the amount being discussed and is used with être for the evaluation. Use Ce n'est pas + description to say that something is not a certain way.

n'est n'est means is not together with pas in Ce n'est pas trop. It is the negative form of être used with Ce. Use ne or n' ... pas with être to say that something is not a certain way.

trop trop means too much or too in Ce n'est pas trop. Here it evaluates the amount of snack and says that it is not excessive. Use trop to describe an amount or degree that is excessive, and pas trop to say not excessively.

vais vais helps express a planned near-future action in Je vais en préparer un maintenant. It is the form of aller used with Je and is followed by the infinitive préparer. Use Je vais + infinitive to say what you are going to do.

préparer préparer means prepare or make in Je vais en préparer un maintenant. It stays in the infinitive after vais and names the action the speaker plans to do. Use aller + préparer when saying that you are going to prepare something.

maintenant maintenant means now in Je vais en préparer un maintenant. It places the planned preparation at the present time. Use maintenant as a time word when an action is happening or will happen immediately.

Laisse Laisse asks one person to leave or save something in Laisse-moi quelques noix, s'il te plaît. In this context, it means to keep some nuts available for the speaker. Use laisse + object when asking one person not to use or take all of something.

moi moi means me in Laisse-moi quelques noix, s'il te plaît. It identifies the person for whom some nuts should be left. After an imperative, use moi to refer to the person affected by the request.

quelques quelques means a few or some before the plural noun noix in quelques noix. It indicates a small, unspecified number of nuts. Use quelques + plural noun when asking for or referring to a few items.

s'il te plaît s'il te plaît means please and makes Laisse-moi quelques noix more polite. s'il introduces the condition, te refers to the person being addressed, and plaît supplies the idea of pleasing; together they form the fixed polite expression. Use s'il te plaît after a request to one person.

Grammar Points

quelque chose de + adjectif

quelque chose de léger

kelk shoz duh lay-ZHAY

something light

After quelque chose, French uses de before an adjective: quelque chose de léger.

avoir l'air + adjectif

a l'air bon

ah LAIR BOHN

looks good

Avoir l'air means “to seem” or “to look”; the adjective describes the subject.

French Vocabulary

a verb

ah have

a l'air phrase

ah LAIR seems; looks

choisis verb

shwah-ZEE choose

collation noun

koh-lah-SYON snack

comme prep

kohm like

faim noun

FAN hunger

léger adj

lay-ZHAY light

noix noun

NWAH nuts

placard noun

plah-KAHR cupboard

quelque chose pron

kelk SHOZ something

veux verb

vuh want

yaourt noun

yah-OOR yogurt

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I want a snack.

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Je veux une collation.

I am not very hungry.

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Je n'ai pas très faim.

Take a small bowl.

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Prends un petit bol.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

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comme

want

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veux

nuts

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noix

yogurt

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yaourt