Shopping with a grocery list | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. Restons sur la liste de courses.

   Let's stick to the grocery list.

   Restons sur

   let’s stick to

   liste

   list

   courses

   shopping / groceries

   More detail

   Restons sur uses restons, the first-person plural imperative of rester (“to stay”), with sur (“on/to”). Together, this is a reusable way to say “let’s stay with” or “let’s stick to” a topic or plan. The imperative form addresses a group that includes the speaker. For example: Restons sur ce plan. — “Let’s stick to this plan.” liste means “list.” It is a feminine singular noun, so its usual singular article is la: la liste. The plural is les listes. In this sentence, it names the list being referred to, rather than describing the act of shopping. courses is a plural noun meaning “groceries” or “shopping” in this expression. faire les courses is a common expression meaning “to do the shopping.” Here, de courses specifies the type of list: une liste de courses means “a grocery list.” The chunks combine as Restons sur + la liste de courses: “Let’s stick to the grocery list.” The next sentence supports the practical purpose of this suggestion—avoiding buying too much—but this sentence itself is a proposal to remain guided by that list.

2. Ça devrait nous éviter d'acheter trop.

   That should keep us from buying too much.

   Ça devrait

   That should

   nous

   us

   éviter

   keep from; avoid

   acheter

   buy

   trop

   too much

   More detail

   Ça is a demonstrative pronoun serving as the subject. It is translated as “that” here; the exact thing it points to is understood from context rather than specified by this sentence alone. Devrait is the third-person singular conditional form of devoir. In this use, the conditional presents an expected result rather than a firm guarantee: “should.” Compare ça doit (“that must” or “that is expected to”) with ça devrait (“that should”). Example: Ça devrait marcher. — “That should work.” Nous means “us” here. In this construction, it is the person affected by éviter: the people who would be kept from buying too much. As a pronoun belonging to the infinitive phrase, it appears before éviter: Ça devrait nous aider. — “That should help us.” Object pronouns can also occur before a conjugated verb when they belong to that verb, as in Ça nous aide. — “That helps us.” Éviter means “to avoid.” In éviter à quelqu’un de faire quelque chose, it means “to spare or keep someone from doing something”; the person is introduced by à, though the corresponding clitic pronoun appears before the infinitive, as in nous éviter. By contrast, éviter de faire quelque chose means “to avoid doing something” without naming a person who is spared. Example: Cette règle évite de perdre du temps. — “This rule prevents wasting time.” Acheter means “to buy.” It is an infinitive after de, naming the action being avoided. The related noun is un achat, “a purchase,” but that noun would change the construction. Example: Nous voulons acheter du pain. — “We want to buy bread.” Trop means “too much” here because it modifies the action acheter without an expressed noun: buying more than is appropriate or intended. It can also modify an adjective or adverb, as in trop cher — “too expensive” and trop vite — “too quickly.” Très means “very,” not “too”: très cher means “very expensive,” whereas trop cher means “too expensive.” Together, Ça devrait presents an expected result, nous éviter de expresses keeping us from an action, acheter names that action, and trop says that the amount bought would be excessive. The whole utterance therefore means: “That should keep us from buying too much.”

3. Où sont les pâtes et le riz ?

   Where are the pasta and rice?

   Où sont

   Where are

   les pâtes

   the pasta

   et

   and

   le riz

   the rice

   More detail

   Où sont asks where something is or where several things are. où means “where,” and sont is the third-person plural present form of être (“to be”): être → ils/elles sont. The plural form is appropriate because the question concerns the two items named after it. For one item, French uses Où est… ? (“Where is…?”). Example: Où sont mes clés ? — “Where are my keys?” les pâtes means “the pasta.” pâtes is the plural of the feminine noun pâte; in this food sense, French commonly uses the plural form. les is the definite article used with a plural noun, regardless of grammatical gender. Example: J’achète les pâtes. — “I’m buying the pasta.” et connects two coordinated items and means “and.” It does not itself mark number or gender. Example: du pain et du riz — “bread and rice.” le riz means “the rice.” riz is a masculine singular noun, so it takes the masculine singular definite article le. Rice is treated as a mass food here; le does not mean “one.” Example: Le riz est prêt. — “The rice is ready.” Together, Où sont les pâtes et le riz ? asks for the location of both the pasta and the rice: “Where are the pasta and rice?” The plural sont agrees with the coordinated subject, even though riz is grammatically singular. The wording is a straightforward, reusable way to ask where named items are.

4. Ils sont dans le rayon des produits secs.

   They are in the dry food aisle.

   Ils sont

   they are

   dans

   in

   rayon

   aisle

   produits

   products

   secs

   dry

   More detail

   Ils sont means “they are.” Ils is a third-person plural subject pronoun; here, the fixed translation identifies the people or things being located as “they.” Sont is the present-tense third-person plural form of être (“to be”): je suis, tu es, il/elle est, ils/elles sont. In this sentence, être combines with a location phrase rather than describing an identity. dans means “in” and introduces the place containing the subject. For example: Le riz est dans le sac. — “The rice is in the bag.” rayon means “aisle” here, specifically a store section or aisle. Its base form is masculine singular: un rayon; the plural is des rayons. Do not confuse this retail meaning with other possible meanings of rayon in other contexts, such as a ray of light. produits means “products.” It is the plural of the masculine noun produit (“product”): un produit, des produits. The noun is plural here because it refers to a category of products. secs means “dry.” It is the masculine plural form of the adjective sec. The adjective agrees with produits, which is masculine plural: un produit sec, des produits secs. The feminine forms are sèche (singular) and sèches (plural), as in une pâte sèche and des pâtes sèches. Together, dans le rayon identifies the location as “in the aisle,” and des produits secs specifies which aisle: “the dry food aisle.” The whole utterance therefore means “They are in the dry food aisle.”

5. Ce sont les pâtes que nous avons achetées la dernière fois.

   This is the pasta we bought last time.

   Ce sont

   these are

   les pâtes

   the pasta

   que

   that / which

   nous avons achetées

   we bought

   la dernière fois

   last time

   More detail

   Ce sont means “these are” here. ce is the demonstrative pronoun used in the identifying pattern c'est / ce sont; sont is the third-person plural present form of être. The plural form agrees with the plural item being identified: Ce sont les pâtes. This pattern presents or identifies something, while c'est is used with a singular noun or singular idea. les pâtes means “the pasta.” pâtes is a feminine plural noun; its singular is la pâte, although the plural commonly refers to pasta as food. The definite article les marks a specific, identifiable plural noun in this sentence. Example: J'aime les pâtes. — “I like pasta.” que introduces the relative clause and means “that” here. It is the direct object of avons achetées: literally, the pasta is what was bought. In a relative pattern, que can refer to a person or thing, and the form itself does not show gender or number; the antecedent supplies that information. nous avons achetées means “we bought.” nous is the subject, and avons is the first-person plural present form of avoir, used here as the auxiliary for the compound past. The lexical verb is acheter, “to buy”; its past participle is acheté. Because the direct object que, referring to feminine plural les pâtes, comes before the auxiliary, the participle agrees in writing as achetées (-ées). Example: Nous avons acheté du pain. — “We bought bread.” la dernière fois is the fixed time expression “last time.” dernière is the feminine singular form of dernier, “last,” agreeing with feminine singular fois; fois means “time” in the sense of an occurrence or occasion. Example: La dernière fois, nous avons choisi un autre produit. — “Last time, we chose another product.” Together, Ce sont les pâtes identifies the item as the pasta, and que nous avons achetées la dernière fois specifies which pasta: the one that we bought last time. The complete meaning is therefore “This is the pasta we bought last time.”

6. Mettons un paquet dans le chariot.

   Let's put one pack in the cart.

   Mettons

   let's put

   paquet

   pack

   dans

   in; into

   chariot

   cart

   More detail

   Mettons is the form used here for “let’s put.” It is the first-person plural imperative of mettre (“to put”); the imperative invites the speaker and at least one other person to act together. Compare mettre (to put) with mettons (let’s put). Example: Mettons le livre ici. — “Let’s put the book here.” paquet means “pack” here. Its base form is the singular noun paquet; the plural is paquets. With the indefinite article un, un paquet identifies one pack in this sentence, as confirmed by the fixed translation. Example: J’achète un paquet. — “I’m buying one pack.” dans expresses placement inside something: “in” or “into.” With a movement or placement verb such as mettre, it introduces the place where the object is put. Example: Mets le sac dans la voiture. — “Put the bag in the car.” chariot means “cart” here. It is a singular masculine noun; its plural is chariots. The phrase le chariot means “the cart,” while un chariot means “a cart.” Together, Mettons un paquet gives “Let’s put one pack,” and dans le chariot specifies the destination, “in the cart.” The complete utterance therefore means “Let’s put one pack in the cart.”

7. Après ça, il nous faut seulement du lait.

   After that, we only need milk.

   Après ça

   After that

   il nous faut

   we need

   seulement

   only

   lait

   milk

   More detail

   Après ça means “after that”: après places the relevant point later in time, and ça is an informal demonstrative meaning “that” or “it.” Here, it refers back to the preceding step in the bounded context and links this sentence to it. il nous faut is a reusable French pattern meaning “we need,” or more literally “it is necessary for us.” Faut is the third-person singular present form of the impersonal verb falloir, whose infinitive is falloir. The il is an impersonal subject, not a stated male person; nous identifies the people for whom something is needed. Compare Il me faut du temps — “I need time” — and Il leur faut de l'aide — “They need help.” seulement means “only.” In this sentence, it restricts the thing that is needed: the stated need is for milk alone. For example, Je prends seulement de l'eau means “I am taking only water.” lait means “milk.” It is a masculine noun, and here it appears in the mass-noun expression du lait, meaning an unspecified amount of milk. Du is the partitive form used here; it does not assert a particular number of units. For a countable item, French can use an expression such as un paquet, meaning “one pack,” as in the preceding context. Together, Après ça, il nous faut seulement du lait means “After that, we only need milk.” The time phrase links the need to the preceding step; impersonal il nous faut expresses what is needed for the group; seulement limits that need to milk; and du lait names the substance needed.

8. Ensuite, nous pouvons aller directement à la caisse.

   Then we can head straight to checkout.

   Ensuite

   then / next

   pouvons

   can / are able to

   aller

   to go

   directement

   directly / straight

   caisse

   checkout

   More detail

   Ensuite means “then” or “next.” It places this action after what came before and does not itself specify how much time passes. pouvons is the present-tense nous form of pouvoir (“to be able to; can”): je peux, tu peux, il/elle peut, nous pouvons. Here it expresses ability or possibility for “we.” The subject is the separate pronoun nous; pouvons is the form that agrees with it. Example: Nous pouvons partir. — “We can leave.” aller means “to go.” It is the infinitive after pouvons: nous pouvons aller means “we can go.” A conjugated form of pouvoir is followed by an infinitive when the same subject is understood for both actions. Example: Je peux venir. — “I can come.” directement means “directly” or “straight.” Here it describes going without a detour. The ending -ment commonly forms adverbs from adjectives; directement is the adverb used here. Example: Allez directement à droite. — “Go straight to the right.” caisse is a feminine noun meaning “checkout” in this shopping context; it can also refer more generally to a cash register or checkout counter. In à la caisse, la is the feminine singular definite article before caisse. The phrase à la caisse means “to checkout”: à marks the destination, and à + la is not contracted. Example: La caisse est ouverte. — “The checkout is open.” Together, Ensuite, nous pouvons aller directement à la caisse means “Then we can head straight to checkout.” Ensuite sequences the action, nous pouvons aller expresses the group’s ability or possibility to go, directement gives the manner, and à la caisse gives the destination.