Checking ingredients before cooking | Learn French in English

French lesson set in a contemporary Paris everyday setting: At home, two adults check ingredients before cooking and decide to buy onions before measuring rice..

EN → FR / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Checking ingredients before cooking to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Avant de commencer à cuisiner, quels ingrédients avons-nous ?

ah-VAHN duh koh-mahn-SAY ah kwee-zee-NAY, kell ahn-gray-dee-AHN ah-VOHN-noo? Before we start cooking, what ingredients do we have?
B

Il faut des oignons et des tomates pour la recette.

eel FOH dayz oh-NYOHN ay day toh-MAHT poor lah ruh-SET. The recipe needs onions and tomatoes.
A

Nous avons des tomates, mais nous n'avons plus d'oignons.

noo zah-VOHN day toh-MAHT, may noo nah-VOHN ploo doh-NYOHN. We have tomatoes, but we're out of onions.
B

Pouvons-nous utiliser des oignons verts à la place ?

poo-VOHN-noo oo-tee-lee-ZAY dayz oh-NYOHN vair ah lah PLASS? Can we use green onions instead?
A

Peut-être, mais le goût sera différent.

puht-ETR, may luh GOO sah-RAH dee-feh-RAHN. Maybe, but the taste will be different.
B

Alors, j'achèterai des oignons au magasin du coin.

ah-LOR, zhahsh-tuh-RAY dayz oh-NYOHN oh mah-gah-ZAN dew KWAHN. Then I'll buy onions from the corner shop.
A

Nous devons encore mesurer le riz.

noo duh-VOHN zahn-KOR may-zoo-RAY luh REE. We still need to measure the rice.
B

Je mesurerai assez de riz pour quatre personnes quand je rentrerai.

zhuh may-zoo-RAY ah-SAY duh REE poor KATR pair-SOHN kohn zhuh rahn-truh-RAY. I'll measure enough rice for four people after I get back.

Word by Word

Avant “Avant” means “before” here and introduces the activity that happens first in “Avant de commencer à cuisiner”. A useful pattern is “Avant de” followed by an infinitive when saying that something happens before another action.
de In “Avant de commencer”, “de” links “Avant” to the action “commencer”; the whole expression means “before starting”. This is reused in the pattern “avant de” plus an infinitive.
commencer “Commencer” means “to start” in “commencer à cuisiner”. It is used with “à” before an action in the pattern “commencer à” plus an infinitive.
à In “commencer à cuisiner”, “à” links the verb meaning “start” to the action that starts. The reusable pattern is “commencer à” plus an infinitive.
cuisiner “Cuisiner” means “to cook” and names the activity that is about to begin in “commencer à cuisiner”. It is an infinitive after “à” in this expression.
quels “Quels” means “which” or “what” in the question “quels ingrédients avons-nous ?”. It comes before the plural noun “ingrédients” when asking which items are involved.
ingrédients “Ingrédients” means “ingredients”, the food items being checked before cooking. It is used after “quels” in “quels ingrédients” to ask which ingredients are available.
avons “Avons” is the form of “avoir” used with “nous” in “avons-nous”; here it means “have”. A useful question pattern is “avons-nous” plus the thing being asked about.
nous “Nous” means “we” in “avons-nous” and is the subject asking about the ingredients. It can be placed before a verb, or after the verb in this question pattern.
Il In “Il faut”, “Il” is an impersonal subject rather than a person or object; the expression says that something is needed. Use it as part of the fixed pattern “Il faut” when expressing necessity.
faut In “Il faut des oignons et des tomates”, “faut” expresses that the listed ingredients are needed; together with “Il”, the expression means “it is necessary” or “one needs”. The reusable pattern is “Il faut” followed by a thing or an action.
des “Des” is the plural article before “oignons” and “tomates” in “des oignons et des tomates”, referring to some onions and tomatoes. A common pattern is “des” plus a plural noun when mentioning plural items.
oignons “Oignons” means “onions” in “des oignons” and “d'oignons”. It names the ingredient that the recipe needs and that has run out.
et “Et” means “and” and joins the two ingredients in “des oignons et des tomates”. Use it to connect items in a list or two related parts of a sentence.
tomates “Tomates” means “tomatoes” in “des tomates”. It is one of the ingredients the speakers have and one of the ingredients needed for the recipe.
pour “Pour” means “for” in “pour la recette” and “pour quatre personnes”. It introduces the purpose or the people something is intended for, as in “pour” plus a noun.
la “La” means “the” before “recette” in “la recette”. Use it before a specific noun when referring to something identified in the conversation.
recette “Recette” means “recipe”, the instructions that require onions and tomatoes in this dialogue. It appears in the pattern “pour la recette”, meaning “for the recipe”.
mais “Mais” means “but” and introduces the contrast between having tomatoes and not having onions. Use it to connect two statements that do not have the same result or information.
n' In “n'avons plus d'oignons”, “n'” is the shortened first part of the negation before “avons”; the whole expression says that no onions remain. It is shortened because the following verb begins with a vowel.
plus In “n'avons plus d'oignons”, “plus” completes the negation and means “any more” or “no longer”. A useful pattern is “ne ... plus” with a noun introduced by “de” when saying that something is no longer available.
d' In “plus d'oignons”, “d'” is the shortened form of “de” before the vowel sound in “oignons”; it introduces the thing that is no longer available. The reusable pattern is “plus de” plus a noun, with “de” shortened before a vowel.
Pouvons “Pouvons” is the form of “pouvoir” used with “nous” in “Pouvons-nous utiliser...?” and means “can” or “are we able to”. The question pattern is “Pouvons-nous” followed by an infinitive.
utiliser “Utiliser” means “to use” in the question about using green onions instead. It follows “Pouvons-nous” as the infinitive naming the proposed action.
verts “Verts” describes the onions as green in “oignons verts”. It follows the noun here and can be reused after a noun when describing this kind of item.
place In “à la place”, “place” contributes the idea of a place or position, while the whole expression means “instead”. Use “à la place” when proposing one option instead of another.
Peut-être “Peut-être” means “maybe” and gives an uncertain but possible answer to the suggestion. It is useful at the beginning of a reply when accepting a possibility without giving a definite answer.
le “Le” means “the” before “goût” in “le goût”. It refers to the specific taste that may change when a different ingredient is used.
goût “Goût” means “taste” in “le goût sera différent”. It names the quality being compared after considering green onions as a substitute.
sera “Sera” is the future form of “être” used with “le goût” and means “will be” in “le goût sera différent”. A reusable pattern is “sera” followed by an adjective or another description.
différent “Différent” means “different” and describes the taste in “le goût sera différent”. It is useful after “être” when saying that one thing will not be the same as another.
Alors “Alors” means “then” here and introduces the decision that follows the discussion about substitutes. It can begin a reply when a conclusion or next action follows from what was just said.
j' In “j'achèterai”, “j'” means “I” and is the shortened form of “je” before the vowel at the beginning of “achèterai”. It functions as the subject of the action.
achèterai “Achèterai” means “will buy” and states the speaker's planned action in “j'achèterai des oignons”. A useful pattern is “j'achèterai” followed by the item to be bought.
au In “au magasin”, “au” means “at the” or “to the” and introduces the shop as the destination. It is used before “magasin” in the pattern “au magasin” when talking about going to or buying something at a shop.
magasin “Magasin” means “shop” or “store” in “au magasin du coin”. It identifies the place where the speaker will buy the onions.
du In “du coin”, “du” means “of the” and links “coin” to “magasin”; the whole phrase “magasin du coin” means “corner shop” or a nearby local shop. A common pattern is “du” plus a noun to identify what something is associated with.
coin “Coin” means “corner” in “magasin du coin”. Together with “magasin”, it identifies a nearby shop rather than a general store.
devons “Devons” is the form of “devoir” used with “nous” in “Nous devons encore mesurer”; here it expresses that measuring the rice is still necessary. A useful pattern is “nous devons” followed by an infinitive.
encore “Encore” means “still” in “devons encore mesurer”, showing that measuring the rice remains to be done. It commonly appears before the infinitive or action that has not yet been completed.
mesurer “Mesurer” means “to measure” in “mesurer le riz”. It is used after “devons” and takes the item being measured directly after it.
riz “Riz” means “rice” in “mesurer le riz”. It is the food item whose quantity must be measured for the meal.
Je “Je” means “I” and is the subject in “Je mesurerai”. It is placed before the verb when the speaker states their own future action.
mesurerai “Mesurerai” means “will measure” and states the speaker's planned action in “Je mesurerai assez de riz”. A useful pattern is “je mesurerai” followed by the quantity or item to be measured.
assez “Assez” means “enough” in “assez de riz”, specifying a sufficient quantity. Use the pattern “assez de” followed by the thing that is needed in sufficient quantity.
personnes “Personnes” means “people” in “pour quatre personnes”. It identifies how many people the measured rice is intended to serve.
quand “Quand” means “when” and introduces the time condition in “quand je rentrerai”. Use it to connect an action with the time at which another action happens.
rentrerai “Rentrerai” means “will get back” or “will return” in “quand je rentrerai”. It completes the time expression and tells when the speaker will measure the rice.

Grammar Points

avant de + infinitif

Avant de commencer à cuisiner

ah-VAHN duh koh-mahn-SAY ah kwee-zee-NAY

Before starting to cook

Use avant de followed by an infinitive to express an action that happens before another action.

assez de + nom

assez de riz

ah-SAY duh REE

enough rice

Use assez de before a noun to express a sufficient quantity; de stays the same before singular and plural nouns.

French Vocabulary

avant de prep
ah-VAHN duh before

Avant de commencer à cuisiner

commencer verb
koh-mahn-SAY to start
cuisiner verb
kwee-zee-NAY to cook
il faut phrase
eel FOH it is necessary; we need
ingrédients noun
ahn-gray-dee-AHN ingredients
ne plus adv
nuh PLOO no longer; not anymore

Nous n'avons plus d'oignons

oignons noun
oh-NYOHN onions
oignons verts phrase
oh-NYOHN vair green onions
pouvons-nous verb
poo-VOHN-noo can we
recette noun
ruh-SET recipe
tomates noun
toh-MAHT tomatoes
utiliser verb
oo-tee-lee-ZAY to use

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Maybe, but the taste will be different.

Show AnswerPeut-être, mais le goût sera différent.

We still need to measure the rice.

Show AnswerNous devons encore mesurer le riz.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to start

Show Answercommencer

to cook

Show Answercuisiner

onions

Show Answeroignons

recipe

Show Answerrecette