Preparing meals for a busy week | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. La semaine prochaine s'annonce chargée, alors préparer quelques repas à l'avance aiderait.

   Next week looks busy, so preparing some meals in advance would help.

   semaine

   week

   prochaine

   next

   s'annonce

   looks set to be

   chargée

   busy

   préparer

   to prepare

   quelques

   some

   repas

   meals

   à l'avance

   in advance

   aiderait

   would help

   More detail

   semaine means “week” here. Its plural is semaines; the feminine singular noun is why the related adjective appears in the feminine form prochaine and chargée in this sentence. Example: Cette semaine est calme. — “This week is quiet.” prochaine means “next” here and agrees with the feminine singular noun semaine. The masculine singular form is prochain, as in le mois prochain — “next month.” French places this time adjective after the noun in both la semaine prochaine and le mois prochain. s'annonce is the third-person singular present form of the pronominal verb s'annoncer, used here for something that appears likely to have a particular character: “looks set to be” or “is shaping up to be.” The subject is la semaine prochaine; the s' belongs to the verb and is not a separate word meaning “week.” Example: La journée s'annonce longue. — “The day looks set to be long.” chargée is the feminine singular form of the adjective chargé, meaning “busy” here. It agrees with semaine, which is feminine singular. The masculine singular form is chargé, and the plural forms are chargés or chargées according to the noun’s gender and number. In this sentence, chargée describes the expected character of the week, not a person who is busy. préparer is the infinitive of préparer, “to prepare.” Here the infinitive phrase préparer quelques repas à l'avance functions as the subject of aiderait: the activity itself would help. The infinitive is useful after many expressions when an action is treated generally. Example: Préparer le dîner prend du temps. — “Preparing dinner takes time.” quelques means “some” before a plural countable noun. It does not by itself state an exact number; quelques repas means an unspecified small number of meals. It contrasts with singular un repas, which means “a meal” in an indefinite use; un can also mean the numeral “one” when that specific count is intended. Quelques has the same written form with masculine and feminine plural nouns. repas means “meals.” The form repas is written the same in the singular and plural; the determiner shows the number: un repas — “a meal,” quelques repas — “some meals.” The word can refer to a meal as an eating occasion or to the food prepared for it, depending on context. à l'avance is the fixed time expression “in advance” or “ahead of time.” The l' is the elided form of the definite article before a vowel sound. Here it modifies préparer: preparing the meals ahead of the time when they will be needed. Example: Réserve une table à l'avance. — “Reserve a table in advance.” aiderait is the third-person singular conditional form of aider, “to help.” The conditional presents the help as a prospective or suggested result: “would help.” Its base form is aider; the present form is il/elle aide, while il/elle aiderait is conditional. The subject is the preceding infinitive phrase préparer quelques repas à l'avance, treated as one activity. Together, La semaine prochaine s'annonce chargée says “Next week looks busy.” The following clause, alors préparer quelques repas à l'avance aiderait, uses alors to connect the consequence: “so preparing some meals in advance would help.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Next week looks busy, so preparing some meals in advance would help.”

2. La préparation des repas aidera, mais évite de manger la même chose tous les jours.

   Meal prep will help, but avoid eating the same thing every day.

   préparation

   preparation

   repas

   meal

   aidera

   will help

   évite

   avoid

   manger

   to eat

   même

   same

   chose

   thing

   tous les jours

   every day

   More detail

   préparation means “preparation” here. It is a feminine noun related to préparer (“to prepare”): la préparation is the activity or result of preparing. In la préparation des repas, des repas specifies what is being prepared; here des is the contraction of de and les. repas means “meal.” Its singular and plural forms are identical in spelling: un repas = “a meal,” des repas = “meals.” aidera means “will help.” It is the third-person singular future form of aider: aider → il/elle aidera. The future places the helping after the present point. For comparison, aide can express present-time help, while aidera expresses future help. évite means “avoid” here. It is the informal singular imperative of éviter, addressed to one person: Évite de... = “Avoid ...”. The construction éviter de is followed by an infinitive. évite is also the third-person singular present form meaning “he/she avoids”; the fixed translation and the instruction meaning identify the imperative use here, not the word’s spelling alone. manger means “to eat.” It is the infinitive used after éviter de: éviter de manger = “avoid eating.” The infinitive does not identify a separate subject here; the person being told to avoid it is understood from évite. même means “same” in la même chose. In this phrase it is singular because chose is singular; même has the same singular spelling with masculine and feminine nouns. In the plural, it becomes mêmes: le même livre (“the same book”), les mêmes livres (“the same books”). chose means “thing.” It is a feminine noun, as shown by la même chose. The expression la même chose refers to one identical thing or type of thing, rather than merely something similar. tous les jours means “every day.” This is a recurring time expression: tous is masculine plural to agree with jours. Compare tous les matins (“every morning”), where the same pattern marks repeated time periods. Together, La préparation des repas aidera means “Meal preparation will help”: the singular subject la préparation controls the third-person singular future aidera. mais introduces a contrast. évite de manger la même chose tous les jours means “avoid eating the same thing every day,” combining the informal singular instruction évite de with the infinitive manger, the identity phrase la même chose, and the repeated-time expression tous les jours. The complete utterance is therefore: “Meal prep will help, but avoid eating the same thing every day.”

3. Je pensais préparer une grande quantité de curry de légumes.

   I was thinking of making a big batch of vegetable curry.

   Je pensais

   I was thinking

   préparer

   to prepare; to make

   grande

   big; large

   quantité

   quantity; amount

   curry

   curry

   légumes

   vegetables

   More detail

   Je pensais is the first-person singular imperfect of penser ("to think"). Here it presents an ongoing or background thought in the past: "I was thinking." The imperfect does not by itself say whether the preparation happened. A useful contrast is Je pense préparer... = "I am thinking of preparing..." and J’ai pensé préparer... = "I thought of preparing...". préparer is the infinitive "to prepare" or, with food, "to make." It follows pensais in the pattern penser à/penser de according to the construction, but in this sentence penser directly takes the infinitive: penser préparer quelque chose = "to think of making something." Example: Je veux préparer le dîner. = "I want to make dinner." grande is the feminine singular form of the adjective grand ("big; large"). It agrees with quantité, which is feminine singular. The masculine singular form is grand; for example, un grand plat means "a large dish," while une grande quantité means "a large amount." The adjective describes the amount, not the curry itself. quantité is a feminine noun meaning "amount" or "quantity." The pattern une grande quantité de + noun expresses a large amount of something: une grande quantité de riz = "a large amount of rice." The following de introduces what is being measured; it does not itself specify an exact number. curry is the food noun "curry." In this sentence it is the thing being made and is specified by the following ingredient phrase de légumes. Example: Je prépare un curry. = "I am making a curry." légumes is the plural of the noun légume ("vegetable"). The plural ending -s is written here but is not normally pronounced. In curry de légumes, de légumes identifies the curry as vegetable curry. Example: Nous mangeons des légumes. = "We are eating vegetables." Together, Je pensais préparer gives the past background idea "I was thinking of making." une grande quantité de curry means "a large amount of curry," and de légumes specifies that it is vegetable curry. The complete utterance is therefore: "I was thinking of making a big batch of vegetable curry."

4. Ça marche si tu le répartis en portions et que tu le conserves correctement.

   That works if you portion it properly and store it safely.

   Ça marche

   That works

   si

   if

   répartis

   portion out

   portions

   portions

   conserves

   store

   correctement

   properly

   More detail

   Ça marche is a common way to say that something works or is suitable. Here it evaluates the proposed method. The verb marche is the third-person singular present form of marcher; the subject is ça (“that/it”). si introduces the condition: “if.” The reusable pattern Ça marche si + clause means “That works if …”. répartis is the tu form of the present indicative of répartir, meaning “to divide or distribute.” In tu le répartis, le is the direct-object pronoun “it”; with the supplied context and translation, it refers to the curry being prepared. The present form appears inside the condition. portions is the plural noun portion, meaning “portion” or “serving.” In en portions, it names the units into which the food is divided. Example: Je divise le gâteau en portions. — “I divide the cake into portions.” conserves is the tu form of the present indicative of conserver, meaning “to keep or store.” Here tu is the subject and le is the direct-object pronoun “it,” referring to the same food. Do not confuse this observed form with the second-person singular imperative: the imperative is conserve, without s. correctement is an adverb meaning “properly” or “correctly.” It modifies conserves, specifying how the food is stored. The related adjective is correct; correctement is the adverb used to describe an action. The two actions are coordinated as tu le répartis en portions et que tu le conserves correctement. Together with si, this gives the conditional meaning: “if you portion it properly and store it safely.” The whole utterance means: “That works if you portion it properly and store it safely.”

5. Est-ce que je devrais en congeler une partie et garder le reste au réfrigérateur ?

   Should I freeze some and keep the rest in the fridge?

   Est-ce que

   question opener

   je devrais

   should I

   congeler

   freeze

   une partie

   some of it

   garder

   keep

   le reste

   the rest

   au réfrigérateur

   in the fridge

   More detail

   Est-ce que introduces a yes-or-no question. It is placed at the beginning here and leaves the following clause in ordinary statement order. Example: Est-ce que tu viens demain ? — “Are you coming tomorrow?” je devrais is the first-person singular conditional of devoir: je dois = “I must / I have to,” je devrais = “I should.” The conditional makes this a question about the advisable action rather than a direct statement of obligation. The subject je identifies the speaker as the person considering the action. congeler is the infinitive “to freeze.” After devrais, French uses an infinitive: Je devrais congeler les portions. — “I should freeze the portions.” The infinitive does not itself show the subject here; je devrais supplies the subject and conditional form. une partie means “part of it” or “some.” une is an indefinite article, while partie is a feminine noun meaning “part.” In this sentence, the phrase refers to only part of the relevant food, without stating an exact amount. Example: Je vais utiliser une partie des légumes. — “I’m going to use some of the vegetables.” garder is the infinitive “to keep” or “to retain.” It is coordinated with congeler, so both actions depend on je devrais: Je devrais congeler une partie et garder le reste. — “I should freeze some and keep the rest.” le reste means “the rest” or “what remains.” reste is the noun “remainder/rest,” and le is the definite article. The phrase contrasts with une partie: one portion is frozen, while what remains is kept elsewhere. Example: Mange une partie et garde le reste. — “Eat part of it and keep the rest.” au réfrigérateur means “in the refrigerator” or, naturally here, “in the fridge.” au is the contraction of à and le; it is not a separate article meaning “some.” The preposition phrase gives the location of what is kept. Example: Je garde le fromage au réfrigérateur. — “I keep the cheese in the fridge.” Together, Est-ce que je devrais asks whether the speaker ought to take the proposed action. congeler une partie specifies freezing some of the relevant food, and garder le reste au réfrigérateur specifies keeping what remains in the fridge. The whole utterance therefore means: “Should I freeze some and keep the rest in the fridge?”

6. Congèle quelques portions.

   Freeze a few portions.

   Congèle

   freeze

   quelques

   a few

   portions

   portions

   More detail

   Congèle is the singular informal imperative of congeler, “to freeze.” It gives a direct instruction to one person; the understood subject is tu, which is not written in this imperative form. Compare congelez, used for a formal singular command or a command to several people. Example: Congèle le pain. — “Freeze the bread.” quelques means “a few” or “several,” indicating a small, non-specific number. It is an indefinite determiner and agrees with the plural noun it modifies; here, portions is plural, so the form is quelques. It does not identify an exact number. Example: quelques légumes — “a few vegetables.” portions is the plural of the feminine noun portion, meaning “portions” or “servings.” The singular is une portion; the plural adds -s. In this sentence, it refers to portions understood from the food-preparation context, without specifying their contents. Example: Prépare deux portions. — “Prepare two portions.” Together, Congèle quelques portions. forms an imperative instruction: “Freeze a few portions.” The command is addressed to one person informally, and quelques portions is the direct object of congèle.

7. Étiquette chaque récipient pour choisir facilement.

   Label each container so it is easy to choose.

   Étiquette

   label

   chaque

   each

   récipient

   container

   choisir

   choose

   facilement

   easily

   More detail

   Étiquette is the singular informal imperative of étiqueter, “to label.” It tells one person to perform the action. The final -e is part of this imperative form, not a separate word. Compare étiquetez for a formal or plural “you.” chaque means “each” or “every” and is used with a singular noun: chaque récipient = “each container.” It distributes the instruction over the containers one by one; it does not state a numeric count. Unlike a plural determiner such as tous les, chaque is followed here by the singular récipient. récipient means “container” or “receptacle.” Its plural is récipients. Here it is a masculine singular noun; its grammatical gender is a lexical property, not something established merely by its singular form. The noun refers generally to a container without specifying its type. choisir means “to choose.” This is the infinitive, and pour choisir forms a purpose construction: “in order to choose.” Example: Je lis les étiquettes pour choisir rapidement. — “I read the labels in order to choose quickly.” facilement means “easily.” It is an adverb describing how the choosing can be done. It is related to the adjective facile (“easy”), but the adverb does not agree in gender or number. Together, Étiquette chaque récipient gives the instruction “Label each container.” pour choisir facilement adds the purpose, “so it is easy to choose,” or more literally, “in order to choose easily.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Label each container so it is easy to choose.”

8. J'ai aussi besoin de quelque chose d'équilibré pour le déjeuner, pas seulement de riz.

   I also need something balanced for lunch, not just rice.

   J'ai … besoin de

   need

   aussi

   also

   quelque chose

   something

   d'équilibré

   balanced

   le déjeuner

   lunch

   pas seulement

   not only; not just

   riz

   rice

   More detail

   J'ai and besoin de form the reusable French pattern avoir besoin de (“to need”). J'ai is the first-person singular present form of avoir (“to have”); the subject is je, contracted before a vowel. The pattern changes with the subject: Tu as besoin de temps means “You need time.” aussi adds “also” to this need. Here it comes between J'ai and besoin de, but it modifies the whole statement rather than the noun that follows. quelque chose is an indefinite pronoun meaning “something.” It can be followed by de plus an adjective: quelque chose de simple means “something simple.” This construction presents the adjective as a description of an unspecified thing. d'équilibré is de with elision before the vowel of équilibré. Équilibré means “balanced” here and is in the masculine singular form used after quelque chose de. The adjective describes the unspecified food or item, not déjeuner. le déjeuner means “lunch.” Déjeuner is a masculine noun, shown by le. The definite article identifies the meal by its usual meal name; it does not itself state a quantity. pas seulement introduces a restriction: “not only” or, in this sentence, “not just.” The following de riz specifies what is being excluded as the entire choice. French commonly uses pas seulement ... when contrasting a limited option with a broader one. riz means “rice.” In de riz, the noun is treated as an uncountable food substance, so French uses de rather than a plural count form. For example, Je veux du riz means “I want some rice,” while Je ne veux pas seulement du riz means “I do not want only rice.” Together, J'ai aussi besoin de quelque chose d'équilibré pour le déjeuner says “I also need something balanced for lunch.” Pas seulement de riz then limits that idea by saying the needed lunch should be more than rice alone: “not just rice.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I also need something balanced for lunch, not just rice.”

9. Ajoute des œufs, des haricots ou du poulet, selon ce que tu as envie de manger.

   Add eggs, beans, or chicken, depending on what you feel like eating.

   Ajoute

   add

   des œufs

   eggs

   des haricots

   beans

   ou

   or

   du poulet

   chicken

   selon ce que

   depending on what

   tu as envie de

   feel like

   manger

   eat

   More detail

   Ajoute means “add” here. It is the second-person singular imperative of ajouter, used to give a direct instruction. Compare tu ajoutes (“you add”) in an ordinary present-tense statement; the imperative omits tu. Example: Ajoute un peu de sel. — “Add a little salt.” des œufs means “eggs.” œufs is the plural of œuf; the spelling and pronunciation change in the plural, so this is not an unchanged plural form. des is the plural indefinite article. Example: J’achète des œufs. — “I’m buying eggs.” des haricots means “beans.” haricots is the plural of haricot, with des marking the plural noun phrase. Example: Nous mangeons des haricots. — “We are eating beans.” ou links alternatives and means “or.” It presents the listed foods as options rather than combining them with et (“and”). du poulet means “chicken.” du is the partitive article, historically de + le, used here for chicken as food or an unspecified amount. It is not the plural article des. Example: Je prends du poulet. — “I’m having chicken.” selon ce que means “depending on what” in this sentence. selon introduces the basis for a choice, while ce que introduces an object clause: literally, “that which/what.” In ce que, que marks what is acted on inside the clause. Example: Choisis selon ce que tu préfères. — “Choose according to what you prefer.” tu as envie de is the reusable expression avoir envie de, “to feel like” or “to want to.” Here as is the second-person singular present form of avoir; the expression requires de before a following infinitive or noun. Example: J’ai envie de dormir. — “I feel like sleeping.” manger is the infinitive “to eat.” After avoir envie de, the infinitive names the activity desired: avoir envie de manger means “to feel like eating.” Example: Elle a envie de sortir. — “She feels like going out.” Together, Ajoute gives the instruction, des œufs, des haricots, and du poulet supply three food alternatives, and ou links them. selon ce que tu as envie de manger says that the choice should depend on what you feel like eating. The whole utterance therefore means: “Add eggs, beans, or chicken, depending on what you feel like eating.”

10. Si les restes me semblent ennuyeux, je peux changer l'accompagnement.

    If the leftovers feel boring, I can change the side dish.

    Si

    if

    les restes

    leftovers

    me semblent

    seem to me

    ennuyeux

    boring

    je peux

    I can

    changer

    change

    l'accompagnement

    side dish

    More detail

    Si introduces a condition: “if.” In this sentence, the condition is expressed with a present-tense clause, followed by what the speaker can do. A reusable pattern is Si ... , .... les restes means “the leftovers.” les is the plural definite article, and restes is the plural of reste (“leftover” or “remaining food” in this use). Example: Je mange les restes. — “I’m eating the leftovers.” me semblent means “seem to me.” The verb is sembler; semblent is its present-tense third-person plural form, agreeing with les restes. me indicates the person to whom they seem that way. Example: Ces légumes me semblent bons. — “These vegetables seem good to me.” ennuyeux means “boring” here. It is an adjective describing les restes, so it is masculine plural in this sentence. The useful form pattern is ennuyeux for masculine singular and plural, ennuyeuse for feminine singular, and ennuyeuses for feminine plural. Do not confuse it with ennuyé (“bored”), which describes someone’s feeling rather than something that causes boredom. Example: Ce film est ennuyeux. — “This film is boring.” je peux means “I can.” peux is the first-person singular present form of pouvoir. Pouvoir is commonly followed by an infinitive: je peux changer means “I can change.” Example: Je peux attendre. — “I can wait.” changer is the infinitive “to change.” After pouvoir, it remains in the infinitive rather than being separately conjugated. Example: Elle peut changer de place. — “She can change seats.” l'accompagnement means “the side dish” in this sentence. The noun is accompagnement, and l' is the elided form of the singular definite article before a vowel sound. The noun is masculine: un accompagnement; the article becomes l' in l'accompagnement. Example: Je choisis un accompagnement différent. — “I choose a different side dish.” Together, Si les restes me semblent ennuyeux means “If the leftovers seem boring to me,” and je peux changer l'accompagnement means “I can change the side dish.” The whole utterance is therefore: “If the leftovers feel boring, I can change the side dish.”

11. De petits changements rendent les repas préparés plus agréables.

    Small changes make prepared meals more enjoyable.

    petits

    small

    changements

    changes

    rendent

    make

    repas

    meals

    préparés

    prepared

    plus agréables

    more enjoyable

    More detail

    petits means “small” here and describes changements. It is the masculine plural form of petit: petit (masculine singular), petite (feminine singular), petits (masculine plural), petites (feminine plural). The plural masculine form agrees with changements, which is masculine plural. changements means “changes.” Its base form is changement; the ending -s marks the plural in this sentence. A useful pattern is un changement / des changements (“one change” / “changes”), though the indefinite article does not by itself assert a numerical count in every context. rendent comes from rendre, “to make” or “to render.” It is the present-tense form for a third-person plural subject: ils/elles rendent. Here, De petits changements is the subject, and rendent introduces the result produced by those changes. In the pattern X rend Y plus agréable, X makes Y more enjoyable. Example: Cette musique rend le trajet plus agréable. — “This music makes the journey more enjoyable.” repas means “meals.” The word has the same written form in the singular and plural; the plural meaning here is shown by les and by the plural form préparés. Its base form is also repas. préparés means “prepared” here and describes repas. It is the masculine plural form of the past participle préparé from préparer (“to prepare”): préparé, préparée, préparés, préparées. In this sentence it functions as a describing word after repas; it is not the main verb. Example: Nous mangeons des légumes préparés à l'avance. — “We eat vegetables prepared in advance.” plus agréables means “more enjoyable.” Agréables is the plural form of agréable, and it agrees with the plural noun repas; this adjective has the same masculine and feminine form in the plural. Plus agréable is the comparative form meaning “more enjoyable”; agréable means “enjoyable,” and le plus agréable means “the most enjoyable.” The word plus marks the comparison, while agréables carries the adjective’s plural form. Together, De petits changements is the subject, rendent expresses the result they produce, and les repas préparés is what is affected. Plus agréables describes the resulting state of those meals. The whole utterance therefore means: “Small changes make prepared meals more enjoyable.”