Mission: buy lunch at the market
Shopping, food and prices. Ask politely with je voudrais, say how much, and understand the price.
FrenchA1 · Being politeAbout 5 min: 2 reading, 3 practiceUpdated
- Ask for things with je voudrais
- Use du, de la, de l' and des for "some"
- Use de (d') after a quantity: un kilo de pommes
- Ask and understand prices in euros
Being polite: lesson 2 of 4
- A1 · Being polite
- Mission: buy a baguette politely 4 min
- Mission: buy lunch at the market 5 min
- A1 · Forms and paperwork
- Mission: check in at a hotel 4 min
- A1 · Being polite
- Mission: send a postcard from the seaside 5 min
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Level Level A1 (around the DELF A1 exam). Real French: buying food at a market stall.
What it is
Your mission: you are at the Saturday market. The stallholder, Colette, greets you. Buy tomatoes, cheese and a bottle of water, ask how much it is and pay.
Asking politely: Je voudrais … (I would like …) is the polite way to ask in a shop. Je veux (I want) sounds blunt.
"Some": du, de la, de l', des. For food and things you don't count, French needs an article:
| Example | |
|---|---|
| du (masculine) | du pain (some bread), du fromage |
| de la (feminine) | de la confiture (some jam) |
| de l' (before a vowel) | de l'eau (some water) |
| des (plural) | des pommes (some apples) |
After a quantity, just de (d'): un kilo de pommes, une bouteille d'eau, un paquet de pâtes, 200 grammes de fromage.
Prices: Ça coûte combien ? / C'est combien ? (How much is it?) — Ça fait 4,50 €. (That comes to €4.50, said quatre euros cinquante.) French writes a comma for the decimal point.
What the shopkeeper says: Bonjour, vous désirez ? (What would you like?) — Et avec ça ? (Anything else?) — C'est tout ? (Is that all?)
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
« Je voudrais … eau, s'il vous plaît. »
- eau starts with a vowel: de l'
- eau here is not plural
Show answer
de l'. de l' before a vowel sound.
Why it matters
Buying food is the first real conversation most visitors have in French: you ask for fruit, cheese or a bottle of water, ask the price and pay.
Worked example
At Colette's stall:
- Bonjour, madame. Vous désirez ?
- Bonjour. Je voudrais un kilo de tomates, s'il vous plaît.
- Voilà. Et avec ça ?
- Du fromage, s'il vous plaît. Et une bouteille d'eau.
- C'est tout ?
- Oui, c'est tout. Ça fait combien ?
- Ça fait huit euros vingt.
- Voilà. Merci, au revoir !
Notice un kilo de tomates (a quantity) but du fromage (some, no quantity).
Real French: Je vais prendre … (I'll take …) is just as common as Je voudrais … when you order: Je vais prendre un kilo de tomates. And start with Bonjour: shopkeepers expect it.
Common mistake
Using du, de la or des after a quantity: wrong: un kilo des pommes, wrong: une bouteille de l'eau. After a quantity, use plain de: un kilo de pommes, une bouteille d'eau.
And remember the rule from ne … pas: after a negative, du, de la, des also become de: Je ne mange pas de viande.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
« Je voudrais une bouteille … lait. »
- After a quantity (une bouteille), use de
- lait is masculine, and a quantity takes de anyway
Show answer
de. quantity + de + noun.
Key terms
- je voudrais
- I would like (polite)
- du, de la, de l', des
- some
- un kilo de / une bouteille de / un paquet de
- a kilo / bottle / packet of
- ça coûte combien ? / c'est combien ?
- how much is it?
- ça fait …
- that comes to …
- vous désirez ?
- what would you like?
- et avec ça ?
- anything else?
- c'est tout
- that's all
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 8 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| je voudrais | I would like (polite) |
| du, de la, de l', des | some |
| un kilo de / une bouteille de / un paquet de | a kilo / bottle / packet of |
| ça coûte combien ? / c'est combien ? | how much is it? |
| ça fait … | that comes to … |
| vous désirez ? | what would you like? |
| et avec ça ? | anything else? |
| c'est tout | that's all |
Practice
Sort it
du, de la, de l' or des?
pain
masculineShow answer
du. masculine
confiture
feminineShow answer
de la. feminine
eau
vowelShow answer
de l'. vowel
pommes
pluralShow answer
des. plural
fromage
masculineShow answer
du. masculine
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
How do you say €12.50?
- No et between euros and cents
- euros comes after the whole number
Show answer
douze euros cinquante. Whole euros, then euros, then the cents.
Which is the polite way to ask?
- Correct French, but it sounds blunt
- Too familiar for a shop
Show answer
Je voudrais deux croissants, s'il vous plaît.. je voudrais + s'il vous plaît is polite.
Build the sentence
Build "I'd like a kilo of apples, please."
Show answer
Je voudrais un kilo de pommes, s'il vous plaît.. je voudrais + quantity + de + noun.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
Mission role-play. You are Colette, a friendly stallholder at a French market; I am the customer. Speak slowly and clearly. Use only these words and patterns: bonjour, vous désirez, je voudrais, s'il vous plaît, du, de la, de l', des, un kilo de, une bouteille de, un paquet de, 200 grammes de, pommes, tomates, pain, fromage, confiture, eau, lait, pâtes, et avec ça, c'est tout, ça fait combien, ça fait … euros, numbers 0 to 100, voilà, merci, au revoir. Let me buy four things, one at a time, then tell me the total and let me pay. After each of my lines, tell me what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again; watch du / de la / des and de after quantities. When I have bought four things, asked the price and paid, say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 2 sentences. Explain corrections in English.
Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.
Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. Many assistants turn your speech into text first, so a vowel or liaison you got wrong may be silently “heard” as the right word. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
New to this? Read Practising speaking with an AI.
In short
- Ask politely: je voudrais … s'il vous plaît.
- Some: du (m), de la (f), de l' (vowel), des (plural).
- After a quantity or a negative: de (d').
- Prices: ça coûte combien ? ça fait 4,50 € (quatre euros cinquante).
- Shop phrases: vous désirez ? et avec ça ? c'est tout.
Mastery check
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Check yourself
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How do you say "some cheese"?
Show answer
du fromage.
How do you say "a packet of pasta"?
Show answer
un paquet de pâtes.
The shopkeeper says « Et avec ça ? ». What does it mean?
Show answer
Anything else?
Further reading
- TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français, free A1 exercises on food and shopping.
- RFI, Journal en français facile: listen for quantities (un kilo de, une bouteille de) and prices in short reports about markets and food.
Finished? Mark it done to fill in your leaf on the French map.