Although most of us are not exactly enamored with the thought of going grocery shopping, it’s something that needs to be done every few days. With the right mindset, however, it can actually be quite fun.
The same thing’s true for learning shopping-related words and expressions in French.
You might be in a French-speaking country at the moment, doing a round of shopping every couple of days. Or you might be studying for a French language exam where shopping is a common topic. Maybe you’re here to prepare for your French class at school. Sooner or later you’re going to need these words and expressions, regardless of your background.
Our aim was to assemble a solid core shopping vocabulary in French. We’ve made sure to include a wide range of expressions connected to stores and shopping.
By the time you get to the bottom of this page, you’re going to be an expert shopper… French vocabulary-wise, at least. Have fun learning!
Jump to
- Types of stores in French
- Shopping nouns in French: Store staff and parts of a store
- Shopping verbs and expressions in French: Shopping list and looking for products
- Prices and payment in French
- Words connected to online shopping in French
1. Types of stores in French
| la grande surface | supermarket or hypermarket |
| le supermarché | supermarket |
| l’hypermarché (m) | hypermarket |
| un petit commerce | a small business/ a small shop |
| une entreprise familiale | a family business |
| le marché | market, marketplace |
| le marché couvert | covered market |
| un marché en plein air/ un marché à ciel ouvert | open-air market |
| l’animalerie | pet store/ shop |
| l’épicerie (f) | grocery store/ greengrocery |
| la boucherie | butcher |
| la boulangerie | bakery |
| la confiserie | confectioner’s shop |
| la laverie | laundromat/ launderette |
| la librairie (note: not a library – librairie is a false friend!) | bookshop |
| la papeterie | office supply store/ stationer’s (also: stationery products) |
| la parfumerie | perfumery |
| la pâtisserie | cake shop |
| la pharmacie | drugstore/ chemist’s/ pharmacy |
| le fleuriste | florist/ flower shop |
| le magasin d’antiquités/ la boutique d’antiquités | antique store/ shop |
| le magasin de bricolage | hardware store |
| le magasin de chaussures | shoe store/ shop |
| le magasin d’instruments de musique | music equipment shop |
| le magasin de jouets | toy store/ shop |
| le marchand de journaux/ le kiosque à journaux | newsagent/ newsstand |
| le primeur/ chez le marchand de fruits et légumes | produce store/ greenrocer’s |
| le salon de coiffure | hair salon/ hairdresser’s |
2. Shopping nouns in French: Store staff and parts of a store
| l’employé (m)/ l’employée (f) | employee, staff member |
| le caissier, la caissière | cashier |
| le marchand | merchant, seller (when talking about an outdoor market: stallholder) |
| le vendeur/ la vendeuse | salesman/ saleswoman |
| l’étal (m) | stall |
| l’étiquette (f) | price tag (on the product) |
| la caisse | checkout OR cash register |
| la pancarte | sign, here: shelf price sign (not on the product itself!) |
| le produit | product |
3. Shopping verbs and expressions in French: shopping list and looking for products
| aller au supermarché | to go to the supermarket |
| la meilleure heure à laquelle faire du shopping | the best time to do one’s shopping |
| faire ses courses en semaine | to do one’s shopping during the week |
| faire ses courses en grande surface | to do one’s shopping in a super/ hypermarket |
| la liste de courses | shopping list |
| faire une liste et s’y tenir | to make a shopping list and adhere to it |
| barrer au crayon les articles d’une liste | to cross out the items on a list with a pencil |
| le sac de courses | shopping bag |
| chercher ce dont on a besoin | to look for what you need |
| faire des tours et des tours à la recherche de qc. | to go round and round searching for something |
| trouver ce que l’on cherche | to find what one’s looking for |
| acheter les produits nécessaires | to buy the necessary products |
| les rayons sont réapprovisionnés quotidiennement/ pendant la nuit | the shelves are restocked each day/ during the night |
| un rayon rempli | a fully stocked shelf |
| être de bonne qualité | to be of good quality |
| être de mauvaise qualité | to be of bad quality |
| produits d’origine 100% français | products of 100% French origin |
| les achats impulsifs | impulse buys |
| les courses (f plural!) de Noël | Christmas shopping |
4. Prices and payment in French
| payer en espèces/ payer en (argent) liquide | pay cash |
| payer par carte bancaire/ payer avec une/ votre carte (Note: you can’t say | pay with card/ pay with your card |
| la carte bancaire/ la carte bleue/ la carte de débit | debit card (Note: you’ll sometimes hear carte de crédit in French even if they mean a debit card, but that’s a misnomer.) |
| la carte de crédit | credit card |
| le paiement mobile sans contact | mobile contactless payment |
| payer à la caisse | to pay at the checkout |
| le paiement à la livraison/ le contre-remboursement | cash on delivery |
| le programme de fidélité | fidelity program |
| le bon de réduction | discount voucher |
| 1 acheté = 1 offert | 2 for 1 |
| le code promo | promo/ discount code |
| la réduction | discount |
| un prix très abordable | a very affordable price |
| être bon marché | to be cheap |
| coûter cher | to be expensive |
| comparer les prix/ la comparaison des prix | to compare prices / comparison of prices |
| vérifier le prix | to check the price |
| dépasser le budget/ sortir de son budget | to exceed the budget |
| rendre un article/ retourner un achat | to return an item |
| le comptoir des retours | returns desk / counter |
5. Words connected to online shopping in French
| la vente en ligne | online sale |
| l’achat (m) en ligne/ les courses en ligne | online shopping |
| commander ses courses en ligne | order (one’s shopping) online |
| magasin d’alimentation en ligne | online grocery store |
| un panier de minimum 100 € | a minimum cart of €100 |
| livrer (ses) courses | deliver groceries |
| la livraison | delivery |
| livraison rapide | quick delivery |
| le paiement à la livraison/ le contre-remboursement | cash on delivery |