pomme de terre au four
In French, baked potato is pomme de terre au four.
The phrase refers to a potato that has been cooked in an oven.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, pomme de terre au four translates to 'apple of the earth in the oven', because pomme de terre is the French term for potato.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, Canada, you may use the expressions patate au four or patate rôtie to refer to a baked potato.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the plural form, 'baked potatoes', change pomme to pommes while leaving terre in its singular form, as the phrase refers to the type of vegetable: pommes de terre au four.
Did you know?
- In French, the word pomme originally referred to any round fruit, which is why the potato was named an 'apple of the earth'.
- The word four for 'oven' is a linguistic relative of the English word 'furnace', as both derive from the Latin 'furnus'.
- While 'pomme de terre' is the standard term, using the word patate is much more common in casual, everyday speech in France.
Examples in context
- Je voudrais une pomme de terre au four.I would like a baked potato.
- Elle prépare une pomme de terre au four pour le dîner.She is preparing a baked potato for dinner.
- Une pomme de terre au four est très simple à faire.A baked potato is very simple to make.
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are looking at a restaurant menu.
- LucasQu'est-ce que tu veux manger, Emma ?What do you want to eat, Emma?
- EmmaJe vais prendre une pomme de terre au four.I'll have a baked potato.
- LucasC'est un bon choix pour le dîner.That's a good choice for dinner.
- EmmaOui, j'adore ça avec du beurre.Yes, I love it with butter.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, four, pomme, terre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
