thé aux perles
masculine
The English phrase bubble tea is translated into French as thé aux perles. Wiktionary also lists thé aux bulles.
Meaning: milk tea with tapioca balls (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | Note |
|---|---|
| thé aux perles | masculine |
| thé aux bulles | masculine |
thé aux perles refers to milk tea with tapioca balls. In many modern French cafes, the English term bubble tea is frequently used and understood by younger populations.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase thé aux perles literally translates to tea with pearls.
Which one should you use?
thé aux perles is the more common way to refer to the drink, emphasizing the tapioca pearls, whereas thé aux bulles emphasizes the bubbles.
How does it change in a sentence?
All forms provided are masculine nouns.
Did you know?
- The French word thé is a linguistic cousin of the word 'chai'. While 'chai' entered English via Hindi, both words share a common ancestor in the Hokkien word for tea.
- The phrase thé aux bulles is less common because bulles usually refers to the carbonation in Champagne, making the name sound like sparkling tea.
- French speakers often use the word perles to describe the tapioca, which is the same word used for the gemstones in a necklace or the droplets of a morning dew.
Examples in context
- Je voudrais une grande tailleI would like a large size
- Bonjour, je voudrais un thé aux perles, s'il vous plaît.Hello, I would like a bubble tea, please.
- Je voudrais un thé aux perles.I would like a bubble tea.
- Ce thé aux perles est très bon.This bubble tea is very good.
- Tu aimes le thé aux perles ?Do you like bubble tea?
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas are at a cafe.
- EmmaEst-ce que tu veux un thé aux perles ?Do you want a bubble tea?
- LucasOui, j'adore ce thé aux perles.Yes, I love this bubble tea.
- EmmaMoi aussi, il est délicieux.Me too, it is delicious.
- LucasOn en commande un autre ?Shall we order another one?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bubble tea” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aux, thé, CC BY-SA 4.0.
