pain au chocolat
/pɛ̃ o ʃɔ.kɔ.la/
The English phrase chocolate croissant is translated into French as pain au chocolat.
pain au chocolat refers to a flaky pastry made of layered dough with pieces of chocolate inside.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, pain au chocolat means 'bread with chocolate'.
Which one should you use?
While English speakers often call this a 'chocolate croissant', the standard French term pain au chocolat refers to a rectangular pastry rather than a crescent-shaped one.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Southwest France, this pastry is often called chocolatine instead of pain au chocolat.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɛ̃ o ʃɔ.kɔ.la/
When do people say it?
French people mostly enjoy pain au chocolat for breakfast or as a mid-morning snack.
Did you know?
- The word chocolat is a linguistic traveler that reached French via Spanish from the Nahuatl word chocolātl. This connects a staple of the French bakery directly to the ancient civilizations of Mexico.
- Although it is called a 'bread' in pain au chocolat, it belongs to a specific class of pastries called viennoiserie. This term reflects the historical influence of Vienna on French baking techniques.
- While pain au chocolat is a breakfast staple, it is common for French children to eat one as a goûter, a traditional afternoon snack around 4 PM.
Examples in context
- Je voudrais un pain au chocolat, s'il vous plaît.I would like a chocolate croissant, please.
- Il reste un pain au chocolat dans le sac.There is one chocolate croissant left in the bag.
- Ce pain au chocolat est délicieux.This chocolate croissant is delicious.
Example conversation
At a local bakery in the morning.
- ChloéBonjour, est-ce qu'il reste un pain au chocolat ?Hello, is there a chocolate croissant left?
- LucasOui, il m'en reste seulement un.Yes, I only have one left.
- ChloéParfait, je le prends.Perfect, I'll take it.
- LucasTrès bien, Chloé. Ça fera deux euros.Very well, Chloé. That will be two euros.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pain au chocolat, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chocolat, pain, CC BY-SA 4.0.
