marc de café
/maʁ də ka.fe/masculine
The English phrase "coffee grounds" is translated into French as marc de café.
The term marc de café is used to describe the wet, used grounds remaining after coffee has been brewed. It is not used to refer to dry, unbrewed coffee powder.
Meaning: sediment (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word marc refers specifically to the sediment or dregs left over after a liquid has been extracted, such as from coffee or fruit.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is masculine and is typically used with the definite article le when referring to the substance in general as le marc de café.
How do you pronounce it?
/maʁ də ka.fe/
Did you know?
- Some people in France practice caféomancie, the art of reading the future by interpreting the patterns left in le marc de café.
- In France, le marc de café is widely used as a natural home remedy to repel ants and slugs in the garden.
- The word marc originally comes from the Middle French verb marcher, which means 'to trample' or 'to walk over'.
Examples in context
- J'ai besoin de passer au supermarché, il me faut du marc de café.I need to go to the supermarket, I need coffee grounds.
- Il reste du marc de café au fond de la tasse.There is some coffee grounds left at the bottom of the cup.
- Le marc de café est utile pour les plantes.Coffee grounds are useful for plants.
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are in the kitchen after breakfast.
- NathanChloé, peux-tu jeter le marc de café ?Chloé, can you throw away the coffee grounds?
- ChloéOui, je vais le mettre dans le compost.Yes, I will put it in the compost.
- NathanC'est une bonne idée pour le jardin.That is a good idea for the garden.
- ChloéExactement, Nathan, c'est très naturel.Exactly, Nathan, it is very natural.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “coffee grounds” translations and entries marc de café, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries café, de, marc, CC BY-SA 4.0.
