cuisiner
/kɥi.zi.ne/
To cook in French is cuisiner. Wiktionary also lists cuire or faire cuire.
Meaning: to prepare food for eating (verb)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| cuisiner | /kɥi.zi.ne/ |
| cuire or faire cuire |
cuisiner refers to the general act of preparing a meal or is used to describe the hobby or skill of cooking.
Which one should you use?
cuisiner describes the broader activity of cooking a meal, while cuire refers specifically to the process of applying heat, such as baking or boiling, to food. The phrase faire cuire is also used when referring to the specific action of cooking an ingredient.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun for a person who cooks is gendered: cuisinier refers to a male cook and cuisinière refers to a female cook. The term cuistot is an informal, colloquial slang term for a cook.
How do you pronounce it?
The word cuisiner has 3 syllables and is pronounced /kɥi.zi.ne/.
Did you know?
- In French slang, cuisiner can mean to interrogate someone relentlessly, as if they are being grilled in a kitchen.
- The term cuisinière is used both for a female cook and for a specific type of kitchen stove or cooker.
- A person can be cuit in a figurative sense, meaning they are exhausted or that their situation is hopeless and 'done for'.
Examples in context
- Qui va cuisiner ?Who'll cook?This sentence is useful for asking who will be doing the cooking with cuisiner.Tatoeba #7152185 by Micsmithel, translation #2203630 by CK
- Tom sait-il cuisiner ?Can Tom cook?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has the ability to cook with cuisiner.Tatoeba #8664794 by Micsmithel, translation #2235654 by CK
- Sais-tu bien cuisiner ?Can you cook well?This sentence is useful for asking about someone's proficiency in cooking with cuisiner.Tatoeba #933574 by sacredceltic, translation #6887129 by CK
- Je vais cuisiner un délicieux repas ce soir.I am going to cook a delicious meal tonight.
- Le chef prépare des plats traditionnels français.The chef is cooking traditional French dishes.
- On peut faire la cuisine ensemble ce soir?Can we cook together tonight?
- Je vais cuisiner un petit plat rapide pour le déjeuner.I am going to cook a quick dish for lunch.
- 135 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Nathan are deciding on dinner plans.
- LéaEst-ce que tu veux cuisiner ce soir ?Do you want to cook tonight?
- NathanNon, je suis trop fatigué pour cuisiner.No, I am too tired to cook.
- LéaD'accord, je vais cuisiner quelque chose de rapide.Okay, I will cook something quick.
- NathanMerci beaucoup, Léa !Thank you very much, Léa!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cook” translations and entries cuisiner, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
