curry
/ky.ʁi/masculine
In French, the word for curry is curry.
curry refers to the spiced dish or the spice powder. Unlike English, where the word often implies the prepared meal, in French, it can refer specifically to the spice powder itself.
Meaning: dish (noun)
Which one should you use?
In French, 'le curry' can refer to both the specific dish and the spice powder itself, whereas in English 'curry' often implies the prepared dish.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the French Indian Ocean territories, you may encounter different terms: Cari is used on Reunion Island to refer to various spiced dishes and Masalé is used to describe a dish specifically based on masala.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are referring to curry as an uncountable substance, such as in the phrase 'I ate curry', use the partitive article du (e.g., du curry).
How do you pronounce it?
/ky.ʁi/
Did you know?
- The word curry traces its ancient roots back to the Tamil word kaṟi, which originally referred to a sauce or a dish.
- The French usage of curry reflects the historical influence of British colonial trade in India on the French language.
- Unlike many other food loanwords in French, curry maintains its English spelling but adopts a distinct French phonetic ending.
Examples in context
- Il déteste le curry.He hates curry.This sentence shows how to express a dislike for curry.Tatoeba #12052489 by Amastan, translation #8318978 by Amastan
- Ce curry est trop épicé.This curry is too hot.This sentence is useful for describing a curry that is too spicy.Tatoeba #5791985 by Aiji, translation #61209 by CK
- J'ai mangé du curry hier.I ate curry yesterday.This sentence demonstrates the use of the partitive article when talking about eating curry.Tatoeba #7763266 by Aiji, translation #1790833 by newkome
- Le curry est un plat populaire dans de nombreux pays d'Asie du Sud.Curry is a popular dish in many South Asian countries.
- J'ai préparé une fricassée épicée ce soir, c'est comme un curry délicieux !I prepared a spicy fricassée tonight, it's like a delicious curry!
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are looking at a restaurant menu.
- ManonTu veux goûter le curry ?Do you want to try the curry?
- GabrielOui, ça a l'air délicieux.Yes, it looks delicious.
- ManonC'est un curry au poulet.It is a chicken curry.
- GabrielParfait, commandons ça !Perfect, let's order that!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “curry” translations and entries curry, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries curry, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
