déjeuner
/de.ʒœ.ne/standard, noun, verb
In French, déjeuner is both a masculine noun meaning "lunch" and a verb meaning "to have lunch". In France it is the midday meal, and the word is written with an accent on the first e.
As a noun it appears in le déjeuner, the lunch. As a verb it is used for the act of eating it: je déjeune means "I am having lunch". For breakfast in France you add petit: le petit déjeuner.
Meaning: the midday meal, lunch (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, Belgium and Switzerland déjeuner means breakfast, and lunch is dîner. Dinner is then souper. In France the words shift by one meal: petit déjeuner is breakfast, déjeuner is lunch and dîner is the evening meal.
How does it change in a sentence?
déjeuner is a regular -er verb: je déjeune, nous déjeunons. The past tense uses avoir: nous avons déjeuné, "we had lunch".
How do you pronounce it?
Say déjeuner as day-zhuh-nay. The j is the soft zh sound as in "measure", the middle syllable is weak, and the final -er is pronounced like the English word "nay".
When do people say it?
The painting Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe by Édouard Manet, from 1863, takes its title from this word. It means "Luncheon on the Grass".
Did you know?
- The French verb déjeuner comes from the idea of breaking a fast, which is why it still means breakfast in Quebec.
Examples in context
- Nous déjeunons à midi et demi.We have lunch at half past twelve.
- Le déjeuner est prêt.Lunch is ready.
- Je déjeune avec ma sœur demain.I am having lunch with my sister tomorrow.
Example conversation
Sophie asks her colleague Julien about lunch plans at the office.
- SophieTu déjeunes où aujourd'hui ?Where are you having lunch today?
- JulienJe ne sais pas encore. Et toi ?I do not know yet. And you?
- SophieJe vais au restaurant en face. Tu viens ?I am going to the restaurant across the street. Are you coming?
- JulienAvec plaisir, on déjeune ensemble.Gladly, we will have lunch together.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry déjeuner, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of .
