plat
/pla/masculine
The English word "dish" can be translated into French using plat, mets or bouffe depending on the context.
Meaning: specific type of food (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| plat | /pla/ | masculine |
| mets | /mɛ/ | masculine |
When referring to a specific type of prepared food, the most common term is plat. In certain contexts, you might also use mets or the slang term bouffe.
Which one should you use?
plat is the standard, everyday word for a dish. In contrast, mets is used to describe a more refined, gourmet or high-quality dish, often implying a delicacy. bouffe is a slang term used to refer generally to food or a dish.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both plat and mets are masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/pla/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using plat when you mean the physical ceramic object used for eating. In French, the physical object is called assiette.
Did you know?
- The term mets has a hidden connection to the French verb 'mettre', meaning 'to put'. It historically evolved from the idea of something that has been 'put' or 'set' on the table.
- A plat du jour is not just any dish of the day, but a cultural staple of French bistros that typically changes daily based on the freshest market ingredients.
- The slang term bouffe is so versatile that it is used as both a noun for 'food' and a verb bouffer meaning 'to eat' or 'to devour'.
Examples in context
- Ce plat est excellent.This dish is terrific.This sentence shows how to describe the quality of a plat.Tatoeba #1187000 by sacredceltic, translation #36140 by AlanF_US
- Ce plat est délicieux.This dish is delicious.This sentence shows how to describe the taste of a plat.Tatoeba #8312949 by Julien_PDC, translation #4494460 by CK
- Je te recommande ce plat.I recommend this dish.This sentence shows how to give a recommendation for a plat.Tatoeba #6783225 by felix63, translation #6825925 by Eccles17
- Excusez-moi, quel est le plat du jour ?Excuse me, what is the dish of the day?
- Les mets proposés dans ce restaurant sont absolument délicieux.The dishes offered in this restaurant are absolutely delicious.
- 52 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Gabriel are looking at a menu in a restaurant.
- LéaQuel plat veux-tu choisir ?Which dish do you want to choose?
- GabrielJe ne connais pas ce plat.I don't know this dish.
- LéaC'est un plat typique d'ici.It is a typical dish from here.
- GabrielAlors, je vais prendre ce plat !Then, I will take this dish!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dish” translations and entries plat, mets, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mets, plat, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
