lait évaporé
masculine
The English phrase "evaporated milk" is translated into French as lait évaporé. Wiktionary also lists lait concentré.
Meaning: milk that has been concentrated by evaporation (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | Note |
|---|---|
| lait évaporé | masculine |
| lait concentré | masculine |
Which one should you use?
While lait évaporé refers to milk that has had water removed via evaporation, lait concentré (often implying lait concentré sucré) refers to the sweetened version commonly used in desserts.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because lait is a masculine uncountable noun, you use the partitive article du when referring to an unspecified amount of it, such as in the phrase du lait évaporé (some evaporated milk).
Did you know?
- In many French-speaking regions, asking for lait concentré without specifying 'unsweetened' will almost always result in you receiving the thick, syrupy sweetened version used for desserts.
- The word lait is a cognate of the English word 'lactate' and the Latin root for 'milk', which is why it appears in scientific terms like 'lactation'.
- While lait is used for cow's milk, the French use the word lait for any milk-like liquid, including lait de coco (coconut milk) and lait de soja (soy milk).
Examples in context
- J'ai besoin de lait évaporé pour la recette.I need evaporated milk for the recipe.
- Je préfère le lait évaporé pour mon café.I prefer evaporated milk for my coffee.
- Est-ce qu'il reste du lait évaporé dans le placard ?Is there any evaporated milk left in the cupboard?
- Cette recette demande du lait évaporé.This recipe requires evaporated milk.
Example conversation
Emma and Nathan are in the kitchen looking for ingredients.
- EmmaNathan, as-tu acheté du lait évaporé ?Nathan, did you buy evaporated milk?
- NathanNon, j'ai oublié de le prendre.No, I forgot to get it.
- EmmaC'est dommage, j'en ai besoin pour le dessert.That is a shame, I need it for the dessert.
- NathanJe peux aller au magasin tout de suite.I can go to the store right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “evaporated milk” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lait, CC BY-SA 4.0.
