je suis végétarien
The English phrase "I am a vegetarian" is expressed in French as je suis végétarien.
This phrase is used to declare that a person does not eat meat. You might also use the phrase Je ne mange pas de viande. to say "I don't eat meat." or Sans viande, s'il vous plaît to say "Without meat, please."
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the word depends on the gender of the speaker. Use the masculine form je suis végétarien if the speaker is male, and the feminine form je suis végétarienne if the speaker is female. You can also use the phrase Je suis végétarien/végétarienne depuis plusieurs années to say "I have been vegetarian for several years."
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say je suis un végétarien by including the indefinite article "a". In French, you typically omit the article when stating your status or profession with the verb être.
Did you know?
- French menus often use the word végétalien to describe what English speakers call 'vegan', though végane is now widely accepted.
- The modern French word végétarien shares its root with the English 'vegetable', both coming from the Latin 'vegetabilis' meaning 'enlivening'.
- In some traditional French contexts, saying je suis végétarien might lead a server to ask if you still eat eggs and dairy, as the term is sometimes interpreted strictly as 'no meat'.
Examples in context
- Je suis végétarienne.I am a vegetarian.This sentence is useful for practicing the feminine form of je suis végétarien.Tatoeba #1455469 by gillux, translation #367935 by rike
- Je suis végétarien, je ne mange pas de viande.I am a vegetarian, I don't eat meat.This sentence shows how to use je suis végétarien to explain that you do not eat meat.Tatoeba #11128978 by carlosalberto, translation #11128950 by carlosalberto
- Je suis végétarien, donc je ne mange pas de poulet.I am a vegetarian, so I do not eat chicken.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a restaurant, Gabriel is ordering food.
- LéaGabriel, est-ce que tu veux le steak ?Gabriel, do you want the steak?
- GabrielNon merci, je suis végétarien.No thanks, I am a vegetarian.
- LéaOh, je ne savais pas !Oh, I didn't know!
- GabrielJe préfère les pâtes aux légumes.I prefer vegetable pasta.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
