repas
/ʁə.pa/masculine
The French word for meal is repas.
repas is a general term for food that is prepared and eaten. It can refer to any time of day when food is eaten, such as breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Meaning: food that is prepared and eaten (noun)
Which one should you use?
While repas refers to a meal as a whole, you should use specific names like petit-déjeuner (breakfast), déjeuner (lunch) or dîner (dinner) when you want to specify exactly which meal is being discussed.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word repas is the same in both its singular and plural forms.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʁə.pa/
Did you know?
- The French concept of a repas gastronomique is so culturally significant that it was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
- In Belgium and Switzerland, the words for the three main repas of the day often shift, with dîner sometimes meaning lunch and souper meaning dinner.
- The word 'repas' contains a historical link to the Latin 'pascere', which means 'to graze' or 'to pasture'.
Examples in context
- Il dévora son repas.He devoured his meal.This sentence is useful for showing how someone might eat their repas quickly.Tatoeba #334759 by sysko, translation #299784 by CM
- Le repas vous a plu ?Did you like the meal?This sentence is useful for asking if someone enjoyed their repas.Tatoeba #10125562 by felix63, translation #434490 by lukaszpp
- As-tu fini ton repas ?Have you finished your meal?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has finished their repas.Tatoeba #1099426 by sacredceltic, translation #1098663 by cntrational
- 146 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are deciding what to eat at home.
- ChloéHugo, tu as faim ?Hugo, are you hungry?
- HugoOui, je veux un bon repas.Yes, I want a good meal.
- ChloéJe vais préparer un repas spécial pour toi.I am going to prepare a special meal for you.
- HugoMerci Chloé, c'est très gentil.Thanks Chloé, that is very kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “meal” translations and entries repas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries repas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
