cigarettes au menthol
The English phrase "menthol cigarettes" is translated into French as cigarettes au menthol.
The phrase refers to cigarettes that contain menthol for a minty flavor.
What does it mean word for word?
The component au menthol literally means "with menthol", where au is a contraction of à (with/at) and le (the).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, you can use cigarettes au menthol to refer to menthol cigarettes.
How does it change in a sentence?
In French, the flavor or characteristic is introduced by the preposition au instead of using menthol as an adjective directly before the noun. To use the singular form, "menthol cigarette", change only the noun to cigarette au menthol while the flavor component remains unchanged.
Did you know?
- In France, cigarettes au menthol are banned by law. While you can still use the phrase to describe them, you will not find them for sale in any French shop.
- Because au implies a specific ingredient, calling them cigarettes au menthol makes the menthol sound like a culinary seasoning, similar to how one would describe 'beef with pepper' in French.
- While cigarettes au menthol is the standard term, smokers in France often use the slang mentholées as a shorthand adjective to describe the cigarettes.
Examples in context
- Bonjour, puis-je avoir des cigarettes mentholées, s'il vous plaît?Hello, may I have some menthol cigarettes, please?
- Je n'aime pas les cigarettes au menthol.I do not like menthol cigarettes.
- Elle achète des cigarettes au menthol au tabac.She is buying menthol cigarettes at the tobacco shop.
- Est-ce que vous vendez des cigarettes au menthol ?Do you sell menthol cigarettes?
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are walking near a convenience store.
- LucasEst-ce que tu veux des cigarettes au menthol ?Do you want menthol cigarettes?
- ManonNon merci, je préfère le tabac classique.No thanks, I prefer regular tobacco.
- LucasD'accord, je vais prendre un paquet normal.Okay, I will get a regular pack.
- ManonTiens, je vais t'aider à choisir.Here, I will help you choose.
