pommes de terre
Potatoes in French is pommes de terre.
The term refers to the starchy edible tubers that grow underground. A common dish made with this ingredient is gratin dauphinois, which is a potato gratin.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase pommes de terre literally translates to apples of the earth.
Which one should you use?
While pommes de terre is the standard term, patates is an alternative used in informal contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Patates is a common informal or colloquial way to say potatoes.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Pommes de terre is the standard term used across all French-speaking regions.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form is pomme de terre, though it is much more common to use the plural pommes de terre when referring to the vegetable in general.
Did you know?
- French has a specific idiomatic expression avoir la patate, which means to be full of energy or enthusiasm.
- Calling someone a patate in a slang context is a way to call them a fool or a 'couch potato'.
- In French, the word pomme was used as a generic term for many different types of fruit before the specific word for 'apple' was established.
Examples in context
- Cuis les pommes de terre!Cook the potatoes!This sentence shows how to use pommes de terre in a command to cook them.Tatoeba #5264723 by martin9, translation #6734639 by Eccles17
- Cuis ces pommes de terre!Boil those potatoes.This sentence uses pommes de terre to describe boiling them.Tatoeba #5264739 by martin9, translation #2264737 by _undertoad
- Je lave les pommes de terre.I wash the potatoes.This sentence uses pommes de terre in the context of washing them.Tatoeba #5268083 by martin9, translation #6734648 by Eccles17
- Dans ce restaurant, ils servent les meilleures pommes de terre frites que j'ai jamais goûtées !In this restaurant, they serve the best French fries I have ever tasted!
- On fait souvent des patates sautées pour accompagner le poulet.We often make sautéed potatoes to accompany the chicken.
- 85 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are in the kitchen preparing dinner.
- LéaEst-ce que tu as acheté des pommes de terre ?Did you buy some potatoes?
- HugoOui, elles sont dans le sac.Yes, they are in the bag.
- LéaOn fait des pommes de terre sautées ?Shall we make sautéed potatoes?
- HugoBonne idée, je m'en occupe.Good idea, I'll take care of it.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
