fruits de mer
The English phrase seafood is fruits de mer in French.
The term refers to fish, shellfish, seaweed and other edible aquatic life.
Meaning: fish, shellfish, seaweed and other edible aquatic life (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase fruits de mer literally translates to fruits of the sea.
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to seafood in general, the phrase is always used in the plural form as les fruits de mer. However, if you are referring to a single item, you can use the singular un fruit de mer.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the singular fruit de mer when referring to the general category of food.
Did you know?
- While fruits de mer covers shellfish, French speakers typically use the word poisson for fish. If you order a plateau de fruits de mer in a restaurant, it usually contains oysters and shrimp but not fish fillets.
- In most Romance languages the word for 'sea' is masculine, but in French mer is feminine. Linguists believe this happened because it was influenced by the feminine word terre meaning 'land'.
- In France, the consumption of fruits de mer is deeply tied to the 'plateau' culture. This refers to a large chilled platter of various shellfish served as a communal appetizer rather than a main course.
Examples in context
- J'aime les fruits de mer.I like seafood.This sentence is useful for expressing a preference for fruits de mer.Tatoeba #2482422 by sacredceltic, translation #2245940 by CK
- Il aime les fruits de mer.He likes seafood.Tatoeba #3634449 by sacredceltic, translation #2855351 by Amastan
- Il mange des fruits de mer.He eats seafood.This sentence is useful for describing the action of eating fruits de mer.Tatoeba #12052529 by Amastan, translation #8593616 by Amastan
- Je vais commander des fruits de mer pour le dîner ce soir.I am going to order some seafood for dinner tonight.
- Notre restaurant propose une sélection de produits de la mer très raffinés.Our restaurant offers a selection of very refined seafood.
- Mon plat préféré quand je visite la côte est le plateau de fruits de mer .My favorite dish when I visit the coast is the seafood platter.
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Nathan are deciding what to eat at a seaside bistro.
- EmmaNathan, tu veux manger des fruits de mer ?Nathan, do you want to eat seafood?
- NathanOui, les fruits de mer sont excellents ici.Yes, the seafood is excellent here.
- EmmaParfait, je vais choisir une salade de fruits de mer.Perfect, I am going to choose a seafood salad.
- NathanMoi aussi, j'ai très envie d'en manger.Me too, I really feel like eating some.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “seafood” translations and entries fruits de mer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, mer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
