lait fermenté
masculine
In French, the phrase for sour milk is lait fermenté. Wiktionary also lists lait aigre.
Meaning: sour milk (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | Note |
|---|---|
| lait fermenté | masculine |
| lait aigre | masculine |
The term used for sour milk depends on whether you are describing a pleasant, intentional process or an unpleasant spoilage. Le lait aigre specifically conveys the acidic taste of milk that has gone bad.
Which one should you use?
lait fermenté is a neutral term referring to milk that has been intentionally fermented to create specific products like kefir or certain types of yogurt. In contrast, lait aigre is a negative term used for milk that has turned sour due to spoilage. Additionally, lait tourné is a colloquial way to describe milk that has begun to spoil or curdle in a domestic or culinary context.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because lait is a masculine noun, you use the partitive article du to say some sour milk (du lait aigre).
Did you know?
- The word aigre shares a common root with the English word 'acute', as both stem from the Proto-Indo-European word for 'sharp'.
- In French, the word for sourness, aigre, can also be used metaphorically to describe a person's temperament as 'acerbic' or 'sour'.
- In French culinary history, lait aigre was not always a sign of spoilage. It was historically used in specific regional recipes to provide a necessary acidity to doughs and batters.
Examples in context
- Le lait dans le réfrigérateur a tourné.The milk in the fridge is sour.
- Je pense que le lait dans le réfrigérateur est gâté.I think the milk in the fridge is spoiled.
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are shopping at a grocery store.
- ManonRegarde, Nathan, ils ont du lait fermenté ici.Look, Nathan, they have sour milk here.
- NathanAh oui, je vais en prendre un pot.Oh yes, I'll take a pot of it.
- ManonTu préfères quelle marque de lait fermenté ?Which brand of sour milk do you prefer?
- NathanCelle-ci a l'air très bonne, Manon.This one looks very good, Manon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sour milk” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aigre, lait, CC BY-SA 4.0.
