nourriture à emporter
The English phrase "takeout food" is translated into French as nourriture à emporter.
nourriture à emporter refers to food prepared by a restaurant to be eaten elsewhere. While this phrase is grammatically correct, French speakers more commonly use un plat à emporter (a takeout dish) or simply un plat when ordering.
What does it mean word for word?
The component à emporter literally means "to take away" or "to carry away".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Québec, the phrase commande à emporter is used to mean "takeaway orders".
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase nourriture à emporter, the preposition à is used to indicate purpose or destination, similar to how à boire means "to drink".
When do people say it?
When ordering food in France, a common question you will hear is sur place ou à emporter ?, which asks if you will eat there or take it to go.
Did you know?
- The verb emporter is the direct opposite of importer. While the former means to carry something away, the latter means to bring something in.
- When ordering à emporter, French customers often expect a separate, smaller bag for condiments and napkins, which is a distinct part of the takeout ritual compared to dining sur place.
- While nourriture à emporter is the general term, a person ordering a specific takeout meal often refers to it as un plat, which literally means 'a plate' or 'a dish'.
Examples in context
- Bonjour, je voudrais un repas à emporter, s'il vous plaîtHello, I would like a takeout meal, please
- Je voudrais un repas à emporter végétarien, s'il vous plaîtI would like a vegetarian takeout meal, please
- Je commande de la nourriture à emporter.I am ordering takeout food.
- Il y a de la bonne nourriture à emporter ici.There is good takeout food here.
- Nous voulons de la nourriture à emporter pour ce soir.We want takeout food for tonight.
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are deciding what to eat for dinner.
- LucasOn mange quoi ce soir, Emma ?What are we eating tonight, Emma?
- EmmaJe n'ai pas envie de cuisiner, Lucas.I don't feel like cooking, Lucas.
- LucasOn prend de la nourriture à emporter ?Shall we get some takeout food?
- EmmaOui, c'est une excellente idée !Yes, that's an excellent idea!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries emporter, nourriture, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
