pain grillé
/pɛ̃ ɡʁi.je/
The French phrase for "toasted bread" is pain grillé.
pain grillé refers to bread that has been browned and made crisp by heat.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of pain (bread) and grillé (toasted/grilled).
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective grillé must agree in gender and number with the noun pain. Since pain is masculine singular, the adjective remains grillé without an extra e or s.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɛ̃ ɡʁi.je/
Did you know?
- The word pain shares a root with the English word 'companion', which literally means 'with bread' from the Latin com and panis.
- The word grillé can be used colloquially to describe someone who is 'burned out' or exhausted, mirroring the physical state of charred bread.
- In France, pain grillé is often served as a side for soft-boiled eggs, where the toast is cut into thin strips for dipping into the yolk.
Examples in context
- J'adore le pain grillé au petit-déjeuner.I love toasted bread for breakfast.
- Le pain grillé est trop sec.The toasted bread is too dry.
- Tu veux du pain grillé avec le beurre ?Do you want some toasted bread with the butter?
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are eating breakfast in a kitchen.
- LéaLucas, est-ce que tu veux du pain grillé ?Lucas, do you want some toasted bread?
- LucasOui, un peu de pain grillé me ferait plaisir.Yes, some toasted bread would please me.
- LéaD'accord, je t'en prépare deux tranches.Okay, I will prepare two slices for you.
- LucasMerci beaucoup, Léa !Thank you very much, Léa!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pain grillé, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
