légumes
The French word for vegetables is légumes.
légumes refers to plants or parts of plants that are grown to be eaten as food. For example, you might use haricots verts for green beans or aubergines for eggplants. If you want to be more specific and formal, you can use the term Légumes feuillus to describe leafy vegetables.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word légumes is the plural form of the masculine noun légume. When you are referring to vegetables in a general sense or an indefinite quantity, use the article des before the word, as in des légumes.
Did you know?
- Unlike in English where 'vegetable' can occasionally be used metaphorically, in French, calling a person a 'légume' is a derogatory way to say they are a 'vegetable' in the sense of being lethargic or brainless.
- The word légume shares a root with the Latin 'legumen', which specifically referred to pulses and seeds, though the French meaning expanded to include all garden produce.
- When shopping at a French market, you might hear the term 'primeurs' used to describe the freshest, first-of-the-season vegetables.
Examples in context
- Mange tes légumes !Eat your vegetables.This sentence is useful for giving a command to eat one's vegetables.Tatoeba #1925510 by sacredceltic, translation #1908457 by Spamster
- Il vend des légumes.He sells vegetables.This sentence shows how to say someone sells vegetables.Tatoeba #8701755 by Micsmithel, translation #4412663 by CH
- Je vends des légumes.I sell vegetables.This sentence shows how to say I sell vegetables.Tatoeba #11383341 by saillier, translation #9994813 by Amastan
- Les légumes sont délicieux.The vegetables are delicious.
- Des légumes frais sont nécessaires.Fresh vegetables are necessary.
- Les légumes feuillus sont riches en vitamines et en minéraux essentiels.Leafy vegetables are rich in vitamins and essential minerals.
- Tu devrais manger plus de légumes frais pour rester en bonne santé.You should eat more fresh vegetables to stay healthy.
- On a récolté quelques légumes du jardin ce matin.We harvested some vegetables from the garden this morning.
- 173 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Nathan are at the local market.
- EmmaEst-ce qu'il y a des légumes frais ici ?Are there any fresh vegetables here?
- NathanOui, les légumes sont très bons aujourd'hui.Yes, the vegetables are very good today.
- EmmaNathan, prends quelques légumes pour le dîner.Nathan, get some vegetables for dinner.
- NathanD'accord, je vais en choisir.Okay, I will choose some.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
