While it is true that there are more and more épiceries (grocery stores) in France and that more people font leurs emplettes dans des grands-surfaces (do their shopping in big stores) or in des supermarchés (super markets), most Français (French people) still do a fair amount of their food shopping in small, often-family-owned shops that specialize in just one type of food.

Faire les courses / To go shopping

Le marché / The market

Not to be confused with un supermarché, un marché is an open-air produce market where many French people, à la campagne comme dans les grands villes (in the country and in the city) go acheter (to buy) their fruits (fruits) and légumes (vegetables).

In the video that follows, you can follow along as a young French family goes off on their weekly visit to the marché du quartier (the neighborhood market) to do their shopping. Ils vont acheter (they are going to buy) des carottes, des pommes, un saucisson, de la salade, du pain, du fromage, et du jambonneau (carrots, apples, a dried/cured sausage, lettuce, bread, cheese, and a small ham) [whereby you can see also that some of the foods that are found in specialty shops – like bread, cured meats, and cheese – can also be found at the marché].

Listen for how they ask for the food they want (Je vais vous prendre ou Je vais prendre / I will take) and how they ask to try something (Est-ce que je peux goûter? / Can I taste it?)

In the second part of the video, we visit a supermarché where French people can buy all their food … and other products as well (comme des chaussettes! / like socks!).

Photo by Oleg Magni from Pexels