Vocabulary list
Bouteille or flacon? French bottles, contents and materials
Name water bottles, perfume bottles and their caps in French. Compare bouteille and flacon, describe contents and materials, then test your choices.
- A2
- 8 words
- Gender marked
- With examples
- Learn this in the A2 notebook →
In short
Use une bouteille for a bottle of water, wine or oil, and un flacon for a perfume or cosmetic bottle. English “bottle” covers both. The familiar product name guides the choice: even a small water bottle is une petite bouteille d’eau.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
Four bottles you can name
Find:
What is inside? What is it made of?
| Detail | French | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Contents | une bouteille d’eau | a bottle of water |
| Contents | un flacon de parfum | a bottle of perfume |
| Material | une bouteille en verre | a glass bottle |
| Material | un flacon en plastique | a plastic bottle |
C’est une bouteille d’huile en verre.
It’s a glass bottle of oil.
D’huile names the contents; en verre names the material.
La bouteille d’eau est vide.
The water bottle is empty.
Bouteille d’eau can name the bottle by its usual contents, even when it is empty.
Container and contents
Parts and materials
- Cliente
Je cherche un petit flacon de parfum pour un cadeau.
I’m looking for a small bottle of perfume as a present.
- Vendeur
Vous préférez le flacon rond ou le flacon carré ?
Would you prefer the round bottle or the square one?
- Cliente
Le flacon rond, avec le bouchon argenté.
The round bottle, with the silver cap.
- Vendeur
Voilà. C’est un flacon en verre.
Here you are. It’s a glass bottle.