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French vegetable market vocabulary: explore a grower’s stall

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Explore twelve objects and produce displays at a vegetable stall, then follow the seller’s French directions to find your shopping.

In short

The stall is l’étal, the scales are la balance and a produce crate is une cagette. Explore six vegetable displays and six stall objects, then find your way around the grower’s stand using devant, derrière and à droite de.

A French grower’s stall with leeks behind carrots, a sack of potatoes, tomatoes and plain weighing scales.
A market visit introduces l’étal and la balance. Illustration: Atelier

At the grower’s vegetable stall

A single outdoor vegetable grower’s stall viewed from the customer’s side, slightly above. A broad wooden stall table sits under a striped parasol. From the vie
Listen for the position
FrenchEnglish
à gauche des tomatesto the left of the tomatoes
derrière les carottesbehind the carrots
dans le grand sac, par terrein the large sack, on the ground
à côté du paniernext to the basket

Les légumes pour la soupe

Samir veut préparer une soupe. Il demande des poireaux à la vendeuse. « Ils sont au fond, derrière les carottes1, à gauche », répond-elle. Il les trouve, puis demande des pommes de terre. « Regardez par terre, à droite de l’étal. Elles sont dans le grand sac. »

Samir prend ensuite un sac en papier à côté du panier. Il choisit aussi des tomates pour le déjeuner. La vendeuse les pose sur la balance2. « Un kilo, c’est bien ? » Samir répond : « Oui, merci. Et je voudrais une salade. » Elle lui montre les salades, derrière les courgettes3.

Read it in English

Samir wants to make soup. He asks the seller for leeks. “They’re at the back, behind the carrots, on the left,” she replies. He finds them, then asks for potatoes. “Look on the ground, to the right of the stall. They’re in the large sack.”

Samir then takes a paper bag beside the basket. He also chooses tomatoes for lunch. The seller puts them on the scales. “Is one kilo all right?” Samir replies, “Yes, thank you. And I’d like a lettuce.” She points to the lettuces, behind the courgettes.

Je voudrais un kilo de tomates et deux poireaux, s’il vous plaît.

I’d like a kilo of tomatoes and two leeks, please.

Use de after un kilo. Count individual leeks directly: deux poireaux.

Question 1No account needed
Look behind the carrots, on the left. What do you find?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

les poireaux. The leeks are at the back left, directly behind les carottes.

Question 2No account needed
Which object does the seller use to weigh the tomatoes?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

la balance. La balance gives the weight; the crate and basket hold things.

Question 3No account needed
Where are the potatoes?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

dans le grand sac par terre. The seller directs Samir to the large sack on the ground, to the right.

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