French Words to Know: Drinks & Beverages 🍷🥤

If you’re learning French and want to expand your vocabulary, one fun and practical theme is drinks and beverages.

Whether you’re at a café in Paris, ordering at a restaurant, or shopping at the supermarket, knowing the right French words for drinks will make communication smoother and more natural.

In this vocabulary list, you’ll find the most useful French words about drinks with English translations and example sentences.

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🥛 Basic French Drink Vocabulary

Here are the most common French words for drinks you’ll use daily:

• Une boisson – a drink / beverage

• Les boissons – drinks (plural)

• Boire – to drink

👉 Example: Je voudrais une boisson fraîche. (I would like a cold drink.)

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💧 Water and Soft Drinks in French

• L’eau – water

• L’eau plate – still water

• L’eau gazeuse / pétillante – sparkling water

• Un soda – soda / soft drink

• Le jus – juice

• Le jus d’orange – orange juice

• Le jus de pomme – apple juice

• Une limonade – lemonade (in France: fizzy lemon soda, not homemade lemonade)

• Le thé glacé – iced tea

👉 Example: Un jus de pomme, s’il vous plaît. (An apple juice, please.)

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☕ Hot Beverages in French

• Le café – coffee

• Un expresso – espresso

• Un café crème / un café au lait – coffee with milk

• Le cappuccino – cappuccino

• Le chocolat chaud – hot chocolate

• Le thé – tea

• La tisane / l’infusion – herbal tea

👉 Example: Chaque matin, je bois un café au lait. (Every morning, I drink a coffee with milk.)

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🍺 Alcoholic Drinks in French

• Le vin – wine

• Le vin rouge – red wine

• Le vin blanc – white wine

• Le rosé – rosé wine

• Le champagne – champagne

• La bière – beer

• Le cidre – cider

• Un cocktail – cocktail

• Un apéritif – pre-dinner drink

• Un digestif – after-dinner drink (like cognac, armagnac, calvados)

👉 Example: Nous buvons du vin rouge avec le dîner. (We drink red wine with dinner.)

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🥤 Everyday Phrases About Drinks in French

• Qu’est-ce que vous voulez boire ? – What would you like to drink?

• Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît. – I would like a coffee, please.

• Est-ce que vous avez des jus de fruits ? – Do you have fruit juices?

• L’eau gazeuse ou plate ? – Sparkling or still water?

• Santé ! – Cheers!

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📌 Quick Tips for Learners

1. In France, if you order une limonade, you’ll get a fizzy lemon soda, not homemade lemonade.

2. Coffee is usually small and strong (espresso style). If you want American-style coffee, ask for un café allongé.

3. Many cafés serve wine, beer, and soft drinks alongside coffee and tea.

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🎯 Practice Exercise

👉 Write 5 sentences in French using different drink words from this list. Example:

• Je bois un jus d’orange au petit déjeuner.

• Mes amis prennent une bière au bar.

• Elle adore le chocolat chaud en hiver.

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✅ Conclusion

By learning these French words for drinks and beverages, you’ll be more confident ordering at cafés, restaurants, and bars in French-speaking countries. From water (l’eau) to wine (le vin), this French vocabulary list covers the essentials you’ll need in everyday conversations.

If you enjoyed this article, check out more of our French vocabulary lists to boost your learning!