French · Food & Drink

"Corn" in French: maïs

le maïs

Say it: luh mah-EESSmasculine · le maïsnoun/lə ma.is/

Corn (maize) in French is le maïs, masculine. Un épi de maïs is an ear of corn. Popcorn is le pop-corn or le maïs soufflé.

Barbecue

On grille un épi de maïs pour le dîner.
We're grilling an ear of corn for dinner.
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How to pronounce maïs

Say it

luh mah-EESS

/lə ma.is/

mah-EESS. The aï is like ah-ee run together; final s is usually sounded. Soft French m.

"Corn" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
le maïscorn / maize

Default noun.

un épi de maïsan ear of corn

Whole cob.

maïs douxsweet corn

Canned or fresh.

pop-corn / maïs soufflépopcorn

Cinema snack.

How to use maïs in real life

  1. 1Barbecue

    On grille un épi de maïs pour le dîner.

    We're grilling an ear of corn for dinner.

    Épi de maïs.

  2. 2Supermarket

    Tu peux prendre une boîte de maïs doux ?

    Can you grab a can of sweet corn?

    Maïs doux.

  3. 3Cinema

    Je prends du pop-corn, pas du maïs en salade.

    I'll take popcorn, not corn salad.

    Maïs in food talk.

Mistakes English speakers make with maïs

Incorrect: Le corn.

Correct: Le maïs.

Use maïs, not the English word.

Incorrect: La maïs.

Correct: Le maïs.

Maïs is masculine.

Good to know

French menus may say maïs doux in salads. Farm talk and kids' books love l'épi de maïs. Cinema still says pop-corn more than maïs soufflé.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Choosing a side dish

  1. ChatPal

    Tu veux du riz ou du maïs ?

    Do you want rice or corn?

  2. You

    Du maïs, s'il te plaît.

    Corn, please.

  3. ChatPal

    Grillé ou en salade ?

    Grilled or in a salad?

  4. You

    Grillé, comme hier.

    Grilled, like yesterday.

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"Corn" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Corn" in French

How do you say corn in French?

Le maïs.

How do you say an ear of corn?

Un épi de maïs.

Is maïs masculine?

Yes: le maïs.

How do you pronounce maïs?

mah-EESS.

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  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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