French · Food & Drink
"Garlic" in French: ail
l'ail
Garlic in French is l'ail, masculine. Cooks count une gousse d'ail (a clove) and may roast ail en chemise still in its skin.
Cooking pasta sauce
Remue l'ail doucement dans l'huile.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce ail
Say it
lah-EE
/l‿aj/
Lah-EE. The l' elides onto ail; final sound like English ee.
"Garlic" in French: quick reference
| French | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| l'ail | garlic Default noun. | Default noun. |
| une gousse d'ail | a clove of garlic Recipes. | Recipes. |
| de l'ail | some garlic Partitive in cooking. | Partitive in cooking. |
| ail en chemise | garlic in its skin Roasting whole cloves. | Roasting whole cloves. |
How to use ail in real life
- 1Cooking pasta sauce
Remue l'ail doucement dans l'huile.
Stir the garlic gently in the oil.
L'ail with elision.
- 2Market shopping
Il me faut deux têtes d'ail.
I need two heads of garlic.
Une tête d'ail is a whole bulb.
- 3Taste check
Tu sens l'ail dans la soupe ?
Can you taste the garlic in the soup?
Common kitchen check.
Mistakes English speakers make with ail
Incorrect: Le ail.
Correct: L'ail.
Use elision: l'ail, not le ail.
Incorrect: Un ail (for one clove)
Correct: Une gousse d'ail.
A clove is une gousse d'ail; une tête d'ail is the whole bulb.
Good to know
Garlic is everyday French cooking, from aïoli in the south to butter on steak. Some people fear the smell; others swear by a raw clove in vinaigrette.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Prepping dinner together
ChatPal
Tu coupes l'ail ou je m'en occupe ?
Are you chopping the garlic or shall I?
You
Je m'occupe de l'ail, tu fais les tomates.
I'll handle the garlic, you do the tomatoes.
ChatPal
Parfait. Pas trop d'ail, hein ?
Perfect. Not too much garlic, okay?
You
Deux gousses, promis.
Two cloves, promise.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"Garlic" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "Garlic" in French
How do you say garlic in French?
L'ail.
What is a clove of garlic?
Une gousse d'ail.
Is ail masculine?
Yes—l'ail.
How do you pronounce ail?
Like ah-EE; with the article, lah-EE.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
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