French · Food & Drink
"Milk" in French: lait
le lait
Milk in French is le lait, masculine, said LEH. Du lait means some milk. Lait entier, demi-écrémé, and écrémé are whole, semi-skimmed, and skimmed. Café au lait is coffee with milk.
Breakfast
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How to pronounce lait
Say it
LEH
/lɛ/
LEH. Ai sounds like eh. Final t is silent. Do not say English "late".
"Milk" in French: quick reference
| French | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| le lait | milk The drink or ingredient. | The drink or ingredient. |
| du lait | some milk Unspecified amount. | Unspecified amount. |
| lait entier / écrémé | whole / skimmed milk Supermarket labels. | Supermarket labels. |
| café au lait | coffee with milk Breakfast classic. | Breakfast classic. |
How to use lait in real life
- 1Breakfast
Tu mets du lait dans ton café ?
Do you put milk in your coffee?
Du lait for some milk.
- 2Supermarket
Prends le lait demi-écrémé, s'il te plaît.
Grab the semi-skimmed milk, please.
Le lait + type.
- 3Cooking
Il faut 20 cl de lait pour la sauce.
You need 20 cl of milk for the sauce.
De lait after a quantity.
Mistakes English speakers make with lait
Incorrect: La lait est froid.
Correct: Le lait est froid.
Lait is masculine: le lait.
Incorrect: Je bois de milk.
Correct: Je bois du lait.
Use lait, and du before a masculine mass noun.
Good to know
French breakfast still leans on café au lait in a bowl for some households. Plant milks appear as lait d'amande, lait d'avoine, even when they are not dairy.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Making hot chocolate
ChatPal
Il reste du lait dans le frigo ?
Is there any milk left in the fridge?
You
Oui, un litre de lait entier.
Yes, a litre of whole milk.
ChatPal
Parfait. On chauffe le lait doucement.
Perfect. We'll warm the milk gently.
You
Je surveille pour qu'il ne déborde pas.
I'll watch so it doesn't boil over.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"Milk" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "Milk" in French
How do I say some milk?
Du lait.
Is lait masculine?
Yes: le lait.
How do I say skimmed milk?
Lait écrémé; demi-écrémé is semi-skimmed.
How do you pronounce lait?
LEH, silent t.
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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