French · Everyday Verbs
"to cook" in French: cuisiner
cuisiner
Note: also: faire la cuisine
To cook in French is cuisiner. Je cuisine ce soir means I'm cooking tonight. Faire la cuisine is another everyday way to say you're making a meal.
Weeknight plan
Ce soir je cuisine des pâtes.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce cuisiner
Say it
kwee-zee-NAY
/kɥi.zi.ne/
Cuisiner: kwee-zee-NAY. Cuisine (I cook / the kitchen): kwee-ZEEN.
"to cook" in French: quick reference
| French | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| cuisiner | to cook Default verb. | Default verb. |
| je cuisine | I cook / I'm cooking Present tense. | Present tense. |
| faire la cuisine | to do the cooking Household chore sense. | Household chore sense. |
| bien cuisiner | to cook well Skill compliment. | Skill compliment. |
How to use cuisiner in real life
- 1Weeknight plan
Ce soir je cuisine des pâtes.
Tonight I'm cooking pasta.
Je cuisine + dish.
- 2Sharing the work
Tu cuisines, je mets la table.
You cook, I'll set the table.
Tu cuisines.
- 3Compliment
Elle cuisine vraiment bien.
She really cooks well.
Bien after the verb.
Mistakes English speakers make with cuisiner
Incorrect: Je cuisinier ce soir.
Correct: Je cuisine ce soir.
Cuisinier is the cook (person); the verb form is cuisine.
Incorrect: Je cook un plat.
Correct: Je cuisine un plat.
Use cuisiner, not English cook.
Good to know
Cuisine means both kitchen and cooking style (cuisine française). Saying je cuisine is normal; faire la cuisine sounds like taking on kitchen duty. Markets and Sunday family meals keep cooking talk very everyday.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Deciding dinner
ChatPal
Tu cuisines ce soir ou on commande ?
Are you cooking tonight or are we ordering?
You
Je cuisine, j'ai des légumes frais.
I'm cooking — I have fresh vegetables.
ChatPal
Super. Tu cuisines quoi ?
Great. What are you cooking?
You
Un curry simple, rien de compliqué.
A simple curry, nothing fancy.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"to cook" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "to cook" in French
How do you say to cook in French?
Cuisiner; also faire la cuisine.
How do you say I'm cooking?
Je cuisine.
Is cuisinier the verb?
No. Cuisinier is the cook (noun). The verb is cuisiner → je cuisine.
How do you pronounce cuisiner?
kwee-zee-NAY.
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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