Taste vocabulary in French, including adjectives, nouns, and expressions for describing flavors and talking about food.
This guide covers essential French vocabulary for talking about taste, from basic flavor words to common expressions used when describing food. You’ll learn how to express what something tastes like, react to flavors, and ask about preferences.
French Taste Adjectives
These are the most common adjectives used to describe how something tastes in French.
| French Adjective | English Adjective | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| sucré / sucrée | sweet | Ce gâteau est trop sucré. | This cake is too sweet. |
| salé / salée | salty | J’aime les noix salées. | I like salted nuts. |
| acide | sour | Le citron est très acide. | The lemon is very sour. |
| amer / amère | bitter | Le café est amer ce matin. | The coffee is bitter this morning. |
| épicé / épicée | spicy | Ce plat est très épicé. | This dish is very spicy. |
| doux / douce | mild / soft | Le yaourt est doux. | The yogurt is mild. |
| riche | rich | Cette sauce est très riche. | This sauce is very rich. |
| frais / fraîche | fresh | Les fruits sont frais. | The fruits are fresh. |
| fade | bland | La soupe est un peu fade. | The soup is a bit bland. |
| onctueux / onctueuse | creamy | Le dessert est onctueux. | The dessert is creamy. |
La soupe est un peu ___ (bland).
If something tastes 'bland' in French, which adjective would you use?
fade
The French adjective 'fade' means 'bland' or lacking flavor. 'Riche' means rich, 'frais/ fraîche' means fresh, and 'onctueux/onctueuse' means creamy.
French Taste Nouns
These nouns relate to taste and help you talk about flavor more precisely.
| French Singular / Plural | English Singular / Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| le goût / les goûts | taste / tastes | J’aime le goût du chocolat. | I like the taste of chocolate. |
| la saveur / les saveurs | flavor / flavors | Ce vin a une saveur fruitée. | This wine has a fruity flavor. |
| l’arôme / les arômes | aroma / aromas | Le café a un bel arôme. | The coffee has a nice aroma. |
| la douceur | sweetness | La douceur du miel est agréable. | The sweetness of honey is pleasant. |
| l’acidité | acidity | L’acidité de ce vinaigre est forte. | The acidity of this vinegar is strong. |
| l’amertume | bitterness | J’évite l’amertume du pamplemousse. | I avoid the bitterness of grapefruit. |
| l’épice / les épices | spice / spices | J’ajoute des épices au curry. | I add spices to the curry. |
| le piquant | kick / spiciness | Ce plat a un bon piquant. | This dish has a nice kick. |
| le salé | saltiness | Le salé est bien dosé ici. | The saltiness is well balanced here. |
| le sucré | sweetness | Je préfère le sucré au dessert. | I prefer sweetness in dessert. |
French Taste Expressions
These common expressions will help you describe taste like a native speaker.
| French Expression | English Expression | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| avoir du goût | to have flavor | Ce fromage a beaucoup de goût. | This cheese has a lot of flavor. |
| ça a bon goût | it tastes good | Mmm, ça a bon goût ! | Mmm, this tastes good! |
| avoir un goût de ... | to taste like ... | Ce gâteau a un goût de vanille. | This cake tastes like vanilla. |
| ça a un goût bizarre | it tastes strange | Ce jus a un goût bizarre. | This juice tastes strange. |
| ça a un goût sucré | it tastes sweet | Ce thé a un goût sucré. | This tea tastes sweet. |
| c’est trop salé | it’s too salty | Attention, c’est trop salé. | Careful, it’s too salty. |
| c’est un peu amer | it’s a bit bitter | Ce chocolat est un peu amer. | This chocolate is a bit bitter. |
| c’est bien épicé | it’s well-spiced | Le poulet est bien épicé. | The chicken is well-spiced. |
| c’est doux | it’s mild / soft | Ce yaourt est doux. | This yogurt is mild. |
| c’est fade | it’s bland | La soupe est fade ce soir. | The soup is bland tonight. |
French Taste Verbs
These verbs are commonly used when talking about tasting, smelling, and describing flavors.
| French Verb | English Verb | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| goûter | to taste | Je vais goûter la soupe. | I’m going to taste the soup. |
| sentir | to smell / to sense | Ce gâteau sent la vanille. | This cake smells like vanilla. |
| avoir le goût de ... | to taste like ... | Ce vin a le goût du bois. | This wine tastes like wood. |
| ajouter | to add | Ajoute un peu de sel. | Add a little salt. |
| assaisonner | to season | Assaisonne la salade. | Season the salad. |
| mélanger | to mix | Mélange bien les ingrédients. | Mix the ingredients well. |
| décrire | to describe | Décris le goût du fruit. | Describe the taste of the fruit. |
| apprécier | to appreciate / to enjoy | J’apprécie ce dessert. | I enjoy this dessert. |
| préférer | to prefer | Je préfère le chocolat noir. | I prefer dark chocolate. |
| manquer de | to lack | Il manque de sel. | It lacks salt. |
___ le goût du fruit. (___ the taste of the fruit.)
How do you say 'to describe' (as in describing taste) in French?
décrire
'Décrire' means 'to describe'. The other verbs mean 'to taste', 'to appreciate', and 'to prefer'.
Summary
This guide covers the most important French vocabulary and expressions for talking about taste—from describing flavors and aromas to reacting to food and asking about preferences. Using these words and phrases, you can confidently talk about what you eat and enjoy more natural conversations around French cuisine.
Flashcards (1 of 40)
- English Adjective: sweet
- English Example: This cake is too sweet.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
