Level A2 (Upper Beginner)
Published February 15, 2026 — Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson for students who want to learn French online, with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier, a voice artist from France.
The French Word of the Day is beignet, meaning “fritter” or “donut.” If you ever travel to New Orleans, especially for Mardi Gras, you’ll definitely hear this word, often associated with the famous Café du Monde. This lesson explores the French pronunciation of beignet and how to use it naturally in sentences.
📘 Beignet meaning in French
Beignet (m.) is a French noun meaning “fritter” or “donut.” It refers to a usually square piece of deep-fried dough, typically covered in powdered sugar, most famously associated with New Orleans and Mardi Gras celebrations. In Louisiana culture, people traditionally eat beignets with café au lait, especially at Café du Monde, a famous café in New Orleans.
🎧 Beignet pronunciation in French
The pronunciation of beignet is /bɛɲeɪ/ (IPA), which sounds roughly like “ben-yay”.
📝 Beignet usage examples
J’achète des beignets pour fêter le Mardi Gras.
I’m buying beignets to celebrate Mardi Gras.
Au Café du Monde, j’ai commandé un beignet et un café au lait.
At Café du Monde, I ordered a beignet and a café au lait.
On mange des beignets à la Nouvelle-Orléans.
People eat beignets in New Orleans.
We all know café au lait, but how do you pronounce and use it in French?
👉 See also: Café au lait »
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- le Mardi Gras — Mardi Gras / Fat Tuesday
- le carnaval — carnival
- la Nouvelle-Orléans — New Orleans
- du sucre glace — powdered sugar
- saupoudrer de sucre glace — to dust with powdered sugar
- un café au lait — coffee with milk
📚 Related lessons on FrenchLearner!
👉 Café au lait »
👉 French food vocabulary »
