Les magasins et les commerçants
If you’re traveling in France it will be very likely that you’ll have to go to the store. On this page you’ll find an extensive list of vocabulary covering different kinds of shops and businesses. The French take great pride in their little shops so it’s worth going in and practicing your French! Towards the bottom of the page you’ll find a note on prepositions for shops.
- bakery une boulangerie, une pâtisserie
- bank une banque
- barber un coiffeur (pour hommes)
- bike shop un magasin de cycles
- bookstore une librairie
- butcher’s shop une boucherie
- café/bar un bistro
- candy store une confiserie
- car dealership une concessionnaire
- clothing store un magasin de vêtements
- dairy shop une crémerie
- deli, delicatessen une charcuterie
- department store un grand magasin
- drugstore une droguerie
- dry cleaner’s un pressing
- farmer’s market marché fermier
- fishmonger’s, fish shop une poissonnerie
- florist une fleuriste
- furniture store un magasin de meubles
- gas station une station-service, une station essence
- hairdresser’s un salon de coiffure
- hardware store une quincaillerie
- hypermarket, big-box store, superstore un hypermarché
- ice-cream parlor un glacier
- laundromat une laverie automatique, une avomatique
- laundry une blanchisserie
- liquor store, off-license une magasin de vins et spiritueux nm
- newsstand un kiosque
- perfume shop une parfumerie
- pharmacy une pharmacie
- pizzeria une pizzeria
- post office une poste
- produce shop un magasin de primeurs, un magasin de fruits et légumes
- restaurant un restaurant
- second-hand bookshop un bouquiniste
- shoe store un magasin de chaussures
- small grocery store une épicerie
- sports shop un magasin de sport
- stationery store une papeterie
- supermarket une grande surface, un supermarché
- tailor shop un tailleur
- toy store un magasin de jouets
- tobacco shop un tabac
- wine shop un marchand de vins
Prepositions for stores
Getting the right preposition before a store name can be an issue. The reason is that you can use à + store name as well as the preposition chez.
Some examples are in the table below. It would also help to review the verb aller (to go) here. Generally speaking, you use chez when there’s a professional individual who most likely owns the given shop and works there.
| I to to the hairdresser. | Je vais au coiffeur. / Je vais chez le coiffeur. |
| I go to the bakery. | Je vais à la pâtisserie. / Je vais chez la pâtisserie. |
| I go the pharmacy. | Je vais à la pharmacie. / Je vais chez le pharmacien. |
| I go to the butcher shop. | Je vais à la boucherie. / Je vais chez le boucher. |
| I go to the store. | Je vais au magasin. |
| I go the the supermarket. | Je vais au supermarché. |
| I go the the bank. | Je vais à la banque. |
| I to the the department store. | Je vais au grand magasin. |
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David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. His head is swimming with words and sounds as he speaks over six languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private online lessons. When procrastinating working on his site, FrenchLearner.com, David enjoys his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho.
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Bonjour! My name is David Issokson. I'm based in Victor, Idaho (near Jackson, Wyoming) and have helped hundreds of students to learn French online since 2013.
