Why is "Dropping the word for 'some' (writing 'je mange pain')" a common mistake in Food and drink?

Why it happens: English often leaves out 'some' ('I eat bread'), so beginners assume French does too. How to avoid it: French always needs the partitive. Decide the noun's gender/number first, then add du (m), de la (f), de l' (vowel) or des (plural): *je mange du pain*. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy

Why is "Keeping du / de la after a negative (writing 'je ne mange pas du pain')" a common mistake in Food and drink?

Why it happens: Learners apply the positive partitive everywhere and miss the negative rule. How to avoid it: After *ne... pas*, all partitives collapse to *de* (or *d'* before a vowel): *je ne mange pas de pain*, *je ne bois pas d'eau*. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)

Why is "Using manger (to eat) for drinks or for ordering (saying 'je mange un café')" a common mistake in Food and drink?

Why it happens: Beginners learn *manger* first and use it for everything food-related. How to avoid it: Use *boire* for drinks (*je bois de l'eau*) and *prendre* for ordering (*je prends un coca*). Reserve *manger* for solid food. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 3 (Speaking)

Why is "Giving an opinion with no reason (just 'j'aime le poisson')" a common mistake in Food and drink?

Why it happens: Candidates answer the question literally without developing it, so the response stays at a basic level. How to avoid it: Always add a reason with *parce que* and *c'est* + adjective: *j'aime le poisson parce que c'est délicieux*. A reason is what unlocks the higher bands. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Papers 3 & 4

Why is "Using tu instead of vous with a waiter in the café role-play" a common mistake in Food and drink?

Why it happens: Beginners learn *tu* first and use it for everyone, missing the formal/informal distinction. How to avoid it: Use **vous** with anyone you don't know, especially in a service situation, and match it with *s'il vous plaît* (not *s'il te plaît*). Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 3 (Speaking), appropriateness

Why is "Guessing the gender of food nouns (saying 'la pain' or 'le pomme')" a common mistake in Food and drink?

Why it happens: Food genders don't match any English logic, so learners guess. How to avoid it: Learn each noun with its article as one chunk: *le pain*, *la pomme*, *le fromage*, *la viande*. Test yourself by recalling the article, not just the word. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy

Topic Area 1 - Everyday ActivitiesCambridge IGCSE French (0520)

Food and drink

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Food and drink in French — vocabulary, opinions and meal phrases — Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 (2025-2027)

Everything a beginner needs to talk about food and drink in French: themed vocabulary with pronunciation, the verbs you actually use at the table, and the opinion-plus-reason sentences that push your Speaking and Writing into the higher bands.

At a glance

Food and drink is one of the most popular Everyday Activities themes — it appears in role-plays, conversations and writing tasks across all four papers.
Almost every food word carries a gender: le pain (the bread, masculine) but la pomme (the apple, feminine). Learn each word with its article.
The four key verbs are manger (to eat), boire (to drink), prendre (to take/have) and aimer (to like). Prendre is what you really use to order: je prends (I'll have).
To say 'some' you need the partitive article: du pain (some bread), de la confiture (some jam), de l'eau (some water), des fruits (some fruit).
The three meals are le petit-déjeuner (breakfast), le déjeuner (lunch) and le dîner (dinner).
Opinions with reasons earn the marks: J'adore le chocolat parce que c'est délicieux (I love chocolate because it's delicious).
Use connectives — parce que (because), mais (but), et (and), aussi (also) — to link ideas and lift your band.
In a café you only need a few set phrases: Je voudrais... (I would like...), L'addition, s'il vous plaît (The bill, please), C'est combien ? (How much is it?).

What you’ll learn

Mapped to the Cambridge IGCSE 0520 syllabus (2025-2027).

Recognise and use core food and drink vocabulary, each noun with its correct gender and article.
Use the partitive article (du, de la, de l', des) to say 'some' food or drink.
Conjugate and use the verbs manger, boire, prendre and aimer in the present tense.
Name the three daily meals and describe what you eat and drink at each.
Express opinions about food with reasons, using a range of opinion verbs and adjectives.
Link ideas with the connectives parce que, mais, et, aussi and quand.
Order food and drink politely in a café or restaurant using ready-made phrases.
Answer and ask simple question-and-answer frames about food for Paper 3 Speaking and Paper 4 Writing.

Core food and drink vocabulary — learn it with the article

Every food noun has a gender; memorise the word together with le, la or l'.

The single most useful habit in this whole topic is to learn every food word together with its article — le, la or l'. The gender almost never matches anything logical in English, so the only safe way is to store le pain (the bread) and la pomme (the apple) as whole units in your memory.

Here is the core vocabulary, with a plain-English pronunciation respelling.

Food — la nourriture (la noo-ree-TEWR)

French	Pronunciation	English
le pain	luh pan	(the) bread
le fromage	luh fro-MAHZH	(the) cheese
le poulet	luh poo-LEH	(the) chicken
le poisson	luh pwa-SON	(the) fish
le riz	luh ree	(the) rice
le gâteau	luh ga-TOH	(the) cake
le chocolat	luh sho-ko-LA	(the) chocolate
la viande	la vee-OND	(the) meat
la pomme	la pom	(the) apple
la banane	la ba-NAN	(the) banana
la salade	la sa-LAD	(the) salad
les légumes (m)	lay lay-GEWM	(the) vegetables
les frites (f)	lay freet	(the) chips/fries
les œufs (m)	lay-z-uh	(the) eggs

Drink — la boisson (la bwa-SON)

French	Pronunciation	English
l'eau (f)	loh	(the) water
le lait	luh leh	(the) milk
le jus d'orange	luh zhew do-RONZH	(the) orange juice
le café	luh ka-FAY	(the) coffee
le thé	luh tay	(the) tea
le coca	luh ko-KA	(the) cola
la limonade	la lee-mo-NAD	(the) lemonade

Worked mini-example. You want to say "I like bread and cheese". The nouns are le pain and le fromage. Because you are speaking generally, French keeps the article: J'aime le pain et le fromage (I like bread and cheese). Notice English drops 'the', but French keeps le.

Store every noun with its article: le pain, la pomme, l'eau.
Gender is not predictable from meaning — memorise it as part of the word.
When you like/dislike food in general, French keeps the article: J'aime le chocolat.
les is the plural article for both genders: les légumes, les frites.

Saying 'some' — the partitive article (du, de la, de l', des)

French uses a special 'some' word that changes with gender and number.

The partitive article (some) changes with gender and number, and turns into "de" after a negative.

In English we often leave out the word 'some': "I eat bread." In French you cannot drop it — you need the partitive article, which is the word for 'some'. It changes shape depending on the noun.

Use this	Before	Example	English
du	masculine noun	du pain	some bread
de la	feminine noun	de la confiture	some jam
de l'	a noun starting with a vowel or silent h	de l'eau	some water
des	any plural noun	des frites	some chips

The negative rule — everything becomes 'de'. After a negative (ne... pas), all four forms collapse into a single de (or d' before a vowel):

Je mange du pain (I eat bread) → Je ne mange pas de pain (I don't eat bread).
Je bois de l'eau (I drink water) → *Je ne bois pas **d'*eau (I don't drink water).

Partitive vs general — a key contrast.

J'aime le chocolat — I like chocolate (in general → use le/la/les).
Je mange du chocolat — I eat some chocolate (an amount → use the partitive du).

Worked mini-example. "For breakfast I have some bread, some jam and some coffee." The nouns are le pain (m), la confiture (f), le café (m): Au petit-déjeuner, je prends du pain, de la confiture et du café.

'Some' must be said in French — you cannot drop it as in English.
du (m), de la (f), de l' (vowel), des (plural).
After ne... pas, all forms become de / d': pas de pain, pas d'eau.
Use le/la/les for likes in general; use the partitive for an amount you eat/drink.

The four key verbs — manger, boire, prendre, aimer

These four verbs carry almost every food sentence; prendre is what you order with.

Four verbs do most of the work in this topic. Two are regular-ish and two are irregular, so learn the irregular ones (boire, prendre) as set patterns.

manger (to eat) — a regular -er verb (with a spelling tweak in nous):

French	Pronunciation	English
je mange	zhuh monzh	I eat
tu manges	tew monzh	you eat (informal)
il/elle mange	eel/el monzh	he/she eats
nous mangeons	noo mon-ZHON	we eat
vous mangez	voo mon-ZHAY	you eat (formal/plural)
ils/elles mangent	eel/el monzh	they eat

boire (to drink) — irregular, learn it whole:

French	Pronunciation	English
je bois	zhuh bwa	I drink
tu bois	tew bwa	you drink
il/elle boit	eel/el bwa	he/she drinks
nous buvons	noo bew-VON	we drink
vous buvez	voo bew-VAY	you drink
ils/elles boivent	eel/el bwav	they drink

prendre (to take / to have) — irregular, and the verb you really use to order food:

French	Pronunciation	English
je prends	zhuh pron	I take/have
tu prends	tew pron	you take/have
il/elle prend	eel/el pron	he/she takes/has
nous prenons	noo pruh-NON	we take/have
vous prenez	voo pruh-NAY	you take/have
ils/elles prennent	eel/el pren	they take/have

aimer (to like) — regular -er, used for opinions (see the next section). J'aime (I like), tu aimes (you like), il aime (he likes).

Worked mini-example. "At the café I have a coffee and my brother has a tea." Use prendre, not manger: Au café, je prends un café et mon frère prend un thé. In French you 'take' (prendre) a drink when ordering — this is the natural verb in a restaurant or café.

manger (eat) is regular -er, but nous needs the extra e: nous mangeons.
boire (drink) is irregular: je bois, nous buvons, ils boivent.
prendre (take/have) is the natural ordering verb: je prends un café.
aimer (like) is the opinion verb: j'aime, tu aimes, il aime.

The three meals — talking about your day

Le petit-déjeuner, le déjeuner and le dîner, plus how to say what you eat at each.

Cambridge loves to ask what you eat at different times of day, so learn the three meals and a few ready-made sentences.

French	Pronunciation	English
le petit-déjeuner	luh puh-tee day-zhuh-NAY	breakfast
le déjeuner	luh day-zhuh-NAY	lunch
le dîner	luh dee-NAY	dinner
le goûter	luh goo-TAY	(afternoon) snack

To say 'at/for' a meal, use au (= à + le): au petit-déjeuner (at breakfast), au déjeuner (at lunch), au dîner (at dinner).

Useful frame sentences:

Au petit-déjeuner, je mange des céréales et je bois du jus d'orange. (For breakfast, I eat cereal and I drink orange juice.)
À midi, je prends un sandwich à la cantine. (At midday, I have a sandwich in the canteen.)
Le soir, nous mangeons en famille. (In the evening, we eat as a family.)
D'habitude, je mange à sept heures. (Usually, I eat at seven o'clock.)

Notice the time markers — d'habitude (usually), à midi (at midday), le soir (in the evening), le week-end (at the weekend). Adding these makes a basic answer sound far more natural and lifts your mark.

Worked mini-example. "For breakfast I usually eat bread and drink coffee, but at the weekend I eat eggs." Combine a meal word, the partitive, a connective and a time phrase: D'habitude, au petit-déjeuner, je mange du pain et je bois du café, mais le week-end je mange des œufs.

Three meals: le petit-déjeuner (breakfast), le déjeuner (lunch), le dîner (dinner).
Use au (= à + le) to say 'at' a meal: au déjeuner.
Add time markers — d'habitude, à midi, le soir, le week-end — to sound natural.
Mix manger (for food) and boire (for drink) in the same sentence.

Opinions with reasons — where the higher marks live

Say what you like or dislike AND give a reason with a connective.

A reliable formula: opinion verb + food + connective + reason. This is what lifts a Speaking or Writing answer.

A bare opinion (J'aime le poisson — I like fish) is fine, but the marks climb when you add a reason. The reliable formula is:

opinion verb + food + connective + reason

Opinion verbs (strongest to weakest):

French	Pronunciation	English
j'adore	zha-DOR	I love
j'aime	zhem	I like
je n'aime pas	zhuh nem pa	I don't like
je déteste	zhuh day-TEST	I hate
je préfère	zhuh pray-FAIR	I prefer

Reasons — describe the food with c'est (it is) + adjective:

French	Pronunciation	English
c'est délicieux	seh day-lee-SYUH	it's delicious
c'est bon	seh bon	it's good/tasty
c'est mauvais	seh mo-VEH	it's bad/horrible
c'est sucré	seh sew-KRAY	it's sweet
c'est sain	seh san	it's healthy
c'est dégoûtant	seh day-goo-TON	it's disgusting

Connectives that link opinion to reason:

parce que (because) — the most important one.
mais (but) — J'aime le poisson mais je déteste la viande.
et (and), aussi (also/too), quand (when).

Worked mini-example. Build a two-part opinion: "I love fruit because it's healthy, but I hate vegetables because it's disgusting." → J'adore les fruits parce que c'est sain, mais je déteste les légumes parce que c'est dégoûtant. Two opinions, two reasons, two connectives — exactly the range examiners reward.

Formula: opinion verb + food + connective + reason.
Opinion verbs: j'adore, j'aime, je n'aime pas, je déteste, je préfère.
Reasons use c'est + adjective: c'est délicieux, c'est sain, c'est dégoûtant.
The key connective is parce que (because); also use mais, et, aussi, quand.

In the café — ready-to-use ordering phrases

A handful of set phrases lets you order, ask the price and pay politely.

Role-plays in a café or restaurant come up regularly. You do not need to invent grammar — a small set of fixed, polite phrases covers almost every situation. Politeness markers (s'il vous plaît, merci) matter, and you should use vous (formal 'you') with a waiter.

Ordering:

French	Pronunciation	English
Je voudrais...	zhuh voo-DREH	I would like...
Je prends...	zhuh pron	I'll have...
Pour moi, ...	poor mwa	For me, ...
Vous avez... ?	voo-za-VAY	Do you have...?
..., s'il vous plaît	seel voo PLEH	..., please

Asking the price and paying:

French	Pronunciation	English
C'est combien ?	seh kom-BYAN	How much is it?
Ça coûte combien ?	sa koot kom-BYAN	How much does it cost?
L'addition, s'il vous plaît.	la-dee-SYON	The bill, please.
Merci beaucoup.	mair-SEE bo-KOO	Thank you very much.

What a waiter (le serveur / la serveuse) might say to you:

Vous désirez ? (What would you like?)
Et comme boisson ? (And to drink?)
C'est tout ? (Is that all?)

Mini role-play.

Serveur: Bonjour, vous désirez ? (Hello, what would you like?)
Vous: Bonjour. Je voudrais un sandwich au fromage, s'il vous plaît. (Hello. I'd like a cheese sandwich, please.)
Serveur: Et comme boisson ? (And to drink?)
Vous: Je prends un coca. C'est combien ? (I'll have a cola. How much is it?)

Worked mini-example. Notice un sandwich au fromage (a cheese sandwich): the au (= à + le) is how French says 'a ... with' a flavour — une glace à la vanille (a vanilla ice cream), une tarte aux pommes (an apple tart). Learn these little au / à la / aux flavour phrases as fixed chunks.

Order with Je voudrais... (I'd like) or Je prends... (I'll have), plus s'il vous plaît.
Ask the price with C'est combien ? and pay with L'addition, s'il vous plaît.
Use vous (formal) with a waiter; add merci / merci beaucoup.
Flavours use au / à la / aux: sandwich au fromage, glace à la vanille, tarte aux pommes.

Memorise this

Verbatim phrases and definitions Cambridge mark schemes credit.

Food: le pain (bread), le fromage (cheese), la viande (meat), la pomme (apple), les légumes (vegetables), les frites (chips).
Drink: l'eau (water), le lait (milk), le jus d'orange (orange juice), le café (coffee), le thé (tea).
Partitive: du pain, de la confiture, **de l'**eau, des frites; negative → pas de / pas d'.
Verbs: je mange (I eat), je bois (I drink), je prends (I'll have), j'aime (I like).
Meals: le petit-déjeuner, le déjeuner, le dîner; au petit-déjeuner...
Opinions: j'adore / j'aime / je n'aime pas / je déteste / je préfère.
Reasons: c'est délicieux / bon / sain / dégoûtant.
Connectives: parce que (because), mais (but), et (and), aussi (also).
Café: Je voudrais..., L'addition, s'il vous plaît., C'est combien ?

How it’s examined

Food and drink is a high-frequency Everyday Activities theme across all four Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 papers.

Paper 1 (Listening): You will hear people ordering, shopping for food, or saying what they eat. You must catch the partitive (du, de la, des), quantities, and opinion words. Mishearing j'aime vs je n'aime pas changes the answer completely.
Paper 2 (Reading): Menus, recipes, café reviews and messages about meals appear. Knowing the vocabulary and the au / à la / aux flavour phrases (tarte aux pommes) helps you match items and opinions.
Paper 3 (Speaking): The café/restaurant role-play is a classic, and the conversation often turns to food preferences. Examiners reward correct vous with a waiter, ready-made ordering phrases, and opinions with reasons (parce que).
Paper 4 (Writing): Tasks ask you to describe meals, a special meal, or your eating habits. Higher bands need a range of opinions, reasons and connectives, correct partitive articles, and accurate verb forms (je mange, je bois, je prends).

Examiner reports note that candidates lose marks by dropping the partitive ('je mange pain'), by giving bare opinions with no reason, and by using tu instead of vous in the café role-play.

Sources: Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 Syllabus 2025-2027; Cambridge 0520 Paper 3 (Speaking) & Paper 4 (Writing) Specimen 2025-2027; Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports 2022-2024. Last reviewed 2026-06-02.

Master this Topic

Worked examples, formulae, definitions and the mistakes examiners flag — everything you need to push from a pass to an A*.

Take this whole topic with you

Download a branded revision sheet — worked examples, formulae, definitions and common mistakes for Food and drink, ready to print or save as PDF.

Step-by-step worked examples — Food and drink

Step-by-step solutions to past-paper-style questions on food and drink, written exactly the way a tutor would explain them at the board.

1Choose the correct word for 'some' (du / de la / de l' / des)
Getting started
Question
Complete each gap with du, de la, de l' or des: Je mange ___ pain, ___ confiture et ___ frites, et je bois ___ eau. (I eat some bread, some jam and some chips, and I drink some water.)
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Find the gender/number of each noun. le pain (m), la confiture (f), les frites (plural f), l'eau (starts with a vowel).
2. Step 2
  Match the partitive to each. Masculine → du; feminine → de la; plural → des; vowel start → de l'.
3. Step 3
  Fill the gaps: du pain, de la confiture, des frites, de l'eau.
Answer
Je mange du pain, de la confiture et des frites, et je bois de l'eau.
Examiner tip
Dropping the partitive ('je mange pain') is one of the most common Paper 4 errors in Cambridge 0520. Remember: English can omit 'some', French cannot. Decide gender/number first, then pick du / de la / de l' / des.
2Make a food sentence negative (the 'de' rule)
Building confidence
Question
Make this sentence negative: Je mange de la viande et je bois du coca. (I eat meat and I drink cola → I don't eat meat and I don't drink cola.)
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Wrap the verb in ne... pas. je mange → je ne mange pas; je bois → je ne bois pas.
2. Step 2
  Apply the negative rule: after ne... pas, the partitive (du, de la, de l', des) all become de (or d' before a vowel). So de la viande → de viande, du coca → de coca.
3. Step 3
  Rebuild the sentence with the changed articles.
Answer
Je ne mange pas de viande et je ne bois pas de coca. (Both de la and du become plain de after the negative.)
Examiner tip
The 'partitive → de after a negative' rule is tested in both Reading and Writing. Many candidates keep du/de la by mistake (je ne mange pas du viande). The only exception you might meet is after être, but for ordinary eating/drinking verbs the rule is reliable.
3Use manger, boire and prendre in one answer
Building confidence
Question
Write a sentence saying: 'At breakfast I eat bread, I drink coffee, and my sister has an orange juice.' Use manger, boire and prendre correctly.
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Eat → manger. First person: je mange. Add the partitive: je mange du pain.
2. Step 2
  Drink → boire (irregular). First person: je bois. Add the partitive: je bois du café.
3. Step 3
  Order/have → prendre (irregular). Third person: elle prend. With a drink we use prendre: ma sœur prend un jus d'orange.
4. Step 4
  Add the meal phrase au petit-déjeuner at the front and join with et.
Answer
Au petit-déjeuner, je mange du pain, je bois du café et ma sœur prend un jus d'orange.
Examiner tip
Mixing the verbs correctly shows range. boire and prendre are irregular, so learn je bois / elle prend by heart. Note ma sœur takes the il/elle form prend (no -s, silent d).
4Build a two-part opinion with reasons
Stretch
Question
Write a high-scoring opinion: say you love fruit (give a reason) but hate fish (give a different reason). Use two different opinion verbs, two reasons and a connective.
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  First opinion + reason. J'adore les fruits (I love fruit) + parce que c'est sain (because it's healthy).
2. Step 2
  Contrast with a connective. Use mais (but) to switch to the negative opinion.
3. Step 3
  Second opinion + reason. je déteste le poisson (I hate fish) + parce que c'est dégoûtant (because it's disgusting).
4. Step 4
  Check agreement. les fruits keeps the plural article les; le poisson keeps le (a general opinion, so no partitive here).
Answer
J'adore les fruits parce que c'est sain, mais je déteste le poisson parce que c'est dégoûtant.
Examiner tip
This single sentence shows two opinion verbs, two reasons, the connective mais, and parce que twice — exactly the range that moves a Writing or Speaking answer into the higher band. Examiner reports repeatedly say bare opinions ('j'aime le poisson') with no reason cap the mark.
5Complete a café role-play politely
Stretch
Question
Respond to the waiter in French. Waiter: Bonjour, vous désirez ? — You want to order a cheese sandwich and a cola, then ask for the price. Use vous and polite phrases.
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Greet and order the food. Start with Bonjour and use Je voudrais... (I'd like). A cheese sandwich is un sandwich au fromage (au = à + le).
2. Step 2
  Add the drink. Use Je prends... (I'll have) for the cola: je prends un coca.
3. Step 3
  Stay polite. Add s'il vous plaît — note vous, because you are speaking to a waiter you don't know.
4. Step 4
  Ask the price. Use C'est combien ? (How much is it?).
Answer
Bonjour. Je voudrais un sandwich au fromage et je prends un coca, s'il vous plaît. C'est combien ? (Hello. I'd like a cheese sandwich and I'll have a cola, please. How much is it?)
Examiner tip
The role-play rewards correct register (vous, not tu), ready-made phrases (Je voudrais, s'il vous plaît, C'est combien ?), and the flavour phrase au fromage. Using tu with a waiter, or forgetting s'il vous plaît, costs marks for appropriateness.

Model Answers — Food and drink

High-scoring sample answers for food and drink on the Cambridge IGCSE 0520 paper, with examiner-style notes mapping each response to the mark scheme and assessment objectives.

Question 1
Paper 4 (Writing) style. Décris ce que tu manges et bois pendant une journée typique. (Describe what you eat and drink during a typical day.) Write 4-5 sentences.
Model answer
D'habitude, au petit-déjeuner, je mange du pain avec de la confiture et je bois du jus d'orange. (Usually, for breakfast, I eat bread with jam and I drink orange juice.)

À midi, je prends un sandwich au fromage et une salade à la cantine. (At midday, I have a cheese sandwich and a salad in the canteen.)

Le soir, nous mangeons en famille : souvent du poulet avec des légumes. (In the evening, we eat as a family: often chicken with vegetables.)

J'adore le chocolat parce que c'est délicieux, mais je n'aime pas les légumes parce que c'est mauvais ! (I love chocolate because it's delicious, but I don't like vegetables because they're horrible!)
Why this scores
Why this scores. It uses all three meals, the partitive correctly (du pain, de la confiture, des légumes), three different verbs (manger, boire, prendre), time markers (d'habitude, à midi, le soir), and a clear opinion with a reason using parce que and mais. The flavour phrase au fromage and à la cantine add natural range.
Question 2
Paper 3 (Speaking) style. The examiner asks: Qu'est-ce que tu aimes manger, et pourquoi ? (What do you like to eat, and why?). Give a model spoken answer.
Model answer
Alors, j'adore les pâtes parce que c'est vraiment délicieux et c'est facile à préparer. (So, I love pasta because it's really delicious and it's easy to prepare.)

Je préfère les plats sucrés ; par exemple, j'aime beaucoup le gâteau au chocolat. (I prefer sweet dishes; for example, I really like chocolate cake.)

Par contre, je n'aime pas le poisson parce que je trouve que ça a un goût bizarre. (On the other hand, I don't like fish because I find it has a strange taste.)
Why this scores
Why this scores. It opens with a discourse marker (Alors), gives opinions with reasons (parce que), shows range with je préfère, par contre (on the other hand) and je trouve que (I find that), and includes an intensifier (vraiment). This variety is what lifts a Speaking answer beyond the basic band.
Question 3
Paper 4 (Writing) style. Write a short message to a friend telling them what to buy for a picnic (un pique-nique). 2-3 sentences.
Model answer
Salut ! Pour le pique-nique, tu peux acheter du pain, du fromage et des fruits, s'il te plaît ? (Hi! For the picnic, can you buy some bread, some cheese and some fruit, please?)

Moi, j'apporte de l'eau et des chips. (I'll bring some water and some crisps.)

Je n'aime pas la viande, donc on ne prend pas de jambon ! (I don't like meat, so let's not get any ham!)
Why this scores
Why this scores. It uses the partitive accurately across genders (du pain, du fromage, des fruits, de l'eau) and shows the negative rule (pas de jambon). With a friend it correctly switches to tu and s'il te plaît (informal register), and links ideas with donc (so). Matching register to audience is an assessed skill.

Key Definitions and Keywords — Food and drink

Definitions to memorise and the exact keywords mark schemes credit for food and drink answers — sharpened from recent examiner reports for the 2026 0520 sitting.

le pain
Examiner keyword
Bread (masculine noun). Learn it with its article le; the partitive is du pain (some bread).
Example
Je mange du pain au petit-déjeuner. (I eat bread for breakfast.)
l'eau (f)
Examiner keyword
Water (feminine noun starting with a vowel). The partitive is de l'eau (some water).
Example
Je bois de l'eau. (I drink water.) Negative: Je ne bois pas d'eau.
L'article partitif (du / de la / de l' / des)
Examiner keyword
The partitive article meaning 'some'. du (masculine), de la (feminine), de l' (before a vowel), des (plural). After a negative all become de / d'.
Example
du pain, de la confiture, de l'eau, des frites → negative: pas de pain.
manger
Examiner keyword
To eat. A regular -er verb: je mange, tu manges, il mange, nous mangeons, vous mangez, ils mangent.
Example
Je mange une pomme. (I eat an apple.)
boire
Examiner keyword
To drink (irregular): je bois, tu bois, il boit, nous buvons, vous buvez, ils boivent.
Example
Nous buvons du jus d'orange. (We drink orange juice.)
prendre
Examiner keyword
To take / to have — the verb used to order food (irregular): je prends, il prend, nous prenons, ils prennent.
Example
Je prends un café, s'il vous plaît. (I'll have a coffee, please.)
j'adore / j'aime / je déteste
Examiner keyword
Opinion verbs about food: j'adore (I love), j'aime (I like), je n'aime pas (I don't like), je déteste (I hate). Followed by the article: j'aime le chocolat.
Example
J'adore le fromage mais je déteste le poisson. (I love cheese but I hate fish.)
parce que
Examiner keyword
The connective 'because', used to add a reason to an opinion — the single most mark-earning connective in this topic.
Example
J'aime les fruits parce que c'est sain. (I like fruit because it's healthy.)
Je voudrais...
'I would like...' — the polite phrase for ordering or requesting. From the verb vouloir (to want).
Example
Je voudrais un thé, s'il vous plaît. (I'd like a tea, please.)
L'addition, s'il vous plaît.
'The bill, please.' — the set phrase to ask to pay in a café or restaurant, using the formal vous.
Example
L'addition, s'il vous plaît. C'est combien ? (The bill, please. How much is it?)

Common Mistakes and Misconceptions — Food and drink

The traps other students keep falling into on food and drink questions — taken from recent Cambridge IGCSE 0520 examiner reports and mark schemes — and how to avoid them.

✕Dropping the word for 'some' (writing 'je mange pain')
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy
Why it happens
English often leaves out 'some' ('I eat bread'), so beginners assume French does too.
How to avoid it
French always needs the partitive. Decide the noun's gender/number first, then add du (m), de la (f), de l' (vowel) or des (plural): je mange du pain.
✕Keeping du / de la after a negative (writing 'je ne mange pas du pain')
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)
Why it happens
Learners apply the positive partitive everywhere and miss the negative rule.
How to avoid it
After ne... pas, all partitives collapse to de (or d' before a vowel): je ne mange pas de pain, je ne bois pas d'eau.
✕Using manger (to eat) for drinks or for ordering (saying 'je mange un café')
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 3 (Speaking)
Why it happens
Beginners learn manger first and use it for everything food-related.
How to avoid it
Use boire for drinks (je bois de l'eau) and prendre for ordering (je prends un coca). Reserve manger for solid food.
✕Giving an opinion with no reason (just 'j'aime le poisson')
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Papers 3 & 4
Why it happens
Candidates answer the question literally without developing it, so the response stays at a basic level.
How to avoid it
Always add a reason with parce que and c'est + adjective: j'aime le poisson parce que c'est délicieux. A reason is what unlocks the higher bands.
✕Using tu instead of vous with a waiter in the café role-play
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 3 (Speaking), appropriateness
Why it happens
Beginners learn tu first and use it for everyone, missing the formal/informal distinction.
How to avoid it
Use vous with anyone you don't know, especially in a service situation, and match it with s'il vous plaît (not s'il te plaît).
✕Guessing the gender of food nouns (saying 'la pain' or 'le pomme')
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy
Why it happens
Food genders don't match any English logic, so learners guess.
How to avoid it
Learn each noun with its article as one chunk: le pain, la pomme, le fromage, la viande. Test yourself by recalling the article, not just the word.

Past paper style quiz

Get a report showing which sub-topics you've nailed and which ones still need work.

Food and drink

Detailed Notes

What you’ll learn

How it’s examined

1Choose the correct word for 'some' (du / de la / de l' / des)

2Make a food sentence negative (the 'de' rule)

3Use manger, boire and prendre in one answer

4Build a two-part opinion with reasons

5Complete a café role-play politely

le pain

l'eau (f)

L'article partitif (du / de la / de l' / des)

manger

boire

prendre

j'adore / j'aime / je déteste

parce que

Je voudrais...

L'addition, s'il vous plaît.

✕Dropping the word for 'some' (writing 'je mange pain')

✕Keeping du / de la after a negative (writing 'je ne mange pas du pain')

✕Using manger (to eat) for drinks or for ordering (saying 'je mange un café')

✕Giving an opinion with no reason (just 'j'aime le poisson')

✕Using tu instead of vous with a waiter in the café role-play

✕Guessing the gender of food nouns (saying 'la pain' or 'le pomme')

Past paper style quiz