Le lait is the most common and direct way to say “milk” in French. But what if you're at a café and want oat milk in your coffee, or you're at the grocery store looking for skim milk?

As you navigate the world of French cuisine and daily life, you'll discover there's more than one way to talk about this dairy staple.

Let's pour over the nine essential ways to say 'milk' in French to make your conversations and shopping trips a breeze!

1. The standard 'milk' – le lait

The standard, go-to word for “milk” in French is le lait. It's one of the most fundamental vocabulary words you'll need for daily activities like grocery shopping or ordering at a café.

Crucially, lait is a masculine noun. This means you must always use masculine articles with it, such as le (the) or un (a). It is pronounced roughly like 'leh', with a silent 't' at the end.

When you want to say 'some milk' or refer to an unspecified amount, you use the partitive article du. For example, Je voudrais du lait translates to 'I would like some milk.' This is extremely common when ordering drinks or buying food.

You will frequently see le lait paired with other words to describe different types. Common examples include:

• lait entier: whole milk
• lait demi-écrémé: semi-skimmed milk (2%)
• lait écrémé: skim milk
• lait d'amande: almond milk
• lait de soja: soy milk

One of the most famous French café orders is the café au lait, which literally means 'coffee with milk.' You'll also see it in culinary contexts, such as chocolat au lait (milk chocolate) or in reference to cheese made from raw milk, fromage au lait cru.

💡 * Je bois du lait tous les matins pour le petit-déjeuner.

• Pouvez-vous ajouter un peu de lait dans mon thé, s'il vous plaît ?
• Nous n'avons plus de lait, il faut en acheter.
• Le bébé boit du lait maternel.
• Un café au lait et un croissant, s'il vous plaît.

The 'whole milk' – le lait entier

When looking for 'whole milk' in France, the term you need is le lait entier.

The phrase translates literally, making it easy to remember. Le lait means 'the milk' and the adjective entier means 'whole' or 'entire'.

Notice that entier is the masculine form of the adjective, which correctly agrees with the masculine noun le lait. This agreement is a fundamental rule in French grammar.

You'll use this term most often at the grocery store (au supermarché) or when ordering a coffee. It signifies milk with its full, natural fat content, typically around 3.5%.

In the dairy aisle, you'll find le lait entier alongside its counterparts: le lait demi-écrémé (semi-skimmed milk, the most common type in France) and le lait écrémé (skimmed milk).

Due to its richness, le lait entier is often preferred for cooking and baking in French cuisine, forming the base for creamy sauces like béchamel and classic desserts such as clafoutis or crème pâtissière.

💡 * Je bois toujours mon café avec du lait entier.

• Pour faire une bonne sauce béchamel, il faut du lait entier.
• Pouvez-vous me dire où se trouve le lait entier, s'il vous plaît ?
• Le yaourt fait avec du lait entier est plus crémeux.

The 'skim milk' – le lait écrémé

When you're looking for skim milk in a French supermarket, the term you need is le lait écrémé. This is the standard and most common way to refer to milk with the lowest fat content.

Let's break down the term. Lait is the French word for 'milk.' The adjective écrémé comes from the verb écrémer, which means 'to skim' or 'to remove the cream.' Therefore, le lait écrémé literally translates to 'skimmed milk'.

An important grammatical point is that lait is a masculine noun. This is why it is preceded by the masculine definite article le and the adjective écrémé is in its masculine form. You will always use masculine agreements with it, such as du lait écrémé.

You will find le lait écrémé clearly labeled on milk cartons, often with a specific color code (like green in many brands) to distinguish it from semi-skimmed (demi-écrémé) and whole milk (entier). When ordering a coffee, you can specify your preference by asking for un café au lait écrémé.

💡 * Je bois toujours du lait écrémé le matin.

• Pourriez-vous me donner une bouteille de lait écrémé, s'il vous plaît ?
• Ce yaourt est fait avec du lait écrémé.
• Je ne trouve pas le lait écrémé dans ce rayon.

The 'semi-skimmed milk' – le lait demi-écrémé

The 'semi-skimmed milk' – le lait demi-écrémé

Le lait demi-écrémé literally translates to 'half-skimmed milk'. It's the standard, everyday milk for many French households, similar to 2% milk in North America.

Let's break it down: lait means 'milk', demi means 'half', and écrémé means 'skimmed' (from crème, meaning cream). Together, it describes milk from which half the cream has been removed.

In a French grocery store, you'll typically find it alongside le lait entier (whole milk) and le lait écrémé (skimmed milk). Knowing this term is essential for navigating the dairy aisle.

💡 * Je bois mon café avec du lait demi-écrémé tous les matins. (I drink my coffee with semi-skimmed milk every morning.)

• Pourriez-vous me passer la bouteille de lait demi-écrémé, s'il vous plaît ? (Could you please pass me the bottle of semi-skimmed milk?)
• Il ne reste plus de lait demi-écrémé, il faut en racheter. (There is no semi-skimmed milk left, we need to buy more.)
• La plupart des gens en France achètent du lait demi-écrémé. (Most people in France buy semi-skimmed milk.)

The 'raw milk' – le lait cru

The 'raw milk' – le lait cru

Le lait cru literally translates to 'raw milk.' It refers to milk that has not been pasteurized or homogenized, meaning it comes straight from the cow, goat, or sheep.

This term is incredibly important in French gastronomy, particularly for cheese (fromage). Many of France's most famous and protected cheeses are designated as 'au lait cru,' which is considered a mark of traditional quality and flavor.

When shopping in a fromagerie (cheese shop) or market, you will see cheeses labeled 'au lait cru.' This indicates they are made with unpasteurized milk, which contributes to a more complex and intense flavor profile compared to cheeses made with pasteurized milk (lait pasteurisé).

If you want to experience the authentic taste of many regional French cheeses, look for the phrase 'au lait cru' on the label. Just be aware that it is often advised for certain groups, like pregnant women, to avoid these products.

💡 * Je cherche un bon fromage au lait cru.

• Est-ce que ce Reblochon est fait à partir de lait cru ?
• Le goût du lait cru est plus prononcé.
• On trouve du lait cru en vente directe à la ferme.

The 'powdered milk' – le lait en poudre

The French term for 'powdered milk' is a direct and straightforward translation: le lait en poudre. It's a compound noun combining lait (milk) and poudre (powder).

Literally translating to 'milk in powder', le lait en poudre refers to dehydrated milk. Its main advantage is its long shelf life and the fact that it doesn't require refrigeration, making it a staple pantry item for specific uses.

While fresh milk (le lait frais) and UHT milk (le lait UHT) are the norms for daily drinking in France, le lait en poudre is widely available and used. You'll find it most often as an ingredient in baking (pâtisserie), cooking, for baby formula, or kept for emergencies and activities like camping.

As a French learner, you are most likely to encounter le lait en poudre when reading a recipe or looking at an ingredients list on a food product. Knowing this term is particularly useful for anyone who enjoys baking or needs to navigate a French supermarket for specific pantry items.

💡 * Pour faire ce gâteau, il faut ajouter deux cuillères de lait en poudre.

• N'oublie pas d'acheter du lait en poudre pour le camping.
• La liste des ingrédients mentionne du lait en poudre écrémé.
• On peut reconstituer le lait en mélangeant le lait en poudre avec de l'eau.

The 'condensed milk' – le lait concentré

The French term for 'condensed milk' is le lait concentré. This literally translates to 'concentrated milk' and refers to cow's milk from which water has been removed. It is crucial to distinguish between the two main types: lait concentré sucré (sweetened condensed milk) and lait concentré non sucré (unsweetened condensed milk, similar to evaporated milk).

In France, le lait concentré sucré is a staple in many pantries, often sold in tubes or cans. It's a popular ingredient for desserts like confiture de lait (dulce de leche) and is famously enjoyed by children (and adults!) as a sweet spread on bread (tartines) or eaten directly from the tube. The unsweetened version is commonly used as a creamer in coffee or as an ingredient in savory sauces.

The term le lait concentré is a masculine noun phrase. This is because the core noun, lait (milk), is masculine in French. Therefore, it is always preceded by masculine articles like le or un.

💡 * Pour cette recette de flan, il faut une boîte de lait concentré sucré. (For this flan recipe, you need a can of sweetened condensed milk.)

• Mon père ajoute un peu de lait concentré non sucré dans son café du matin. (My father adds a little unsweetened condensed milk to his morning coffee.)
• N'oublie pas d'acheter un tube de lait concentré pour le goûter des enfants. (Don't forget to buy a tube of condensed milk for the children's snack.)
• La texture de ce gâteau est très onctueuse grâce au lait concentré. (The texture of this cake is very creamy thanks to the condensed milk.)

The 'soy milk' – le lait de soja

The French term for 'soy milk' is le lait de soja.

This phrase literally translates to 'the milk of soy'. The word lait (milk) is masculine, so it always uses the article le. The preposition de is used to indicate what the milk is made from, in this case, soja (soy).

You will use le lait de soja when ordering drinks at a café or when shopping for groceries. It is the standard and most common term for soy milk.

This construction, lait de + ingredient, is used for other plant-based milks as well. For instance, almond milk is le lait d'amande, and oat milk is le lait d'avoine.

💡 * Je voudrais un latte avec du lait de soja, s'il vous plaît.

• Est-ce que ce gâteau contient du lait de soja ?
• Au supermarché, je dois acheter du lait de soja pour mon petit-déjeuner.
• De plus en plus de cafés à Paris proposent le lait de soja comme alternative.

1. The French for 'Almond Milk': Le Lait d'Amande

The French term for 'almond milk' is a direct and literal translation: le lait d'amande. Let's break it down: lait means 'milk' and amande means 'almond'. The preposition d' (a contraction of de) means 'of' or 'from'. So, you are literally saying 'the milk of almond'. This de construction is very common in French to describe what something is made of, like jus d'orange (orange juice) or confiture de fraises (strawberry jam).

It's crucial to remember the gender of nouns in French. Lait is a masculine noun, so the entire phrase le lait d'amande is masculine. You will always use masculine articles and agreements with it, such as le (the), un (a), or du (some). For example, you would say le lait d'amande est bon (the almond milk is good), not *la lait d'amande est bonne.

Just as in English-speaking countries, plant-based milks have become very popular in France. You can easily find lait d'amande in any supermarché (supermarket) and request it in many coffee shops. When ordering, you might say, Un café au lait d'amande, s'il vous plaît (A coffee with almond milk, please).

💡 * Je voudrais un cappuccino avec du lait d'amande, s'il vous plaît.

• Est-ce que vous vendez du lait d'amande bio ?
• Le lait d'amande est une excellente alternative au lait de vache.
• J'ai acheté du lait d'amande pour faire des crêpes.

Are there other ways to say 'milk' in French?

Are there other ways to say “milk” in French?

Our list features the most common ways to say “milk” in French, focusing on the essential word lait. However, as a country famous for its cuisine and dairy, France has many specific terms for different milk products you might encounter.

You can expand your vocabulary by searching for specific terms like “lait végétal” (plant-based milk) or by looking up the names of famous French dairy products like cheeses and yogurts.

You might find many related words on French culinary blogs or in recipes. Before using a new term, always check its definition to see if it refers to cow's milk, a different type of milk, or a processed dairy product like cream (crème).

Pay attention when you visit a French supermarché (supermarket) or order a coffee at a café. Reading labels and menus is a fantastic real-world way to learn how the French talk about milk.

And if you’re looking for more words related to milk or dairy in French, a great online dictionary like WordReference or Larousse is an excellent place to start exploring.

I hope this article was useful for your French learning journey. Now you're ready to order your next chocolat chaud or café au lait with confidence. Bonne continuation! (Happy learning!)