How to Ask If a Store Has a Specific Item

Learn how to ask if a store has a specific item

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Vocabulary (Review)

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Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Can-Do French by FrenchPod101.com.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask if a store has something in French.

For example, "Do you have any salt?" is

Avez-vous du sel ?

Corentin Collin is at a small grocery store and wants to buy some salt.

He gets the clerk's attention and asks if the store has some salt.

Before you hear the conversation, let's preview some of its key components.

sel

"salt"

sel

ici

"here"

ici

Excusez-moi. Avez-vous du sel ?

Oui, c'est ici.

Once more with the English translation.

Excusez-moi. Avez-vous du sel ?

"Excuse me, do you have any salt?"

Oui, c'est ici.

"Yes, it's here."

Let’s take a closer look at the conversation.

Do you remember how Corentin asks,

"Excuse me, do you have any salt?"

Excusez-moi. Avez-vous du sel ?

Let’s start with Excusez-moi. "Excuse me." Excusez-moi.

First is excusez, meaning, "Excuse." Excusez. Excusez.

Next is moi, "me." Moi. Moi.

Together, Excusez-moi, "Excuse me." Excusez-moi.

Note: You may be familiar with Excuse-moi, the informal form of "Excuse me." In this conversation, Corentin is speaking with someone he doesn’t know, so he uses the formal form, Excusez-moi.

Next is avez, meaning "you have." Avez. Avez.

Avez is from the verb avoir, "to have." Avoir.

After this is vous, "you." Vous. Vous.

Note, vous is the plural form of "you," as in "you all." But here it's the formal way to address a single person. Vous. Vous.

Together, avez-vous is the formal way to say "Do you have…?"

After that is du sel, translating as "any salt" in this context. Du sel.

Translation note: Du sel can translate "some salt" or "any salt" depending on the context. Here, in the question format, "any salt" is a more natural translation.

Let’s start with sel, "salt." Sel. Sel.

In French, all nouns have grammatical gender and are either singular or plural. Sel is masculine and singular — a fact which will determine the form of other words in the sentence.

Before sel is the article du.

Du is masculine and singular to agree with sel.

Du is a contraction of de, meaning “of” and le, meaning “the,” but, think of it like "some" or "any" in English. Du. Du.

Together, du sel translates as "any salt" in this context. Du sel.

All together, Excusez-moi, avez-vous du sel ? "Excuse me, do you have any salt?"

Excusez-moi, avez-vous du sel ?

Let’s take a closer look at the response.

Do you remember how the shop clerk says,

"Yes, it’s here."

Oui, c’est ici.

This starts with Oui, "yes." Oui. Oui.

It answers Corentin 's question,

Excusez-moi, avez-vous du sel ?

"Excuse me, do you have any salt?"

Next is c’est, "it’s." C’est. C’est.

Note, c’est is a contraction of ce, “it,” and est, “is.” C’est is shortened for easier pronunciation.

Est is from the verb être, "to be." Être.

Last is ici, "here." Ici. Ici.

All together, it's Oui, c’est ici. "Yes, it’s here."

Oui, c’est ici.

The pattern is

Avez-vous ITEM?

Do you have ITEM?

Avez-vous ITEM?

To use this pattern, simply replace the ITEM placeholder with the thing you’re looking for and its corresponding article.

Imagine you’re looking for "milk," lait. Lait. Lait.

Lait is masculine and singular.

Before lait is du, translating as "any," in this context. Du.

Du is masculine singular to agree with lait.

Together, du lait. "Any milk." Du lait.

Say, "Do you have any milk?"

Ready?

Avez-vous du lait ?

"Do you have any milk?"

Avez-vous du lait ?

To use the pattern in this lesson, you’ll need to know the number and gender of the thing you’re asking for. Things like milk or salt are uncountable in French and English. You need to use the singular form regardless of quantity.

The conversation introduces du, which agrees with masculine singular nouns; however, there are several more forms of this article, which often translates as "some" or "any."

For a feminine, singular noun, like confiture, jam, use de la. De la confiture, "some jam" or "any jam."

For both masculine, singular and feminine, singular nouns starting with a vowel, use de l’.

De l’argent, "some money" or "any money."

De l’eau, "some water" or "any water."

Things like apples are countable in both French and English. When there’s more than one, you use the plural form.

For both masculine and feminine nouns in the plural, use des. Des pommes, "some apples" or "any apples."

Again, the key pattern is

Avez-vous ITEM?

Do you have ITEM?

Avez-vous ITEM?

Let’s look at some more examples.

Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers.

Avez-vous du sel ?

"Do you have any salt?"

Avez-vous du sel ?

Avez-vous du lait ?

"Do you have any milk?"

Avez-vous du lait ?

Avez-vous du sucre ?

"Do you have any sugar?"

Avez-vous du sucre ?

Avez-vous de la confiture ?

"Do you have any jam?"

Avez-vous de la confiture ?

Avez-vous des pommes ?

"Do you have any apples?"

Avez-vous des pommes ?

Did you notice how the pattern changed?

Avez-vous des pommes ?

"Do you have any apples?"

Avez-vous des pommes ?

Let’s start with pommes, "apples." Pommes. Pommes.

Instead of the singular, the plural is used, because the word for "apple" is countable in French.

In French, all nouns have grammatical gender and are either singular or plural. Pommes is masculine and plural — a fact which will determine the form of other words in the sentence.

Before pommes is the article des.

Des is masculine and plural to agree with pommes.

All together, Avez-vous des pommes ?

"Do you have any apples?"

Avez-vous des pommes ?

Let’s review the key vocabulary.

Lait.

"milk."

Lait. Lait.

Pomme.

"Apple."

Pomme. Pomme.

Sucre.

"Sugar."

Sucre. Sucre.

Confiture.

"Jam."

Confiture. Confiture.

Let's review.

Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speaker, focusing on pronunciation.

Ready?

Do you remember the formal way to say,

"Excuse me."

Excusez-moi.

And how to say "salt?"

sel

Do you remember how to say "any salt?"

du sel

Do you remember how Corentin Collin asks,

"Excuse me, do you have salt?"

Excusez-moi. Avez-vous du sel ?

Do you remember how to say "yes?"

oui

And how to say "here?"

ici

Do you remember how the clerk says,

"Yes, it's here."

Oui, c'est ici.

Do you remember how to say "milk?"

lait

And how to say "any milk?"

du lait

Do you remember how to say "sugar?"

sucre

And how to say "any sugar?"

Du sucre

Do you remember how to say "apple?"

Pomme

And how to say "any apples?"

des pommes

Let's practice.

Imagine you’re Corentin Collin , and you’re at the grocery store. Get the shopkeeper’s attention, and ask if they have any milk, or du lait.

Ready?

Excusez-moi. Avez-vous du lait ?

Oui, c'est ici.

Listen again and repeat.

Excusez-moi. Avez-vous du lait ?

Imagine you’re Constance Collin , and you’re at the grocery store to buy some apples, or des pommes.

Ready?

Excusez-moi. Avez-vous des pommes ?

Oui, c'est ici.

Listen again and repeat.

Excusez-moi. Avez-vous des pommes ?

Let’s try one more.

Imagine you’re Coralie Collin, and you’re at the grocery store to buy some sugar, du sucre.

Ready?

Excusez-moi. Avez-vous du sucre ?

Oui, c'est ici.

Listen again and repeat.

Excusez-moi. Avez-vous du sucre ?

In this lesson, you learned how to ask if a store has something. This plays an essential role in the larger skill of shopping at a grocery store. Let’s review.

Do you remember how to say "please?"

S'il vous plaît.

And how to say "this?"

ceci.

Do you remember how to say "I?"

Je.

Do you remember how to say,

"I would like this, please."

Je voudrais ceci, s'il vous plaît.

And how to say,

"Here you are."

Et voici.

Imagine you're Jack Jones , and you're at a grocery store, and you'd like to buy something located close to the clerk.

Do you remember how to say "this" in French?

ceci

Ask the clerk for "this."

Je voudrais ceci, s'il vous plaît.

Et voici.

Listen again and repeat.

Je voudrais ceci, s'il vous plaît.

You remembered that you also wanted to buy milk

Do you remember how to say "any milk" in French?

du lait

Now ask the clerk if the store has any milk.

Ready?

Excusez-moi. Avez-vous du lait ?

Oui, c'est ici.

Listen again and repeat.

Excusez-moi. Avez-vous du lait ?

Well done! This is the end of this lesson.

In this lesson, you learned how to ask if a store has something, an essential skill for shopping at a grocery store.

Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills.

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