French word

congeler

Pronunciation

IPA/kɔ̃ʒəle/

Meaning

  • verbfreeze

Example

Je congèle du pain pour la semaine.

I freeze some bread for the week.

Illustration for congeler (freeze)

More examples

J'ai congelé les restes pour demain.

I froze the leftovers for tomorrow.

Core concept

Cold turns a liquid into a hard mass of ice, or keeps food solid and preserved in a freezer.

Common phrases

  • congeler des aliments

    freeze food

  • congeler des légumes

    freeze vegetables

  • congeler la viande

    freeze meat

Similar words

geler: To become solid when a liquid turns to ice.
surgeler: To freeze food rapidly to help preserve its quality.
glacer: To cover a surface with ice or a thin frozen layer.
conserver: To preserve food by preventing spoilage and extending its usable life.

Definition in French

Transformer un liquide en solide par le froid ou conserver des aliments en les plaçant au congélateur.

Word origin

French congeler comes from Latin congelare, built on gelare 'to freeze' and related to gelu 'ice'.

Usage tips

  • In the present tense, the stem changes e to è before a silent ending: je congèle, but nous congelons.

Opposites

  • décongelerthawverb

Related words

Word lists with this word