French word

petit-déjeuner

Pronunciation

IPA/pətideʒœne/

Meaning

  • masculine nounbreakfast

Example

Tu veux prendre un petit-déjeuner maintenant ?

Do you want to have breakfast now?

Illustration for petit-déjeuner (breakfast)

More examples

Je prends un petit-déjeuner avant de partir au travail.

I have breakfast before leaving for work.

Core concept

The first meal after waking: a modest spread of coffee or tea, bread or cereal, and sometimes fruit or yogurt.

Common phrases

  • prendre un petit-déjeuner

    have breakfast

  • prendre le petit-déjeuner

    have breakfast

  • au petit-déjeuner

    at breakfast

Similar words

déjeuner: The main meal eaten around midday.
dîner: The main meal eaten in the evening or at night.
petit-déj: An informal term for a light breakfast.
goûter: A light afternoon meal, much like a snack.

Definition in French

Désigne le repas du matin, pris tôt après le réveil et souvent composé d'une boisson chaude, de pain ou de céréales et parfois de fruits ou de yaourt.

Word origin

The expression joins petit with déjeuner, whose Old French form desjeuner came from Latin disieiunare, 'to break a fast'.

Usage tips

  • In standard French, déjeuner usually means lunch, so the morning meal is called petit-déjeuner.

Opposites

Word lists with this word