French · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 21
Faire les coursesShopping
Doing the shopping. Shop vocabulary: l'euro, le prix, acheter, vendre, le magasin, le marché, le supermarché, payer, dépenser, chercher. Key point: after « vouloir » (already seen) or « avoir besoin de », the second verb stays in the INFINITIVE, never conjugated: « Je veux acheter du pain », « J'ai besoin de payer » — NOT « Je veux achète ». « Avoir besoin DE » keeps the « de » before a noun (« J'ai besoin d'argent ») as before a verb.
Dialogue
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
Je veux achète / Je veux acheter
- LucasMike, de quoi as-tu besoin au supermarché ?Mike, what do you need at the supermarket?
- MikeJe veux achète du pain.I want to buy bread. (slip: after vouloir the verb stays infinitive — say "Je veux acheter du pain")
- Lucas« Je veux acheter » — le second verbe reste à l'infinitif."Je veux acheter" — the second verb stays in the infinitive.
- MikeAh, je veux acheter du pain et j'ai besoin d'acheter des fruits.Ah, I want to buy bread and I need to buy fruit.
Dialogue
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
Au marché— At the Market
- CamilleLucas, on va au marché ?Lucas, shall we go to the market?
- LucasOui, j'ai besoin d'acheter des fruits. Tu veux payer ?Yes, I need to buy fruit. Do you want to pay?
- CamilleD'accord. Je veux acheter du pain aussi.OK. I want to buy bread too.
- LucasAu marché, on vend de très bons fruits.At the market they sell very good fruit.
Vocabulary
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
- euro
n.m.euro (m)
- prix
n.m.price (m)
- acheter
verbto buy
- vendre
verbto sell
- magasin
n.m.shop, store (m)
- marché
n.m.market (m)
- supermarché
n.m.supermarket (m)
- payer
verbto pay
- dépenser
verbto spend (money)
- chercher
verbto look for
Grammar
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
vouloir / avoir besoin de + infinitive
Explanation
When two verbs follow each other, only the FIRST is conjugated; the second stays in the INFINITIVE. After « vouloir » (already seen: je veux, tu veux, il veut, nous voulons, ils veulent): « Je veux acheter », « Tu veux payer? ». English speakers sometimes conjugate both: « Je veux achète » ✗ → « Je veux acheter » ✓. For « avoir besoin » (to have a need), you always add « de »: « J'ai besoin DE payer », « J'ai besoin D'argent ». The « de » becomes « d' » before a vowel. « Faire les courses » = to do the shopping; « faire du shopping » = to go shopping. In the shop: « Je cherche… », « C'est combien? ».
Examples
- Je veux acheter du pain.I want to buy bread.
- J'ai besoin d'acheter des fruits au marché.I need to buy fruit at the market.
- Tu veux payer maintenant ?Do you want to pay now?
- Au marché, on vend des fruits.At the market they sell fruit.
Want to actually learn this — with audio, spaced repetition and progress tracking?
Study in the app →