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How to Say ‘Before meals, with a glass of water.’ in French

Avant les repas, avec un verre d'eau.

a-VAHN leh ruh-PAH ah-vek uhn vair dee oh

[a-VAHN leh ruh-PAH ah-vek uhn vair dee oh]

Phrase Breakdown

Avant les repas,

a-VAHN leh ruh-PAH

Before meals,

This says when to take the medicine. Pause slightly at the comma.

Example

Prenez-le avant les repas.

Take it before meals.

Words in this phrase

Avant

[a-VAHN]

before

Means earlier in time, previously.

Example

Avant, je tombais beaucoup.

Before, I fell a lot.

les

[leh]

the

Used before plural nouns to denote particularity.

Example

Les années passent vite.

The years pass quickly.

repas

[ruh-PAH]

meals

Times when food is eaten; same form in singular and plural.

Example

Les repas sont à midi et le soir.

Meals are at noon and in the evening.

avec un verre d'eau.

ah-vek uhn vair dee oh

with a glass of water.

Link 'avec' and 'un': 'a-vek-uhn'. 'D'eau' sounds like 'doh'.

Example

Un café avec un verre d'eau.

A coffee with a glass of water.

Words in this phrase

avec

[ah-vek]

with

A preposition indicating accompaniment or association.

Example

Je suis avec elle.

I am with her.

[uhn]

a / one

Indefinite article used before a masculine singular noun.

Example

Un café peut être une bonne occasion de discuter.

A coffee can be a good opportunity to talk.

verre

[vair]

glass

A drinking container made from glass.

Example

Un verre de vin est sur la table.

A glass of wine is on the table.

[dee]

Used to indicate possession or connection.

Example

Le livre d'un ami.

The book of a friend.

eau

[oh]

water

Feminine noun for water.

Example

L'eau est froide.

The water is cold.

Guides for French learners

The Most Common French Verbs: the 20 You'll Actually UseThe 20 most common French verbs, with the present-tense forms you need, real example sentences with native audio, and two shortcuts for past and future.Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.

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