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How to Say ‘Before or after meals?’ in French

Avant ou après les repas ?

a-VAHN oo ah-preh leh ruh-PAH

[a-VAHN oo ah-preh leh ruh-PAH]

🇫🇷 In France: Asking this is expected, not fussy. French doctors and pharmacists are used to patients checking timing with meals.

Phrase Breakdown

Avant ou après

a-VAHN oo ah-preh

Before or after

Link 'avant' and 'ou' with a light 't': 'a-vahn-too-a-preh'.

Example

Avant ou après le film ?

Before or after the movie?

Words in this phrase

Avant

[a-VAHN]

before

Means earlier in time, previously.

Example

Avant, je tombais beaucoup.

Before, I fell a lot.

[oo]

Links two alternatives.

Example

Midi ou soir ?

Lunch or evening?

après

[ah-preh]

after

Following in time or order.

Example

Après le dîner, nous avons discuté.

After dinner, we talked.

les repas ?

leh ruh-PAH

meals?

'Repas' is pronounced 'ruh-pa', with a silent 's'. Raise your voice at the end for the question.

Example

Les repas sont servis à midi.

Meals are served at noon.

Words in this phrase

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

Je bois de l'eau pendant les repas.

I drink water during meals.

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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