Pop Quiz!
Turn this English sentence into French.
I learnt how to bake banana oat cookies.
Just a heads up, I'm not a professional teacher, but rather another learner. The information I share might not be entirely accurate.
Which sentence do you think is correct?
J’ai appris à préparer des biscuits avec la banane et les flocons d’avoine.
J’ai appris à préparer des biscuits à la banane et les flocons d’avoine.
Are there any of you who used ‘avec’, because it is cookies with banana and oat?
I chose the #1 because logically it makes sense with avec instead of à. And of course, the answer is… COULD BE BOTH! depending on the context.
I asked my first go-to, ChatGPT:
Here are some key points to understand why "à" is used instead of "avec":
Primary Characteristic or Flavor [à]: "À" is often used to highlight the main ingredient or characteristic flavour of a dish. For example, "tarte aux pommes" (apple pie) or "soupe à l'oignon" (onion soup). In your example, "biscuits à la banane et aux flocons d'avoine," it indicates that banana and oats are the key ingredients.
Ingredients or Accompaniment [avec]: "Avec" simply means "with" and is used in a more general sense. It can indicate to list of the ingredients that are included in the preparation. It functions to indicate the components that are used in making the dish but are not the defining characteristic in the name of the dish. For example, "un café avec du sucre" (a coffee with sugar) indicates that sugar is included but isn't the defining feature of the coffee.
In summary:
- "À": Used to denote the primary characteristic, flavour, or main component that defines the dish.
- "Avec": Used to list the ingredients or accompaniments in the preparation of the dish.
Here are extra exercises for you and me 😆
This is an oatmeal dish with gingerbread cookies.
(Il s'agit d'un plat de flocons d'avoine avec des biscuits de pain d'épices.)
Gingerbread cookies are made with ground cinnamon, eggs and all-purpose flour.
(Les biscuits au pain d'épices sont préparés avec de la cannelle moulue, des œufs et de la farine tout usage.)
[Pain au chocolat] or [Pain avec chocolat]
I am sure you got all correct and understand the difference in using avec and à ⭐ Happy learning!