déjeuner

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have lunch, eat lunch, lunch, have breakfast, eat breakfast
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/de.ʒœ.ne/
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Eating or naming a daily meal, with the time of that meal changing by region and a few specialised uses built around its setting.
Practice using déjeuner in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • Le Déjeuner montre des fruits, du pain et une cafetière.
    The Luncheon painting shows fruit, bread, and a coffee pot.
  • En Suisse, le déjeuner est prêt dès sept heures.
    In Switzerland, breakfast is ready from seven o'clock.
  • Après le déjeuner, nous ferons une promenade.
    After lunch, we will go for a walk.
  • Il a offert un déjeuner peint à la main.
    He gave a hand-painted cup-and-saucer set.
  • Ils ont préparé un déjeuner froid pour le voyage.
    They prepared a cold lunch for the journey.

Similar words

petit déjeuner
prendre son petit déjeuner
repas
repas du matin
lunch
petit-déjeuner
scène de repas
manger à midi
manger le matin
se restaurer

Meanings

Eat the midday meal

verb
food
neutral
To eat the main meal taken around noon, whether at home, at work, or in a restaurant.

Examples

  • Nous déjeunons vers midi au bureau.
    We have lunch around noon at the office.
  • Elle a déjeuné avec une cliente hier.
    She had lunch with a client yesterday.
  • On peut déjeuner en terrasse aujourd'hui.
    We can have lunch outside today.
  • Il déjeune souvent d'une salade légère.
    He often has a light salad for lunch.
  • Après avoir déjeuné, ils sont retournés au musée.
    After having lunch, they went back to the museum.

Similar words

manger à midi
prendre son repas
se restaurer
casser la croûte

Eat the morning meal

verb
food
neutral
In Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec, and some parts of France, to eat the first meal of the day.

Examples

  • En Belgique, nous déjeunons avant de partir à l'école.
    In Belgium, we have breakfast before leaving for school.
  • Elle déjeune avec du pain et du café chaque matin.
    She has breakfast with bread and coffee every morning.
  • Tu as déjà déjeuné ce matin ?
    Have you already had breakfast this morning?
  • Au Québec, les enfants déjeunent tôt.
    In Quebec, the children eat breakfast early.
  • Nous avons déjeuné avant le lever du soleil.
    We had breakfast before sunrise.

Similar words

prendre son petit déjeuner
petit-déjeuner
manger le matin
rompre le jeûne

Midday meal

noun
food
neutral
In France and much of modern French usage, the meal eaten around the middle of the day, including the food served at it.

Examples

  • Le déjeuner est servi à treize heures.
    Lunch is served at one o'clock.
  • J'ai réservé une table pour le déjeuner.
    I booked a table for lunch.
  • Ce déjeuner d'affaires a duré deux heures.
    This business lunch lasted two hours.
  • Après le déjeuner, nous ferons une promenade.
    After lunch, we will go for a walk.
  • Ils ont préparé un déjeuner froid pour le voyage.
    They prepared a cold lunch for the journey.

Similar words

repas de midi
lunch
repas
dîner

Morning meal

noun
food
neutral
In Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec, and some parts of France, the first meal of the day, called petit déjeuner in most of France.

Examples

  • En Suisse, le déjeuner est prêt dès sept heures.
    In Switzerland, breakfast is ready from seven o'clock.
  • Son déjeuner se compose de fruits et de yaourt.
    Her breakfast consists of fruit and yogurt.
  • Au Québec, j'ai pris mon déjeuner avant huit heures.
    In Quebec, I ate breakfast before eight.
  • Les enfants finissent leur déjeuner avant l'école.
    The children finish their breakfast before school.
  • Un bon déjeuner donne de l'énergie pour la matinée.
    A good breakfast gives you energy for the morning.

Similar words

petit déjeuner
repas du matin
déjeuner matinal

Cup and saucer set

noun
tableware
technical
A matched cup and saucer, sometimes with other small pieces, made for serving the morning meal.

Examples

  • Elle collectionne les déjeuners en porcelaine.
    She collects porcelain breakfast sets.
  • Ce déjeuner comprend une tasse et sa soucoupe.
    This breakfast set includes a cup and its saucer.
  • Le musée expose un déjeuner du dix-huitième siècle.
    The museum displays an eighteenth-century breakfast set.
  • Il a offert un déjeuner peint à la main.
    He gave a hand-painted cup-and-saucer set.
  • Le déjeuner assorti complète le service à thé.
    The matching breakfast set completes the tea service.

Similar words

tasse et soucoupe
service à déjeuner

Meal scene in art

noun
art
technical
A painting or other picture that represents a meal, its food, or the people and objects around the table.

Examples

  • Ce Déjeuner représente une famille autour d'une table.
    This Luncheon painting shows a family around a table.
  • Le peintre a intitulé son tableau Le Déjeuner.
    The painter titled his picture The Luncheon.
  • Le Déjeuner montre des fruits, du pain et une cafetière.
    The Luncheon painting shows fruit, bread, and a coffee pot.
  • Dans ce Déjeuner, la lumière tombe sur la nappe.
    In this meal scene, light falls across the tablecloth.
  • Le catalogue décrit le Déjeuner comme une scène intime.
    The catalog describes the Luncheon as an intimate scene.

Similar words

scène de repas
nature morte de table

Etymology

From Old French desjeuner, built from des- and jeûner, literally “to stop fasting.” It first named the morning meal that broke the overnight fast. From the 19th century, usage in much of France shifted toward the midday meal.

FAQ

What does déjeuner mean in French?

Déjeuner usually means lunch or to have lunch in France. In Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec, and some French regions, it can mean breakfast or to have breakfast.

Is déjeuner breakfast or lunch?

Both are correct, depending on region. It normally means lunch in France and breakfast in Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec, and some parts of France.

How is déjeuner pronounced?

Déjeuner is pronounced /de.ʒœ.ne/ in standard French, with three syllables.

Is déjeuner a noun or a verb?

Déjeuner is both a masculine noun and a regular -er verb.

Does déjeuner take a circumflex?

No. The modern spelling is déjeuner, unlike jeûne and jeûner, which keep the circumflex.

Where does déjeuner come from?

Déjeuner comes from Old French desjeuner, literally meaning to stop fasting.

What is the plural of déjeuner?

The regular plural is déjeuners.

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