French Phrase
Des fruits avec une cuillerée de crème.
Meaning
Literally ‘Fruit with a spoonful of cream.’ It describes a simple, fresh fruit dish that is finished with a small amount of cream, often served as a light dessert or snack.
When to use
Use this phrase when you’re describing a plate of fruit at a café, ordering a fruit‑and‑cream dessert, or talking about a healthy snack you prepared at home.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Desfruitsavecunecuilleréedecrème
Des (partitive article)
‘Des’ is the plural partitive article used before a non‑specific quantity of countable nouns, similar to ‘some’ in English.
avec (preposition)
‘avec’ means ‘with’ and links two nouns to indicate accompaniment.
une cuillerée (noun)
‘cuillerée’ is a diminutive of ‘cuillère’, meaning ‘a spoonful’; it’s feminine and takes the article ‘une’.
de (partitive after quantity)
When a noun follows a quantity word like ‘une cuillerée’, the preposition ‘de’ replaces the partitive ‘des’.
crème (noun)
‘crème’ is a feminine noun meaning ‘cream’; note the accent grave on the ‘e’.
🗨In Conversation
Je voudrais un bol de fruits avec une cuillerée de crème, s’il vous plaît.
I would like a bowl of fruit with a spoonful of cream, please.
Bien sûr, voici votre dessert. Vous aimez la crème fraîche ou la crème fouettée?
Sure, here’s your dessert. Do you prefer fresh cream or whipped cream?
✕Common Mistakes
Des fruits avec une cuillère de crème.
‘Cuillère’ means ‘spoon’; to express ‘a spoonful’ you need the diminutive ‘cuillerée’.
Des fruits avec une cuillerée des crème.
After a quantity word you must use ‘de’, not the partitive ‘des’.
Des fraises avec une cuillerée de crème.
If you refer to a specific type of fruit, you can replace ‘fruits’ with the name, but keep the article ‘des’ for a non‑specific amount.
↔Alternatives
Des fruits avec une cuillère de crème.
Fruit with a spoon of cream.
Des fruits servis avec une petite cuillerée de crème.
Fruit served with a small spoonful of cream.
Un mélange de fruits et d’une cuillerée de crème.
A mix of fruit and a spoonful of cream.
Cultural Tip
In France, fresh seasonal fruit is often enjoyed simply, sometimes with a dollop of crème fraîche or lightly sweetened whipped cream. Unlike the heavy, sugary toppings common in some other countries, the French preference is for a modest amount that highlights the fruit’s natural flavor. In cafés, you’ll frequently see ‘fruits de saison avec une cuillerée de crème’ on the menu, especially in the summer.