French Phrase
Les deux se font à feu vif.
Meaning
Both items are cooked quickly over a high flame. In a recipe this tells the cook to sauté or stir‑fry the two ingredients at a strong, direct heat.
When to use
Use this sentence in cooking instructions, kitchen conversations, or when describing how two dishes should be prepared in a French‑style recipe.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Lesdeuxsefontàfeuvif
Les deux
A quantifier meaning ‘both’. It agrees in gender and number with the nouns it refers to.
se faire (se font)
Reflexive verb used here in the passive sense: ‘are made/are done’. Conjugated in third‑person plural.
à feu vif
A fixed expression meaning ‘over high heat’. ‘Feu’ is masculine; ‘vif’ stays unchanged.
🗨In Conversation
Les deux se font à feu vif, alors surveille bien la poêle.
Both are cooked over high heat, so keep an eye on the pan.
D’accord, je les remuerai toutes les 30 secondes.
Okay, I’ll stir them every 30 seconds.
✕Common Mistakes
Les deux se font à feu lent.
‘Feu lent’ is not used; the correct opposite of ‘feu vif’ is ‘feu doux’ (low heat).
Le deux se fait à feu vif.
Learners often confuse ‘se font’ with ‘se font’ (they are the same spelling) but may mistakenly use ‘se font’ with a singular subject. The verb must agree with the plural ‘les deux’.
Les deux se font à feu vif.
If you want to emphasize the cooking method rather than the result, you can use ‘cuissent’ instead of ‘se font’. Both are correct, but ‘se font’ sounds more like a recipe instruction.
↔Alternatives
Les deux cuisent à feu vif.
Both cook over high heat.
Les deux sont cuits à feu vif.
Both are cooked on high heat.
On les fait cuire à feu vif.
We cook them on high heat.
Cultural Tip
In French cuisine, ‘feu vif’ is the go‑to term for a quick sauté or stir‑fry. It implies a short cooking time and a constant stirring to avoid burning. The phrase is common in professional kitchens and in home‑cooking recipes alike, especially for vegetables, seafood, or thin cuts of meat.