What does “mamie” mean in French?
Risotto aux crevettes crémeux comme chez mamie
A2 French listening practice · French from France · Picked for people who know a little
This recipe promises a shrimp risotto “crémeux comme chez mamie,” “creamy like at granny’s.” Mamie is the affectionate French word for grandmother, the cosy counterpart to the formal grand-mère. Its partner is papi (grandpa), and you’ll meet the regional variant mémé as well. Calling a recipe la recette de mamie instantly promises homemade, old-fashioned comfort.
French food culture treasures la cuisine de grand-mère, and the clip even credits “une mamie italienne.” So mamie carries more than a person: it’s a flavour of nostalgia and unhurried home cooking. Rule of thumb: children say mamie and papi straight to their grandparents, while grand-mère and grand-père stay more formal or written.
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this A2 French listening practice video?
How common in written French
How common in spoken French
Harder words in this video
These words are harder than A2. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · Lexique 3.83 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸French children calling to their grandmother: “Mamie!”
- ▸On French cooking blogs and channels promising “comme chez mamie”
- ▸In French ads selling nostalgic, traditional flavours
- ▸Alongside papi, mémé, and pépé in French family talk
- ▸In recipe titles like le gâteau de mamie on sites such as Marmiton