Look at these examples:
Ma mère a fait les courses samedi matin.
My mum went food shopping on Saturday morning
Elodie a fait du shopping avec sa mère. / Elodie a fait les magasins avec sa mère.
Elodie went shopping with her mum.
In French, you have more than one way to say "to go shopping", depending on the context:
"Faire les courses"
This expression refers exclusively to food and utilities shopping, like going to the supermarket.
Basically, any "not leisure" shopping!
"Faire les magasins/Faire du shopping"
These expressions both refer to the pleasure side of shopping, such as clothes, entertainment shopping. "Faire du shopping" is more commonly used in speech.
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
faire les courses
Ma mère a fait les courses samedi matin.
My mum went food shopping on Saturday morning
Je ne fais jamais les courses
I never go food shopping
faire les magasins / faire du shopping
Avec mes copines, on va faire du shopping ce weekend.
With my girlfriends, we're going shopping this weekend.
Elodie a fait du shopping avec sa mère. / Elodie a fait les magasins avec sa mère.
Elodie went shopping with her mum.
J'adore faire les magasins! / J'adore faire du shopping!
I love to go shopping!
Q&A
Chris
Kwiziq community member
19/12/18
Because le future proche (the near future tense) is formed by aller + infinitive.
Je vais faire le ménage.
Tu vas faire le ménage.
Il va faire le ménage.... and so on.
Melisa
Kwiziq community member
20/12/18
Thank you, Chris. If I've had le future proche lessons before, I've forgotten them, so I'm off to brush up!
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
30/05/18
Hi Steven,
Strictly speaking 'faire les courses' and 'faire les magasins' is to go shopping, the first one normally relating to food and essentials and the second one more for department stores and boutiques.
'Faire du shopping' is an addition to our vocabulary and to me means to go to the shops, not necessarily with the intention of buying. There is another expression meaning the same thing 'faire du lèche-vitrine' (to go window-shopping) which uses 'du' too. Maybe that's the reason?
Hope this helps!
DeAnna
Kwiziq community member
6 May 2018
1 reply
Faire les course v. Faire des courses
I learned that the difference here is:
faire les courses = grocery shopping
faire des courses = running errands (still not leisure shopping but includes things like pharmacy, dry cleaning, dog to groomer etc.j
Is this correct?
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
7/05/18
Hi D,
'Faire les courses' is to go shopping, usually for grocery but not exclusively it will be in the shops you find on the high street. You would use 'faire des courses' if you had some shopping to do.
e.g. "Demain, je fais les courses et on part en weekend ..."
"J'ai des (quelques) courses à faire ce matin. Je dois passer au supermarché et à la pharmacie...."
Hope this helps!
Aaron
Kwiziq community member
18 August 2017
2 replies
Pour ceux qui visitent le Canada, ici, on dit « magasiner » au lieu de « faire du shopping » :)
Ron
Kwiziq community member
20/08/17
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
23/08/17
[to Ron: "Merci de nous avoir donné cette information."
See lesson:
https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/revision/grammar/how-to-use-merci-de-pour-to-say-thank-you-for ]
Bonne journée !
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
11/07/16
Patti
Kwiziq community member
5 February 2019
1 reply
Faire les courses
I don't know if this is important, but in English (at least, American) we don't usually say "food shopping" but "grocery shopping". =)
Chris
Kwiziq community member
5 February 2019
5/02/19
I guess this is just used as a simple way to illustrate the meaning of the two french terms "faire les courses" and "faire les magasins".