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Voici un couvert avec une fourchette et une cuillère à soupe.

Voici un couvert avec une fourchette et une cuillère à soupe.
Here is a place setting with a fork and a soup spoon.
From Lesson 379:Purpose vs. contents prepositions (à vs. de)·French

Questions & Answers about Voici un couvert avec une fourchette et une cuillère à soupe.

Why do we use à in cuillère à soupe instead of de?
This is the exact difference between purpose and contents! You use à to show what the object is designed for. A cuillère à soupe is an empty spoon meant for eating soup. If you said une cuillère de soupe, it would mean a spoonful of soup (the actual liquid contents).
Does un couvert mean a cover here?
Not in this context. In dining, un couvert means a place setting or the set of cutlery for one person. You will also hear restaurants use it to count the number of guests, like asking for a table for four: une table de quatre couverts.
Why is there no article before soupe in cuillère à soupe?
When we use à to connect two nouns to describe purpose, the second noun acts like a category rather than a specific object. Because we are not talking about a specific bowl of soup, just the general concept, the article is dropped.
How would I apply this rule to say teaspoon?
You would use the exact same grammar structure! In French, a teaspoon is called une cuillère à café (literally, a coffee spoon), because its general purpose is for stirring coffee or tea.

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