Learn Hardcore French: Nous achetons une baguette chaude pour le déjeuner.

For je, tu, il/elle, ils/elles, the e in the stem gets a grave accent: achèt-.
For nous and vous, there is no accent: acheton-, achetez.
The ending -ons is the normal nous ending in the present: parler → nous parlons, finir → nous finissons, acheter → nous achetons.

So acheteons would be incorrect because French never inserts an extra e before the -ons ending for this verb.

What is the difference between nous achetons and on achète?

Both can mean we buy or we are buying.

nous achetons
- More formal or neutral.
- Common in writing, careful speech, and when being precise or polite.
on achète
- Very common in everyday spoken French.
- Grammatically on means one or people in general, but in speech it is often used as we.
- The verb stays in the 3rd person singular: on achète, not on achetons.

In casual conversation, French speakers often prefer on achète instead of nous achetons.

Why is it une baguette and not la baguette?

Une is the indefinite article (a/an), while la is the definite article (the).

une baguette = a baguette (one baguette, not specified which one)
la baguette = the baguette (a specific baguette that both speakers know about)

In this sentence, you are introducing a baguette you are buying, not referring to a particular one already identified, so French naturally uses une baguette, just like English uses a baguette here.

Why is baguette feminine? How do I know its gender?

In French, every noun has a grammatical gender: masculine or feminine. Baguette happens to be feminine, so you use une baguette, not un baguette.

How to know the gender:

You usually have to memorize the gender when you learn a new noun.
Dictionaries always show gender:
- baguette n. f. (f = féminin)
A common learning trick:
- Always learn the noun with its article: une baguette, un livre.

There are some patterns (for example, many nouns ending in -ette are feminine), but there are many exceptions, so checking a dictionary is safest.

Why is it chaude and not chaud?

Chaud is the masculine form of the adjective; chaude is the feminine form.

baguette is feminine → the adjective must agree in gender and number.
Feminine singular of chaud is formed by adding -e: chaud → chaude.

So:

un pain chaud (masculine: bread)
une baguette chaude (feminine: baguette)

Adjectives in French change to match the noun in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).

Why does chaude come after baguette? Could it be une chaude baguette?

Most French adjectives normally go after the noun:

une baguette chaude (a hot baguette)
une voiture rouge (a red car)
un film intéressant (an interesting film)

A small group of very common adjectives (often called BANGS: Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness, Size) usually go before the noun, like:

un petit livre (a small book)
une bonne idée (a good idea)

Chaud(e) is not one of those; it usually goes after the noun.
Une chaude baguette is grammatically possible but sounds unusual and would feel poetic or emphatic; the neutral, natural order is une baguette chaude.

Does chaude mean “hot” or “warm”? Is there a difference from tiède?

Chaud(e) generally covers both hot and warm, depending on context. It simply means the temperature is comfortably or noticeably above normal.

une baguette chaude: a fresh baguette that is still warm or hot from the oven.
une boisson chaude: a hot drink (coffee, tea, etc.)

If you specifically want to say lukewarm or only slightly warm, you use tiède:

de l’eau tiède: lukewarm water.

So chaude is stronger than tiède, and can be understood as hot or warm depending on the situation.

Why is it pour le déjeuner and not pour déjeuner? Are both possible?

Both are possible, and both are used.

pour le déjeuner
- Literally: for the lunch.
- Sounds a bit more specific: for that meal (today’s lunch, or a particular lunch).
pour déjeuner
- Literally: in order to have lunch / for eating at lunchtime.
- Uses déjeuner as a verb infinitive (to have lunch).

In practice, both pour le déjeuner and pour déjeuner can translate as for lunch, and both sound natural.
Your sentence with pour le déjeuner is completely correct and normal.

Why is it le déjeuner and not du déjeuner or au déjeuner?

Here le déjeuner is the name of the meal in general: lunch.

pour le déjeuner = for lunch (for that meal).
du déjeuner would normally mean of the lunch or some of the lunch (partitive sense), which does not fit this sentence.
au déjeuner would translate as at lunch, used more for things that happen during lunch:
- Nous parlons au déjeuner. (We talk at lunch.)

So pour le déjeuner matches the English idea for lunch (for the lunch meal).

How do you pronounce Nous achetons une baguette chaude? Are there any liaisons or silent letters?

Approximate pronunciation in IPA: [nu zaʃ.tɔ̃ yn ba.gɛt ʃod]

Key points:

nous: [nu] (final s is silent here).
achetons: [aʃ.tɔ̃];
- ch → [ʃ] (like sh in she)
- final -ons → nasal sound [ɔ̃], so you don’t clearly pronounce n.
Liaison: nous achetons is usually pronounced with liaison: [nu zaʃ.tɔ̃].
une: [yn].
baguette: [ba.gɛt]; final e pronounced [ɛ], final -tte pronounced [t].
chaude: [ʃod]; final e is not pronounced, but it makes d fully pronounced (not silent).

No liaison between baguette and chaude in normal speech: [ba.gɛt ʃod].

Can nous achetons mean we are buying (right now) and we buy (in general), like in English?

Yes. French present tense nous achetons can express several ideas that English separates:

We buy (habitual action)
- Nous achetons une baguette tous les jours.
  We buy a baguette every day.
We are buying (action happening now)
- Nous achetons une baguette maintenant.
  We are buying a baguette now.
We are going to buy (near future, sometimes)
- Demain, nous achetons une baguette.
  Tomorrow, we’re buying a baguette.

French also has nous allons acheter for a clear we are going to buy, but plain present nous achetons already covers several of these meanings, depending on context.

How would the sentence change if we bought more than one baguette? How do plural forms work here?

To say We are buying some hot baguettes for lunch, you would say:

Nous achetons des baguettes chaudes pour le déjeuner.

Changes:

une (a) → des (some) for plural indefinite.
baguette → baguettes (add -s).
chaude → chaudes:
- Feminine plural (because baguettes is feminine plural).
- Add -s to the feminine form.

Spoken French usually does not pronounce the plural -s, so chaude and chaudes sound the same in isolation, but the grammar still requires the -s.

Could I say Nous achetons une baguette chaude pour midi instead of pour le déjeuner?

Yes, that is also possible and natural.

pour le déjeuner = for lunch (for the lunch meal).
pour midi = for noon / for around midday.

In everyday speech, pour midi often implies for lunchtime, so Nous achetons une baguette chaude pour midi would usually be understood as We are buying a hot baguette for lunch, with a focus on the time (around noon) rather than explicitly naming the meal.

Is déjeuner only a noun here, or can it also be a verb?

In your sentence, le déjeuner is clearly a noun (the lunch).

But déjeuner can also be a verb meaning to have lunch:

Nous déjeunons à midi. = We have lunch at noon.
On va déjeuner au restaurant. = We’re going to have lunch at the restaurant.

So:

As a noun: le déjeuner (the lunch).
As a verb: déjeuner (to have lunch).

In pour le déjeuner, it’s the noun form.