Is Yaourt singular or plural?

Question

What is the best translations for 'They love yoghurt' a)  'Ils adorent le yaourt' or  b)   'Ils adorent les yaourts'.  If yaourt is replaced with for example 'cereale' would the same principle/s apply?

Accepted Answer

Hi Andrea, 
The best translation for 'They love yoghurt ' is -
Ils adorent les yaourts 
It's the same for cereals-
Ils adorent les céréales, le matin au petit déjeuner = They love cereals for breakfast in the morning
With verbs like 'aimer' adorer' préférer' you will use the definite article-
Some singular use will be chocolate, honey which you cannot quantify -
Ils adorent le miel, le chocolat, le sucre vanillé, le riz = They love honey, chocolate, vanilla sugar, rice
but interestingly you will say :
Les enfants adorent les pâtes = Children love pasta
Hope this helps!

Answer

Yaourt is singular form. Les/des yaourts plural.

If you are referring to breakfast cereal, it is an anglicisme used in the plural form in French - les céréales.

For grains, céréale for the singular, céréales for the plural.