Se gâter vs. s'avarier vs. pourrir
The French verbs se gâter, s'avarier, pourrir, and se périmer all relate to food going bad, but they focus on different aspects of the spoiling process. Choosing the right word depends on whether the food is passing its expiration date, biologically decaying, getting damaged in commercial transit, or simply losing its overall freshness.
Se gâter
B1The verb se gâter is the most general and common way to say that food or drink is starting to spoil, lose its freshness, or go bad. It is an everyday term used when something is no longer good to eat, though it can also be used figuratively to describe weather or situations turning bad.
La viande va se gâter si tu la laisses sur la table au soleil.
(The meat will spoil if you leave it on the table in the sun.)
Mange ces fraises avant qu'elles ne se gâtent.
(Eat these strawberries before they go bad.)
Avec cette chaleur insupportable, le lait s'est gâté en quelques heures.
(With this unbearable heat, the milk went bad in a few hours.)
Le temps va se gâter cet après-midi avec l'arrivée de l'orage.
(The weather is going to turn bad this afternoon with the arrival of the storm.)
Je crains que ce poisson ne se gâte pendant le long trajet en voiture.
(I am afraid this fish will spoil during the long car ride.)
S'avarier
C1The verb s'avarier is a more formal or technical term for food going bad, frequently used in commercial contexts, shipping, or industrial storage. It emphasizes that goods, especially perishables like meat or grain, have suffered damage or decay and are no longer fit for sale.
La cargaison de blé s'est avariée à cause de l'humidité dans la cale du navire.
(The wheat cargo spoiled due to humidity in the hold of the ship.)
Le boucher a dû jeter toutes les marchandises qui s'étaient avariées.
(The butcher had to throw away all the merchandise that had gone bad.)
Si le congélateur du supermarché tombe en panne, la nourriture va s'avarier.
(If the supermarket freezer breaks down, the food will spoil.)
Les conserves mal fermées à l'usine risquent de s'avarier très rapidement.
(Improperly sealed canned goods at the factory risk spoiling very quickly.)
Il est strictement interdit de vendre des denrées qui se sont avariées.
(It is strictly forbidden to sell foodstuffs that have spoiled.)
Pourrir
B2The verb pourrir means to rot, decay, or putrefy. It describes the actual physical and biological decomposition of organic matter, often involving mold, bad smells, or a mushy texture.
Les pommes oubliées au fond du réfrigérateur ont commencé à pourrir.
(The apples forgotten at the back of the refrigerator started to rot.)
L'odeur prouve que les restes de poulet sont en train de pourrir dans la poubelle.
(The smell proves that the chicken leftovers are rotting in the trash can.)
Si on arrose trop cette plante d'intérieur, ses racines vont finir par pourrir.
(If we water this indoor plant too much, its roots will eventually rot.)
L'inondation a fait pourrir la charpente en bois de la vieille maison.
(The flood caused the wooden framework of the old house to rot.)
Il a laissé pourrir les légumes dans le jardin au lieu de les récolter.
(He let the vegetables rot in the garden instead of harvesting them.)
Summary
To summarize, use se gâter for the general everyday process of food losing its freshness and going bad. Choose s'avarier in formal or commercial settings when shipped or stored goods become damaged and unfit for consumption. Pick pourrir to explicitly describe the physical biological rotting or decaying of organic matter. Finally, use se périmer when referring strictly to an item passing its legally printed expiration date, regardless of its actual physical state.