By the end of this lesson you'll know when French people usually eat, how a full meal is organized, what happens with the bread, and what to expect if you're invited to someone's home.
Three meals, and a snack
You know the names of the meals from the lesson on food and drink. Here's roughly how they work in France. Habits vary from one family to another, but these are the broad patterns.
Le petit déjeuner is usually light and often sweet: coffee, tea or hot chocolate, with bread and butter or jam, or cereal. A big cooked breakfast is unusual.
Le déjeuner is usually eaten somewhere between noon and two o'clock. Many schools and workplaces have a proper lunch break, and many people still sit down to a real meal.
Le dîner is usually eaten between about half past seven and nine.
Children often have a fourth moment in the day, le goûter: an afternoon snack after school, often bread with chocolate, or a biscuit and some fruit.
The order of a meal
On a normal weekday, a family dinner can be a single dish. But a full French meal, at a restaurant or on a special occasion, follows a set order.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| l'apéro | lah-pay-ROH | pre-dinner drinks and snacks |
| l'entrée | lahn-TRAY | the starterFeminine: une entrée. |
| le plat principal | luh plah pran-see-PAHL | the main course |
| le dessert | luh day-SEHR | dessert |
The order is usually: apéro, entrée, plat principal, cheese, dessert, and sometimes a coffee at the end. Notice that cheese comes before dessert, and after the main course.
Voici l'entrée, et voici le plat principal.
Here's the starter, and here's the main course.
Le fromage, c'est avant le dessert.
Cheese comes before dessert.
The apéro
L'apéro, short for l'apéritif, is a French institution. Before a meal with friends, people have a drink, often with olives, crisps or small snacks. It can last a good while, and it's a social event in its own right. If you're invited pour l'apéro, you may be there only for drinks, not a full meal.
Bread
Bread is on the table at almost every meal, and the classic loaf is la baguette. Many people still buy it fresh from la boulangerie, often on the way home.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| le goûter | luh goo-TAY | the afternoon snack |
| la baguette | lah bah-GET | the baguette |
| la boulangerie | lah boo-lahn-zhuh-REE | the bakery |
| la table | lah TAH-bluh | the table |
At the table, your piece of bread normally sits directly on the table, next to your plate. There's usually no side plate. Break off a piece with your hands instead of cutting it with a knife.
La baguette, c'est à la boulangerie.
You get baguettes at the bakery.
At the table
If you're eating with French people, a few small habits are useful. Keep your hands visible, with your wrists resting on the edge of the table, not in your lap. Wait until everyone is served before you begin.
The two phrases you'll hear most are these:
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| À table ! | ah TAH-bluh | Dinner's ready! Come and sit down! |
| Bon appétit ! | boh-nah-pay-TEE | Enjoy your meal! |
À table ! C'est le dîner !
Come and sit down! It's dinner time!
Merci, et bon appétit !
Thank you, and enjoy your meal!
A meal is also a moment for talking, so don't be surprised if it takes a long time. Getting up and leaving as soon as your plate is empty can seem rude. If you're invited, you might see the lesson on politeness and la bise for how to arrive and greet people.
What's next
Next, the lesson on clothes, colours and prices takes you from the table to the shops. If you haven't done it yet, the lesson on du, de la and des shows how to say you're having some of each course.