By the end of this lesson you'll be able to order food and drink in a French café, deal with the usual questions from the staff, and ask for the bill.
Start with bonjour
A café order starts the way all French encounters do: with a greeting, as in the greetings lesson. Say bonjour when the waiter arrives, and use vous. Finish each request with s'il vous plaît, and say merci when your order comes.
Saying what you want
Two phrases will do almost everything you need.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je voudrais… | zhuh voo-DREH | I would like…Fixed phrase for now. |
| Je vais prendre… | zhuh veh PRAHN-druh | I'll have…Fixed phrase for now. |
| Pour moi, … | poor MWAH | For me, … |
| s'il vous plaît | seel voo PLEH | please |
Je voudrais is the polite way of saying what you'd like. Je vais prendre means "I'll have", and you'll hear it all the time. Learn both as fixed phrases for now. You'll see how they work in the lesson on pouvoir, vouloir and devoir and the lesson on the near future.
Bonjour, je voudrais un thé, s'il vous plaît.
Hello, I'd like a tea, please.
Pour moi, un café crème.
For me, a coffee with milk.
What's on the menu
You know many food and drink words already. Here are some that are particular to cafés.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| un café | uhn kah-FAY | an espresso, a small black coffee |
| un café crème | uhn kah-fay KREM | a coffee with milk |
| un verre de vin rouge | uhn vehr duh van ROOZH | a glass of red wineFixed phrase for now. |
| un sandwich | uhn sahnd-WEECH | a sandwich |
| une carafe d'eau | ewn kah-RAHF DOH | a jug of tap waterFixed phrase for now. |
| une bouteille d'eau | ewn boo-TAY DOH | a bottle of waterFixed phrase for now. |
The word café can cause surprise. Un café on its own means a small espresso, and that's what you'll be brought. If you want milk, ask for un café crème.
Un or du?
In a café, you usually order one of something, so you use un or une: un café, une bière. If you want an amount of something rather than one portion, use the words from the lesson on du, de la and des.
Je voudrais de l'eau, s'il vous plaît.
I'd like some water, please.
Je vais prendre du pain.
I'll have some bread.
The phrases with un verre de, une carafe d' and une bouteille d' use plain de, with no le or la. Learn them as fixed phrases for now.
What the staff will say
Look out for these phrases, since the server's questions tend to follow the same pattern.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Vous désirez ? | voo day-zee-RAY | What would you like? |
| Et avec ça ? | ay ah-vek SAH | Anything else? |
| C'est tout, merci. | seh too, mehr-SEE | That's all, thank you. |
| L'addition, s'il vous plaît. | lah-dee-SYOHN, seel voo PLEH | The bill, please. |
| Ça fait combien ? | sah feh kohn-BYAN | How much is that?Fixed phrase for now. |
| tout de suite | toot SWEET | right away |
To get someone's attention, make eye contact, or say S'il vous plaît !, or Monsieur ! or Madame !
In France, the bill doesn't usually come until you ask for it. Staff leave you alone so that you can stay at your table as long as you like, and that's considered good service, not bad.
Putting it together
Here's a complete order. Notice how polite and short each line is.
- Bonjour, monsieur. Vous désirez ? (Hello, sir. What would you like?)
- Bonjour. Je vais prendre un sandwich et un jus d'orange, s'il vous plaît. (Hello. I'll have a sandwich and an orange juice, please.)
- Et avec ça ? (Anything else?)
- C'est tout, merci. (That's all, thank you.)
Later:
- L'addition, s'il vous plaît. (The bill, please.)
- Oui, tout de suite. (Yes, right away.)
- Merci, bonne journée ! (Thank you, have a good day!)
What's next
Next, the lesson on French meals and mealtimes explains what happens at a French table. Then the lesson on clothes, colours and prices uses the same polite phrases in a shop.