We’re all learning French for different reasons – for some it’s the love of foreign languages, for others it’s a necessity for work. And some of us are learning French to help us pursue a passion that is famously part of French culture… food and drink!
Pronouncing names of expensive wines and understanding the waiter’s spiel in a Michelin-starred restaurant is one side of the coin, but it’s just as important to be able to order a coffee and pastry from a kerbside bistro. This blog will cover some need-to-know words, expressions and phrases for conversations around the topic of dining out in French. Are you hungry to learn? Let’s eat!
It’s worth noting that this blog is about the in-person conversations you might encounter when eating out. If you’re looking to make a reservation by phone, we recommend first reading our blog about speaking on the phone.
If you’ve picked a spot where you’d like to stop off for something to eat or drink, the first thing you’ll need to do is get yourself seated.
Vous avez une table pour deux personnes ? Do you have a table for two?
On peut s’installer à la terrasse ? Can we sit outside?
Une table pour quatre personnes s’il vous plaît. A table for four, please.
The verb s’installer is often used for sitting down at a table, rather than s’asseoir, which is the literal verb for sitting down.
Getting the attention of waiting staff in France isn’t usually too difficult, especially at a kerbside café or bistro. In fact, it’s useful to know that these sorts of places don’t normally require you to ask if you can sit down, especially outside. If you take a seat at an empty table outside a café on a Parisian boulevard, a waiter will then usually come to you. But if you do need their attention, you can say ‘Excusez-moi’.
Or if you’re just at a bakery or bistro where you can order at the till (la caisse), with no waiters involved, you might hear them ask you after your order:
Sur place ou à emporter ? Eat-in or takeaway?
To which you can reply simply by repeating your choice.
À emporter, s’il vous plaît. To take away, please
Now let’s talk about ordering the food itself. A lot of cafés and restaurants in France offer a breakfast, lunch or even dinner as a ‘menu’. Now, while la carte is the list of items you can buy individually (you have probably heard the phrase à la carte even in English), le menu is a set combination of items. Often it involves a couple of courses and sometimes a drink, like a coffee (un café) or orange juice (jus d’orange) at breakfast.
Il est à combien, le menu ? How much is the (set) menu?
Je prends le menu A. I’ll take menu A.
Qu’est-ce qu’il y a comme dessert au menu ? What is there for dessert on the set menu?
But in most situations, you will probably be ordering à la carte and know what you want to eat. This is an example of how a conversation with your waiter (A) might go if you (B) are out at a restaurant with your friend (C).
A : Alors, vous êtes prêts à commander ? So, are you ready to order?
B : Oui s’il vous plaît. Bon moi, comme entrée je vais prendre le falafel. Yes please. For me, I’ll take the falafel to start.
A : Et vous ? And for you?
C : Moi je ne prends pas une entrée. I’m not having a starter.
A : D’accord. Et comme plat principal ? OK. And for mains?
B : Je vais prendre le riz marocain. I’ll take the Moroccan rice.
C : Moi pareil. Same for me.
A : Et c’est tout ? Is that everything?
C : Vous avez une carte des vins ? J’aimerais choisir une bouteille. Do you have a wine list? I’d like to choose a bottle.
A : Oui, je vous l’apporterai. Yes, I’ll bring it to you.
C: Merci bien ! Thanks!
Some other bonus phrases you might need in a dining situation include:
Est-ce vous pouvez revenir dans deux minutes ? Je n’ai pas encore décidé. Could you come back in two minutes? I haven’t decided yet.
On a déjà commandé, merci. We’ve already ordered, thanks.
Qu’est-ce qu’il y a dans la sauce ‘maison’ ? What’s in the ‘house’ sauce?
Qu’est-ce qu’il y a comme plats végétariens / végétaliens ? What vegetarian / vegan dishes do you have?
Est-ce qu’il y a des noix / du lait dedans ? Are there nuts in it? / Is there milk in it? (You can replace the food type with your allergy – look for the relevant noun in a English-French dictionary.)
Enjoyed your meal? It’s time to say your thanks and head off – and of course pay the bill!
C’était très bon, merci ! It was very good, thanks!
C’était délicieux ! It was delicious!
L’addition, s’il vous plaît. The bill please.
Gardez la monnaie. Keep the change.
We won’t go into the details of making a payment here, but you can find all of the information you’ll need in our Learning French blog on making a purchase.
We hope that this month’s blog has been a useful start for getting to grips with dining out or ordering food in French. As there are so many different cuisines and things to try, so it’s best to just learn the basics and then get out there and eat – bon appétit !
Written by Holly Tarbet, freelance copywriter and editor.
All opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company, HarperCollins.
