FlexiLingoIn one line
In a French hotel
une chambre doubleis one double bed, and two separate beds isune chambre à deux lits.
Nouns
Hotel and room
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
l'hôtel (m.) | /o.tɛl/ | hotel |
la réception | /ʁe.sɛp.sjɔ̃/ | reception |
le réceptionniste | /ʁe.sɛp.sjɔ.nist/ | receptionist |
la chambre | /ʃɑ̃bʁ/ | room |
la chambre simple | /ʃɑ̃bʁ sɛ̃pl/ | single room |
la chambre double | /ʃɑ̃bʁ dubl/ | double room (one bed) |
la chambre à deux lits | /ʃɑ̃bʁ a dø li/ | twin room |
la clé la carte | /kle/ · /kaʁt/ | key |
l'ascenseur (m.) | /a.sɑ̃.sœʁ/ | lift |
l'étage (m.) | /e.taʒ/ | floor |
le lit | /li/ | bed |
la salle de bains | /sal də bɛ̃/ | bathroom |
la douche | /duʃ/ | shower |
la serviette | /sɛʁ.vjɛt/ | towel |
le drap | /dʁa/ | sheet |
l'oreiller (m.) | /ɔ.ʁɛ.je/ | pillow |
la couverture | /ku.vɛʁ.tyʁ/ | blanket |
la climatisation la clim | /kli.ma.ti.za.sjɔ̃/ · /klim/ | air conditioning |
le chauffage | /ʃo.faʒ/ | heating |
le coffre-fort | /kɔfʁ fɔʁ/ | safe |
le wifi | /wi.fi/ | wifi |
Services and payment
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
la réservation | /ʁe.zɛʁ.va.sjɔ̃/ | booking |
le petit-déjeuner | /pə.ti.de.ʒø.ne/ | breakfast |
la demi-pension | /də.mi pɑ̃.sjɔ̃/ | half board |
la pension complète | /pɑ̃.sjɔ̃ kɔ̃.plɛt/ | full board |
le service en chambre | /sɛʁ.vis ɑ̃ ʃɑ̃bʁ/ | room service |
le ménage | /me.naʒ/ | housekeeping |
la blanchisserie | /blɑ̃.ʃis.ʁi/ | laundry |
la piscine | /pi.sin/ | swimming pool |
le parking | /paʁ.kiŋ/ | car park |
la nuitée la nuit | /nɥi.te/ · /nɥi/ | night |
le tarif | /ta.ʁif/ | rate |
la taxe de séjour | /taks də se.ʒuʁ/ | tourist tax |
la facture | /fak.tyʁ/ | invoice |
les arrhes (f. pl.) | /aʁ/ | deposit |
Two things an English speaker gets wrong at the desk.
1.
une chambre doubleis one bed, not two people in two beds. English "double room" is ambiguous and travellers often mean twin; French is precise. Ask forune chambre à deux lits(or saytwin, which is understood) if you want separate beds.2. The floor numbering is off by one.
le rez-de-chausséeis the ground floor andle premier étageis one flight up — the same as British usage, but not American.Chambre 305onle troisième étageis four flights of stairs from the street if you are counting the American way.
Verbs
| Verb | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
réserver | /ʁe.zɛʁ.ve/ | to book |
annuler | /a.ny.le/ | to cancel |
confirmer | /kɔ̃.fiʁ.me/ | to confirm |
arriver | /a.ʁi.ve/ | to arrive |
s'installer | /sɛ̃s.ta.le/ | to settle in |
libérer la chambre | /li.be.ʁe la ʃɑ̃bʁ/ | to check out |
régler | /ʁe.ɡle/ | to settle up |
déranger | /de.ʁɑ̃.ʒe/ | to disturb |
se plaindre de | /sə plɛ̃dʁ də/ | to complain about |
demander | /də.mɑ̃.de/ | to ask for |
Adjectives
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
complet /kɔ̃.plɛ/ | complète /kɔ̃.plɛt/ | fully booked |
disponible /dis.po.nibl/ | disponible /dis.po.nibl/ | available |
propre /pʁɔpʁ/ | propre /pʁɔpʁ/ | clean |
sale /sal/ | sale /sal/ | dirty |
calme /kalm/ | calme /kalm/ | quiet |
climatisé /kli.ma.ti.ze/ | climatisée /kli.ma.ti.ze/ | air-conditioned |
compris /kɔ̃.pʁi/ | comprise /kɔ̃.pʁiz/ | included |
en supplément /ɑ̃ sy.ple.mɑ̃/ | — | at extra cost |
Set phrases
Booking
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
Je voudrais réserver une chambre. | /ʒə vu.dʁɛ ʁe.zɛʁ.ve yn ʃɑ̃bʁ/ | I'd like to book a room |
Pour deux nuits, du 3 au 5 mai. | /puʁ dø nɥi dy tʁwaz o sɛ̃k mɛ/ | for two nights, 3rd to 5th May |
Vous avez une chambre pour deux personnes ? | /vu.z‿a.ve yn ʃɑ̃bʁ puʁ dø pɛʁ.sɔn/ | do you have a room for two? |
C'est combien la nuit ? | /sɛ kɔ̃.bjɛ̃ la nɥi/ | how much per night? |
Le petit-déjeuner est compris ? | /lə pə.ti.de.ʒø.ne ɛ kɔ̃.pʁi/ | is breakfast included? |
Arriving and leaving
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
J'ai une réservation au nom de… | /ʒe yn ʁe.zɛʁ.va.sjɔ̃ o nɔ̃ də/ | I have a booking under the name… |
À quelle heure est le petit-déjeuner ? | /a kɛl œʁ ɛ lə pə.ti.de.ʒø.ne/ | what time is breakfast? |
Le wifi, c'est quoi le mot de passe ? | /lə wi.fi sɛ kwa lə mo də pas/ | what's the wifi password? |
Je voudrais régler la note. | /ʒə vu.dʁɛ ʁe.ɡle la nɔt/ | I'd like to settle the bill |
À quelle heure faut-il libérer la chambre ? | /a kɛl œʁ fo.til li.be.ʁe la ʃɑ̃bʁ/ | what time is check-out? |
If something is wrong
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
Il n'y a pas d'eau chaude. | /il ni a pa do ʃod/ | there's no hot water |
La climatisation ne marche pas. | /la kli.ma.ti.za.sjɔ̃ nə maʁʃ pa/ | the air conditioning doesn't work |
La chambre est trop bruyante. | /la ʃɑ̃bʁ ɛ tʁo bʁy.i.jɑ̃t/ | the room is too noisy |
Est-ce que je pourrais changer de chambre ? | /ɛs kə ʒə pu.ʁɛ ʃɑ̃.ʒe də ʃɑ̃bʁ/ | could I change rooms? |
Traps
| Trap | Explanation |
|---|---|
hôtel has a silent h | l'hôtel les hôtels /le.z‿o.tɛl/ with liaison. |
chambre is a bedroom | A room in general is la pièce; the living room is le salon. |
double means one double bed | For two separate beds: chambre twin or à lits jumeaux. |
les arrhes is pronounced /aʁ/ | Always plural, always feminine. |
la note is the hotel bill | In a restaurant it is l'addition, in a shop le ticket. |
libérer la chambre, not check-out | Though le check-out is now heard too. |
taxe de séjour is charged separately | Usually not in the online price. |
Three bills, three words
French has a different word for each situation
| Where | Word | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| restaurant, café | l'addition | /a.di.sjɔ̃/ |
| hotel | la note | /nɔt/ |
| shop | le ticket de caisse | /ti.kɛ də kɛs/ |
| services, companies | la facture | /fak.tyʁ/ |
| utilities | la facture | /fak.tyʁ/ |
All four are understood if you swap them, but using the right one marks fluency.
And la facture is the most general — it works everywhere and is never wrong.
English has one word, "bill", and one habit that does not transfer. In North America the server brings the cheque unasked, often before you have finished. In France that would be rude — bringing the bill says time to leave, so the waiter waits for you, sometimes for a very long time.
So you have to ask, and it is completely normal to:
L'addition, s'il vous plaît.
Or make the gesture: mime writing on your open palm. Every French waiter reads it, and it works across a busy room.