FlexiLingoIn one line
In a French restaurant,
prendreis the verb for ordering andje voudraisis the polite way to ask.
Nouns
The place and the people
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
le restaurant | /ʁɛs.to.ʁɑ̃/ | restaurant |
le café | /ka.fe/ | café |
la brasserie | /bʁas.ʁi/ | brasserie |
le bistrot | /bis.tʁo/ | bistro |
la terrasse | /te.ʁas/ | outside seating |
le serveur la serveuse | /sɛʁ.vœʁ/ · /sɛʁ.vøz/ | waiter · waitress |
le chef | /ʃɛf/ | chef |
le client | /kli.jɑ̃/ | customer |
On the table
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
la table | /tabl/ | table |
la carte le menu | /kaʁt/ · /mə.ny/ | menu · set menu |
l'assiette (f.) | /a.sjɛt/ | plate |
le verre | /vɛʁ/ | glass |
la tasse | /tas/ | cup |
la fourchette | /fuʁ.ʃɛt/ | fork |
le couteau | /ku.to/ | knife |
la cuillère | /kɥi.jɛʁ/ | spoon |
la serviette | /sɛʁ.vjɛt/ | napkin |
la bouteille | /bu.tɛj/ | bottle |
la carafe d'eau | /ka.ʁaf/ | jug of tap water |
l'addition (f.) | /a.di.sjɔ̃/ | the bill |
le pourboire | /puʁ.bwaʁ/ | tip |
On the menu
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
le menu du jour | /mə.ny dy ʒuʁ/ | today's set menu |
la formule | /fɔʁ.myl/ | a set deal |
l'entrée (f.) | /ɑ̃.tʁe/ | starter |
le plat | /pla/ | main course |
le dessert | /de.sɛʁ/ | dessert |
la boisson | /bwa.sɔ̃/ | drink |
le plat du jour | /pla dy ʒuʁ/ | dish of the day |
la spécialité | /spe.sja.li.te/ | speciality |
le menuin French means a fixed-price set meal, not the list of dishes. The list isla carte— which is where English "à la carte" comes from.
Verbs
| Verb | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
réserver | /ʁe.zɛʁ.ve/ | to book |
commander | /kɔ.mɑ̃.de/ | to order |
prendre | /pʁɑ̃dʁ/ | to have, to order |
choisir | /ʃwa.ziʁ/ | to choose |
servir | /sɛʁ.viʁ/ | to serve |
apporter | /a.pɔʁ.te/ | to bring |
payer | /pe.je/ | to pay |
laisser un pourboire | /lɛ.se œ̃ puʁ.bwaʁ/ | to leave a tip |
recommander | /ʁə.kɔ.mɑ̃.de/ | to recommend |
goûter | /ɡu.te/ | to taste |
Adjectives
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
complet /kɔ̃.plɛ/ | complète /kɔ̃.plɛt/ | full, no tables |
libre /libʁ/ | libre /libʁ/ | free, available |
réservé /ʁe.zɛʁ.ve/ | réservée /ʁe.zɛʁ.ve/ | reserved |
compris /kɔ̃.pʁi/ | comprise /kɔ̃.pʁiz/ | included |
maison /mɛ.zɔ̃/ | — | homemade — tarte maison |
à emporter /a ɑ̃.pɔʁ.te/ | — | takeaway |
sur place /syʁ plas/ | — | to eat in |
Set phrases
In the order they happen
| Stage | French | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| booking | Je voudrais réserver une table pour deux. | I'd like to book a table for two | /ʒə vu.dʁɛ ʁe.zɛʁ.ve yn tabl puʁ dø/ |
| arriving | Vous avez une table pour deux ? | do you have a table for two? | /vu.z‿a.ve.z‿yn tabl puʁ dø/ |
C'est pour combien de personnes ? | how many of you? | /sɛ puʁ kɔ̃.bjɛ̃ də pɛʁ.sɔn/ | |
| ordering | Je voudrais… | I'd like | /ʒə vu.dʁɛ/ |
Je vais prendre… | I'll have | /ʒə vɛ pʁɑ̃dʁ/ | |
Pour moi, ce sera… | for me it'll be | /puʁ mwa sə sə.ʁa/ | |
Qu'est-ce que vous me conseillez ? | what do you recommend? | /kɛs.kə vu mə kɔ̃.sɛ.je/ | |
| drinks | Une carafe d'eau, s'il vous plaît. | a jug of water, please | /yn ka.ʁaf do sil vu plɛ/ |
| during | C'est délicieux. | it's delicious | /sɛ de.li.sjø/ |
Excusez-moi… | excuse me… | /ɛks.ky.ze mwa/ | |
| the bill | L'addition, s'il vous plaît. | the bill, please | /la.di.sjɔ̃ sil vu plɛ/ |
Le service est compris ? | is service included? | /lə sɛʁ.vis ɛ kɔ̃.pʁi/ | |
On peut payer par carte ? | can we pay by card? | /ɔ̃ pø pɛ.je paʁ kaʁt/ | |
On partage. | we'll split it | /ɔ̃ paʁ.taʒ/ |
What the waiter says
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
Vous avez choisi ? | /vuz a.ve ʃwa.zi/ | are you ready to order? |
Et comme boisson ? | /e kɔm bwa.sɔ̃/ | and to drink? |
Ça vous a plu ? | /sa vuz a ply/ | did you enjoy it? |
Vous prendrez un dessert ? | /vu pʁɑ̃.dʁez œ̃ dɛ.sɛʁ/ | will you have a dessert? |
Bonne dégustation ! | /bɔn de.ɡys.ta.sjɔ̃/ | enjoy your meal |
C'est de la part de la maison. | /sɛ də la paʁ də la mɛ.zɔ̃/ | it's on the house |
Traps
| Trap | Explanation |
|---|---|
le menu is not the menu | la carte is the list of dishes; le menu is a fixed-price deal. |
| Tap water is free | une carafe d'eau is free and you are entitled to it. une bouteille d'eau is charged for. |
| Tipping is not obligatory | service compris on the bill means service is included. A tip is optional, usually a few euros. |
Je voudrais, not Je veux | Je veux is rude in a restaurant. The conditional is the polite form. |
prendre for ordering | Je prends un café — not Je bois. |
garçon is no longer used | It is rude today. Say Excusez-moi or S'il vous plaît. |
entrée means the starter | In American English it means the main course — a dangerous false friend. |
Three of those are specifically English-speaker mistakes and two cost money.
1. Water. Asking for "water" in English-speaking countries usually gets you a bottle you pay for. In France,
une carafe d'eauis free tap water and asking for it is completely normal — restaurants are legally obliged to provide it.2. Tipping. In North America a 15–20% tip is expected. In France service is already in the price (
service compris), and leaving a couple of euros is generous, not minimal.3.
entrée. If you order anentréein Paris expecting a main course, a small starter arrives.
Table manners that come up in the speaking exam
cultural rules that are not vocabulary but do carry marks
In the speaking exam, "social appropriateness" is scored separately. A few restaurant conventions the examiner expects:
1. S'il vous plaît in almost every sentence. Without it, a request is heard as an order.
2. The conditional instead of the present.
| Less polite | Polite |
|---|---|
Je veux un café. /ʒə vø.z‿œ̃ ka.fe/ | Je voudrais un café. /ʒə vu.dʁɛ.zœ̃ ka.fe/ |
Vous pouvez…? /vu pu.ve/ | Pourriez-vous…? /pu.ʁje.vu/ |
Donnez-moi… /dɔ.ne.mwa/ | Est-ce que je pourrais avoir…? /ɛs kə ʒə pu.ʁɛ.z‿a.vwaʁ/ |
3. Bonjour before anything else. Entering a shop or restaurant without saying Bonjour is straightforwardly rude in France — more so than a visitor expects.
4. To get the waiter's attention, raise a hand and say S'il vous plaît, not Garçon and never by clicking your fingers.
5. Bon appétit is said by the host or by whoever starts eating first.
Point three deserves emphasis because the consequence is invisible. An English speaker walking into a bakery and saying "un croissant, please" has been polite by their own standards. In France they have skipped the greeting, and the response will be noticeably cooler without anyone explaining why. Bonjour first, always, then the request.
The full politeness vocabulary is in politesse and registres.