Dining in French

If you’re planning on dining out in a French-speaking country, you don’t want to miss this free "Dining in French" lesson!

Rocket French will teach you everything you need to know about French restaurant phrases – just listen to the French pronunciation on the audio and practice saying these French words and phrases aloud. When you’re ready, why not try them out at a local French-speaking restaurant!

French food is renowned as being among the best in the world. So what would you like to start with…?

Resources for further reading:

Vegetarian? Not what you ordered? No problem! After this lesson you’ll be ordering from the menu in French like a pro, and impressing your French-speaking friends with your French language skills. So let’s get started…

Dining in French

After being greeted you could get asked one of the following questions…

Practice Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record

Rocket Record lets you perfect your French pronunciation. Just listen to the native speaker audio and then use the microphone icon to record yourself. Once you’re done, you’ll get a score out of 100 on your pronunciation and can listen to your own audio playback. (Use a headset mic for best results.) Problems? Click here!

Est-ce que vous voulez quelque chose à boire pour commencer ?

Would you like to order some drinks to start with?

Est-ce que vous avez choisi ?

Have you chosen already?

Qu'est-ce que vous voulez commander ?

What would you like to order?

Voulez-vous une entrée ?

Would you like a starter?

Que voulez-vous ?

What would you like?

Est-ce que vous voulez commander ?

Would you like to order?

Que voulez-vous manger ?

What would you like to eat?

Sometimes all you might get asked is…

Oui, s'il vous plaît ?

Yes, please?

You could answer by saying one of these phrases…

Un moment, s'il vous plaît.

One moment, please.

Je voudrais commander quelque chose à boire pour commencer.

I'd like to order something to drink to start with.

Je ne sais pas encore.

I don't know yet.

Not sure what you fancy eating? Just ask the waiter what he recommends…

Qu'est ce que vous recommandez ?

What can you recommend?

Quel est le spécial du jour ?

What is the daily special?

Quelle est la soupe du jour ?

What is the soup of the day?

Here are the names of some dishes and drinks that you might find on the menu…

Eau minérale

Mineral water

Jus

Juice

Bière

Beer

Vin rouge

Red wine

Vin Blanc

White wine

Vin mousseux

Champers/ bubbles

Champagne

Champagne

Une entrée

Starter

Un plat principal

Main

Un dessert

Dessert

Plat d'accompagnement

Side dish

Une soupe

Soup

Une salade

Salad

Une sauce

Sauce

Des légumes

Vegetables

Des pommes de terre

Potatoes

Du riz

Rice

De la viande

Meat

Des nouilles

Noodles

Du porc

Pork

Du poulet

Chicken

Du bœuf

Beef

In order to get the dish you want simply say…

Je prendrai….

I'll have…

Je voudrais…

I would like…

Once you finished your meal you ask for the bill…

L'addition, s'il vous plaît.

The bill, please.

Je voudrais payer, s'il vous plaît.

I would like to pay, please.

In French the waiter or waitress will bring the bill to your table. If you are eating out with a group you might get asked whether you want to pay…

Ensemble

Together

Séparément

Separately

It is not really expected to tip in French restaurants, as they mentioned in the bill and on the menu that the service is included. But if you really liked the service a tip is usually 10% of the price or more if you were really satisfied. The word for tip is…

Pourboire

Tip

That’s it for today’s lesson.

If you want more free French vocabulary lessons then check out these ones on Food in French and Wine in French!

À bientôt !

Marie-Claire Rivière and the Rocket French Team

Make It Stick With Rocket Reinforcement

Reinforce your learning from this lesson with the Rocket Reinforcement activities!