Dining in French

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…?

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…

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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?
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?

Important! Remember What You Learn

You'll put a lot of time into learning French, so we make sure you can remember it all by including fun and engaging activities at the bottom of every lesson.
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.

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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
a starter
un plat principal
a main
un dessert
a dessert
plat d'accompagnement
side dish
une soupe
a soup
une salade
a salad
une sauce
a sauce
des légumes
some vegetables
des pommes de terre
some potatoes
du riz
some rice
de la viande
some meat
des nouilles
some noodles
du porc
some pork
du poulet
some chicken
du bœuf
some beef
In order to get the dish you want simply say…
Je prendrai….
I will 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

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Activities

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Listening
Listen to the phrase, then record yourself saying the phrase
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Writing
Listen to the phrase, then type what you heard
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Speaking
Record yourself saying the phrase out loud
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Let's get you talking in French.

We love French people and French culture - from buttery croissants and delicate macarons to gorgeous gardens and gilded châteaux! And there's no better way to connect with them than by learning le français.

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