Au Café
Ordering at a cafe · a free French immersion capsule
Useful sentences · 10
Phrases you'll actually use today. Tap Explain for the why behind each one.
Bonjour, une table pour deux, s'il vous plaît.
Hello, a table for two, please.
Literal Hello, a table for two, if it pleases you.
A polite way to greet the server and request a table for two people.
- 'S'il vous plaît' is the standard polite form, literally 'if it pleases you'.
- 'Pour' followed by a number indicates quantity or purpose.
Qu'est-ce que vous avez comme plat du jour ?
What do you have as a daily special?
Literal What is it that you have as dish of the day?
Asking about the daily special using the common 'est-ce que' question form.
- 'Qu'est-ce que' is a standard question opener meaning 'what'.
- 'Comme' here means 'as' or 'for', indicating type or category.
Je voudrais un café crème, s'il vous plaît.
I would like a coffee with cream, please.
Literal I would want a coffee cream, if it pleases you.
Using the polite conditional 'je voudrais' to place an order.
- 'Je voudrais' is the conditional of 'vouloir', softening the request.
- 'Un café crème' is an espresso served with steamed milk.
Est-ce que vous avez du lait végétal ?
Do you have plant-based milk?
Literal Is it that you have some plant milk?
A practical dietary question using 'est-ce que' for yes/no questions.
- 'Est-ce que' turns a statement into a question without changing word order.
- 'Du' is the partitive article, meaning 'some' before a masculine noun.
Je prendrais aussi une tartine beurrée.
I would also have a buttered toast.
Literal I would take also a buttered slice of bread.
Adding a food item with 'aussi' using the conditional 'je prendrais'.
- 'Je prendrais' is the conditional of 'prendre', meaning 'I would take/have'.
- 'Aussi' placed after the verb adds the meaning of 'also' or 'as well'.
Le croissant est fait maison, n'est-ce pas ?
The croissant is homemade, isn't it?
Literal The croissant is made house, is it not?
Seeking confirmation using the tag question 'n'est-ce pas'.
- 'Fait maison' literally means 'made at home' and indicates freshly prepared on-site.
- 'N'est-ce pas ?' is a tag question used to seek agreement, similar to 'isn't it?'.
Apportez-moi un verre de vin rouge, s'il vous plaît.
Bring me a glass of red wine, please.
Literal Bring-to me a glass of wine red, if it pleases you.
Using a softened imperative with an indirect object pronoun to request a drink.
- The imperative 'apportez' is softened with 's'il vous plaît' to form a polite request.
- '-moi' is an indirect object pronoun meaning 'to me', placed after the imperative verb.
Je n'aime pas les oignons — pouvez-vous les enlever ?
I don't like onions — can you remove them?
Literal I don't like the onions — can you them remove?
Stating a food preference and making a polite request using a direct object pronoun.
- 'Les' before 'enlever' is a direct object pronoun replacing 'les oignons'.
- 'Pouvez-vous' is an inversion question form meaning 'can you'.
C'était délicieux ! L'addition, s'il vous plaît.
It was delicious! The check, please.
Literal It was delicious! The addition, if it pleases you.
Complimenting the meal and requesting the bill in one natural exchange.
- 'C'était' is the imperfect tense of 'être', used for past descriptions.
- 'L'addition' is the standard term for the restaurant check or bill.
Je peux payer par carte ou seulement en espèces ?
Can I pay by card or only in cash?
Literal I can pay by card or only in cash?
Asking about payment methods using a rising-intonation informal question.
- 'Je peux' + infinitive expresses ability, similar to 'I can'.
- Raising intonation at the end of a statement is a casual French question form.
New words · 10
Themed vocabulary, each with an example you can borrow.
l'addition
the check / the bill
L'addition, s'il vous plaît.
The check, please.
Used specifically in restaurant and café contexts for the bill.
voudrais
would like
Je voudrais un café.
I would like a coffee.
Conditional form of 'vouloir'; the polite standard for ordering.
le plat du jour
the daily special
Quel est le plat du jour ?
What is the daily special?
A fixed phrase found on most French café menus.
fait maison
homemade
Le croissant est fait maison.
The croissant is homemade.
Literally 'made house'; a common and reassuring label on menus.
la tartine
slice of bread (often buttered)
Je prendrais une tartine beurrée.
I would have a buttered slice of bread.
A classic French breakfast item, served open-faced.
prendrais
would have / would take
Je prendrais aussi un jus d'orange.
I would also have an orange juice.
Conditional of 'prendre'; interchangeable with 'voudrais' when ordering.
les espèces
cash
Vous acceptez les espèces ?
Do you accept cash?
Always used in the plural in payment contexts.
apporter
to bring
Pouvez-vous m'apporter de l'eau ?
Can you bring me some water?
Used to request items be brought to the table.
délicieux
delicious
Ce gâteau est délicieux !
This cake is delicious!
Feminine form: délicieuse.
enlever
to remove / to take off
Pouvez-vous enlever les oignons ?
Can you remove the onions?
Useful for dietary preferences and customizing orders.
Short reading
A tiny story stitched from today's words. Translation is hidden, tap to peek.
Sophie entre dans un petit café de quartier et s'installe près de la fenêtre. Elle demande au serveur le plat du jour, puis commande un café crème et une tartine beurrée. Après avoir mangé, elle dit : « C'était délicieux ! » et demande l'addition. Le serveur lui apporte l'addition avec un sourire, et Sophie règle en carte.
Sentence by sentence
entre dans un petit café de quartier
enters a small neighborhood café
'Entrer dans' means 'to enter' a place. 'De quartier' means 'neighborhood' or 'local'.
s'installe près de la fenêtre
sits down near the window
'S'installer' is a reflexive verb meaning 'to settle in'. 'Près de' means 'near'.
le plat du jour
the daily special
A fixed phrase meaning 'dish of the day', very common in French cafés.
puis commande un café crème et une tartine beurrée
then orders a coffee with cream and buttered toast
'Puis' means 'then'. 'Commander' means 'to order'. Both items use indefinite articles (un/une).
C'était délicieux !
It was delicious!
'C'était' is the imperfect tense used for past descriptions. A natural compliment for food.
règle en carte
pays by card
'Régler' means 'to settle' or 'to pay'. 'En carte' is short for 'par carte bancaire'.
Pattern of the day
One grammar move, explained once, that unlocks dozens of sentences.
Polite Ordering with the Conditional: Je voudrais / Je prendrais
In French cafés, using the conditional tense is the natural, polite way to order. 'Je voudrais' (from vouloir) and 'je prendrais' (from prendre) both soften a request compared to the direct present tense. They translate to 'I would like' or 'I would have'.
Je voudrais / Je prendrais + [article] + [noun]
Je voudrais un café allongé, s'il vous plaît.
I would like a long black coffee, please.
Je prendrais le plat du jour.
I would have the daily special.
Nous voudrions deux verres de vin blanc.
We would like two glasses of white wine.
Je prendrais aussi un dessert.
I would also have a dessert.
Mini practice · 5
Low-pressure, never graded. Just enough to make it stick.
I would like a coffee with cream, please.
Hint Use the conditional form 'voudrais' for polite ordering
Qu'est-ce que vous avez comme plat du jour ?
Je _____ aussi une tartine beurrée.
Hint Conditional form of 'prendre' (to take)
Which sentence is the most polite way to order?
Rewrite politely using the conditional: 'Je veux une table pour deux!'
Hint Replace 'veux' with the conditional form and add 'please'
That’s today’s phraseberry.
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