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Vocabulaire du restaurant
If you like eating out, you’ll love this French vocabulary related to restaurants.
Useful verbs
| boire | to drink | ||
| commander | to order | ||
| manger | to eat | ||
| payer | to take, have | ||
| prendre | to take, have | ||
What the waiter might say…
| Installez-vous | Have a seat | ||
| Vous avez choisi ? | Have you decided? | ||
| Que voudriez-vous ? | What would you like? | ||
| Vous désirez ? | What would you like? | ||
| Je vous écoute. | (Go ahead) I’m listening. | ||
| Que prenez-vous ? | What are you having? | ||
| Qu’est-ce que je vous sers ? | What can I get you? | ||
| Et ensuite de ça ? | And after that? What else? | ||
| J’arrive | I’ll be right there/back | ||
| What you might respond… | |||||
| Je voudrais… J’aimerais… | I would like… | ||||
| Je vais prendre… Je prends… | I’ll have… | ||||
| Combien coûte… ? | How much does … cost? | ||||
| Je suis… | I am… | ||||
| allergique à… | allergic to… | ||||
| diabétique | diabetic | ||||
| végétarien / végétarienne | vegetarian | ||||
| végétalien / végétalienne | vegan | ||||
| Je ne peux pas manger… | I can’t eat… | ||||
| If you order meat, the waiter might ask | |||||
| Quelle cuisson ? | How would you like it cooked? | ||||
| And you can respond… | |||||
| cru | raw | ||||
| bleu | very rare (red inside) | ||||
| saignant (for beef) rosé (for duck or lamb) | rare (pink inside) | ||||
| à point | medium-rare | ||||
| médium | medium | ||||
| bien cuit | well done | ||||
| calciné | very well done, charred | ||||
| Video: Un steak-frites, s’il vous plaît | |||||
| What you might say to your table mates (links go to lessons) | |||||
| À la vôtre ! | Cheers! | ||||
| Bon appétit ! | Enjoy your meal! (the waiter might say this too) | ||||
| Later, the waiter might ask… | |||||
| C’est à votre goût ? | Do you like it? Is everything ok? | ||||
| C’est terminé ? | Have you finished? | ||||
| Ça a été ? | Was everything ok? | ||||
| When you’re ready, ask for | |||||
| l’addition (f) | check/bill | ||||
| Restaurant people | |||||
| le serveur (not garçon) | waiter | ||||
| la serveuse | waitress | ||||
| le/la chef | chef | ||||
| Other useful restaurant terms | |||||
| la carte | menu | ||||
| le menu | fixed-price meal | ||||
| à la carte | side order (not part of le menu) | ||||
| le socle | base of credit card machine | ||||
| le pourboire | tip | ||||
| service compris | tip included | ||||
| service non compris | tip not included | ||||
| défense de fumer | no smoking | ||||
| les animaux sont interdits | no pets allowed | ||||
| Sur place ou à emporter ? | For here or to go? Eat in or take away? | ||||
Related lessons
French listening practice
- Au restaurant
- Au restaurant de la plage
- Dîner en ville
- Repas de Noël en France
- Service au restaurant
- Steak-frites
French lesson plans
- Culinary culture (Lesson, 8th-9th grade)
- Culinary culture: Grammar (Worksheet, 10th-11th grade)
- Culinary culture: Quiz (Worksheet, 9th-10th grade)
- Discovering French food culture (Lesson, 9th-10th grade)
- Drinks and snacks (Lesson, 10th-12th grade)
- Visitons le café (Lesson, K-8th grade)
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I read somewhere (maybe in one of your newsletters!) that even if the bill states “service compris”, one should still leave a pourboire, that the “service” is more for taxes and fees, but not a tip, per se. But here it states that “service compris” means that the tip is included. So should one leave an additional “pourboire” or not? I don’t want to insult any servers, nor do I want to leave them a 40% tip in most cases!
No, that’s not true. You can leave a small tip, but it’s definitely not required. I have a couple of friends who own a restaurant, and they were flabbergasted when we left a 5 euro tip after dinner (at a different restaurant) for 6 people. When even restaurateurs say you don’t have to, I’m convinced.