In rural Brittany, where I live, pick a small restaurant. My vegetarian nephew was visiting and the only thing on the menu was green salad. I said "no worries, I'll ask". The chef said "ask what he would like and if I have the ingredients I'll cook it". He could have asked for an asparagus soufflé, a vegetarian lasagne. ... and they charged menu of the day price. Fantastique!
Great advice. The most important thing in my experience is to ALWAYS say bonjour/bonsoir to everybody at every business, with the exception of big box and supermarkets.
I love how you educate your viewers to be polite! One thing I missed: the French know that when you enter a restaurant you don't just sit down anywhre you like but you wait for the waiter to show you where to sit. Dutch and German people don't know that. I don't know about other countries. Maybe this is something to mention?
I appreciate the speed at which you speak, it's perfectly natural, fluid, confident. Question; how will the waiter ask "what would you like?". Merci d'avance.
I love your channel. I lived in france two years and now in the french speaking belgium area of La Hulpe. I am moving back to france in a couple of months. I am studying french but what I like about your channel is the real life conversations. Class is great but this is very helpful in my day to day life.
I love your videos! It would be good to see the English translations along with the French text on the screen. This way, we can make screen shots of phrases we want to keep for reference and memorization.
Merci beaucoup, chère Géraldine, tes conseils sont super! Eating out can be a pretty stressful situation in another country, especially one with such high culinary standards as France (and when you're also trying out your best French!), so your phrases and tips are really appreciated. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how easy it usually is to order in "ordinary" French restaurants - not nearly as nerve-wracking as I expected, because there is often a choice of set menus (formules, as you mentioned) which take the complexity out of selecting from a long list of unknowns. It is also good to know that asking for a carafe d'eau is perfectly normal (often it is provided automatically) so there is no need to order mineral water. And the house wine is always drinkable.
Excellent as always. Thank you very much for your hard work. Your English is brilliant!! However be careful with "Anchovies " The "ch" is pronounced as in "child". I know- English is crazy.... Many thanks again. Your videos are always most useful. :-) :-)
I went to Paris this past March and had no problems ordering food. Knowing certain verbal phrases (je vais prendre being one I learned from this channel!) and reading French was enough to get by. The only issue I ran into was trying to order enough turkey for two sandwiches. My husband and I picked up a baguette, some wine, and desserts, and wanted to eat at Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. Everything went smooth until we got to a small meat shop ran by an older French couple who didn't speak English. After some attempted conversation, I Google translated the sentence and got my order. Perhaps a video about how to order food from specialty shops (pâtisserie, boulangerie, fromagerie, etc.) would be helpful.
I am going to France next week and this was helpful! Thank you very much! I have been to France but just on layover. I have been to a Le Pain Quotidien which was great!
Merci, C'etait tres utile pour moi parce que je visite France toujour et je'adore les restaurants francais. Comment puis-je ecrire avec des accents sur ce commentaire?
mon Dieu, I ordered the perfect meal in Avignon in French, we had all the pleasanteries with the waiter, all was good (summer, 32 degrees C), the entrée the main dish and cheese, it all went well until he asked what I wanted to drink. I ordered beer. The conversation was over :) ...
Wonderful series of lessons...you make learning French so easy and entertaining. When the sentences are long it might be helpful if you repeated three times with the first repeat slow. I visit your site several times a week. Wishing you much success.
I find your videos useful and interesting. This is the second time im watching one. I've been to a few restaurants in France and especially on one bâteaux mouche sailing on the river Seine. 😊 S'il vous plaît, could you make a video on what to say to break the ice during un déjeuner de travail. Merci. A plus 💜
The last restaurant I went to was my home. I have never left my house so no I have not gone to a restaurant in France. By the way how do I say, "this food is disgusting, get it away from my face." Thank you and great video! CAN YOU RESPOND PLEASE I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR 3 WEEKS JUST STARING AT MY SCREEN FOR YOU TO RESPOND! PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO SAY IT!
My family and I will be travelling to France, but I'm nervous about the food because I have a dairy allergy. How do I politely explain my limited diet and ask for accommodation? Merci!
Bonjour, I plan on visiting Paris for three days next year. As for scripts, I'd like to be able to explain that I am on a ketogenic diet and ask if the staff have any recommendations, also to explain that my daughter is a vegetarian. In a polite a way as possible. I appreciate you channel. Merci
No, the French don't use that formula. When you hear it used, it's always foreigners. (I don't know Caleb Montgomery, but his name doesn't indicate that he's a native French speaker.)
You are French, +Antoine Nicoco, and when you're ordering in a restaurant, you would actually say "Je voudrais X," for example, "Je voudrais le confit de canard"? Without the addition of any other verb? I have dined in restaurants with countless French people over the past 20 years, and I've never heard anyone order like that. We Americans, on the other hand, will often directly translate our usual formula, "I would like X," e.g., "I would like the swordfish," to "je voudrais l'espadon." Or "je voudrais le croque monsieur." Doesn't that sound a bit odd to your ears? En revanche, il est bien possible que l'on puisse entendre "je voudrais prendre X," par ex, "je voudrais prendre le côte d'agneau." Mais jamais "voudrais" sans un autre verbe à l'infinitif. A mon expérience !
I have been told by French people that "Je veux" is rather abrupt, if not rude and "je voudrais" is the phrase to use. Oddly, it is the reverse in Spanish. "Quisiera" I would like - I was told this is rather pompous and unnecessarily formal/polite. Everyone says, "Quiero." I want.
2 years ago i went to a restaurant in the Latin Quarter of Paris and i ordered Frog legs and chips. I wanted to try the frog legs and i had a side in case i didn't like the frogs legs. In fact i really liked it which was a surprise. At the end, even at the cafe i always tell the waiter to round up the bill such as the meal was 15 euros i always pay them the 20 for the good service.
Hello Geraldine, I find that many French instructions talk about multiple people asking for a table in a restaurant. How can one ask for a table when one is dining alone (without being super formal)? Thank you…
Please can you advise us on what to say upon entering a restaurant and when we're greeted by the waiter/waitress (especially if you're alone)? I always have a mind blank when I first enter a French restaurant
Hi Geraldine, i visit France a lot but never know what to say when you go to a grocery store like carrefour etc. As you speak and interact with the cashier. How to say 'just these today' and so forth. Any help I'd greatly appreciate :)
If you're checking out at a grocery store, they won't ask if you want anything more. A simple 'bonjour' and 'merci, au revoir' is all you really need to say to a cashier. Anywhere else, though -- a boulangerie, somebody who's helping you to shop in a store -- you can say "ça sera tout" [pronounced Sa Serah Too] = "just these today"!
How do you say at the end of your meal, you want to pay but let's suppose your are with friends and you want to pay one by one you want to split the bill and everybody pays for what he ordered? Do you have some good phrases for that?
Can you give us examples of the replies that we recieve from waiters as we use your phrases. I am often thrown by the replies as they are fast and compressed.
I love your videos. I have been teaching myself French since I first went there in 2002. You are solving many questions and problems I have been struggling with on my own. I have a question that doesn't have to do with language exactly. Seven years ago, I ordered the baked salmon at a resto in Paris. I was very surprised that the salmon arrived alone, without any verdures ou pommes de terre. Only the salmon. I assume that's what happens when you don't order correctly. Could you tell me how I should have ordered to make sure that I got a complete meal. Thank you.
I absolutely love your videos Geraldine. Question: How would tell the waiter how you wanted your meat cooking, for example rare/medium rare/well done? I got flustered once and had difficulty saying I liked my meat rare - ended up saying 'rouge' and my husband like his well done, so I said bien cuit?
SandbachKLMR we would use ‘bleu’ for really rare, ‘saignant’ for rare, then you have ‘à point’ for medium rare, ‘cuit’ for well done et ‘bien cuit’ which is well well done. I don’t think you use those terms in English for the first and last one but I wanted to show there are more than 3 ways to cook meat :) hope it helped you!
Jordan gives perfect advice. How did the meat turn out? Probably they guessed your meaning all right? P.S. If you're ordering lamb, you don't say "bleu" or "saignant," but "rosé" (like the wine).
Funny story about this... On my first trip to Paris long time ago (with far less skills the french language) I was asked in a restaurant for the cooking time of my steak. I have to mention first that the term for "rare" in Germany is "englisch" (english, yes we think a bloody steak is the english way to eat it). This in mind I ordered "english" ...and the reply of the waitress was: Yes, I speak English 😂😂😂 Afterwards I learned about the 5 styles of preparing meat.
Bonjour, Géraldine. J’adore votre channe. J’ai un question. Ma fille ne peux jamais manger de la nourriture avec où près des cacaouettes. Est-ce que vous pouvez m’aider demander si toys it’s sûr pour lui? P.S. How many grammar mistakes did I make in my question?
This video is great. I do have a question though. I can't stand vinegar. I always want to eat the salad but because of the dressing I don't and it goes to the trash. How would I ask if they can leave the dressing off the salad? Merci
I’m advanced in French but I struggle with all of the words that are on French menus. Like “flanks” of veal and lamb, steak hâché, types of containers and sauces that they come with. Types of cuissances and things like that! I usually need to know what body part, what animal, and what exactly I’m ordering.
I have found that the only options normally on the menu for vegetarians are salads, fries or an omelette. Can you please tell me how to ask what they can offer vegetarians if I don't see anything appropriate on the menu? Thank you!
L'été dernier, j'étais à Paris pour étudier. Ma mère a venu me voir et nous avons dîné à une restaurant prés de nos hôtel. A ce temps je ne comprends pas beaucoup de français et le serveur a essayé de parler avec moi mais j'ai malentendu ce qu'il disait. A cause de ça j'ai complètement trompé la response. Heureusement, il était très gentil et après il parlait plus lentement.
Very usefull video, Geraldine. When I went to Paris with my family we could manage restaurants fairly well. There was only one situation when I was really shocked with how rude the waiter was in a restaurant/cafe very close to Ile de la Cité. Please comment on the habit of bringing small orders (like drinks and ice-cream only) together with "l'addittion". The situation: I order a coke and an ice cream, while my wife went to the restrooms as she badly needed it. I didn't master french enough yet to tell him my wife was still coming. He brought my order and the bill. Following I order a beer for my wife and - ok - he brought the beer and the bill again. We took our time having our drinks, and thought of paying after we were finished. But the waiter was uncomfortable. He passed by a couple of times and even pointed the bill and repeated the total price. Is this common for drinks only? Or did he suspected we foreigners were not going to pay? I would appreciate your comments, so I can understand what happened. (and maybe avoid a second situation like that).
Some cafes in busy places like the money when you order. Just put the money in the little plastic tray and stay sitting there. They will bring change if you leave too much.
I've lived in Paris for 10 years, and your experience is quite uncommon! I'm guessing that it was due to your being in a very touristy area. Even so, I'm betting that if you had ordered "real food" (meaning, a meal), your waiter would not have behaved this way. I'm very sorry that this happened to you. I have always had a problem getting the waiter to product the "addition" -- and then to accept payment! That often takes forever, because the French don't like to rush you out the door....
In a restaurant the word l'addition is absolutely common... la facture is used in a business context and not very approbiate for (the mostly) hand written bill 😉😁
When you ask for more of something...I thought you said plus de or encore du, like 'can I have more bread' = vous pouvez m'apporter encore du pain or plus de pain...which one or neither:) thks.
Bonjour, Géraldine - merci pour le video, c'est trés util. I suggest a video on how to order a steak/entrecôte in France. There is no information in English on how to do this - we Americans try to translate "rare," "medium rare," "medium," "medium well," and "well done" into French, but those words do not exist in the French kitchen. "Moyenne" ou "mi-saignant" is what the books say, but that is not French. A clear, thorough explanation of "bleu," "saignant," "bien cuit" would be super helpful! And extra time spent on "trés-bien cuit" - which will get you a piece of the dishwasher's shoe leather - do not do that! MDR. And extra *extra* time spent on the best way to order a steak in France: À Point. A good explanation of "cuit à point" would be so helpful! Comment cuit? Cuit à point, s'il vous plaît! Merci bien!
Entirely depends on context. At a bar or café, having had just a coffee or a beer - maybe a pastry with the coffee - a tip is not expected but leaving the small change - the coppers - is usual. Or, in effect, rounding a small bill up to the next €. At most restaurants at the bottom of the bill you will see either "Service Compris" [tip included - sometimes S/C] or "Service Non Compris" - [sometimes S.N.C]. It's very rare to see neither of those. Where service is not included, 10% is fine. Where it is, at your discretion you could give your server something personnally, into their very hand, if you feel they have been particularly helpful.
me souviens pas de la deniere fois j suis allé au restau honetement haha... aux etats unis, bien que c'est obligatoire pas a donner un pourboire, c'est tres poli. et tu peux donner un pourboire de 15% minimum. donc, cette video est tres super pour quand j vais au restau en france un jour... haha. mais, je veux savoir si on peut commander du vin a n'importe l'heure de la journee? pour petite dejeuner, dejeuner, et diner? parce que aux etats unis, c'est tres bizzare a commander du vin au restau a n'importe l'heure. dailleurs, il n'y a personne qui commande du vin au restau ici lol. c'est drole parce que si on veut a commander quelque chose a boire, on a commander du coca cola ou de l'eau ou un "cock tail" (mais ca depend de l'heure). je n'ai jamais vu une personne commande du vin au restau ici hahaha. mais, je veux savoir si on peux commander et boire du vin au restau en france a n'importe l'heure? désolé si mon francais n'est pas trop bon.
I just discovered your channel last week, and you do a terrific job! I am now a subscriber. I would just like to make a couple of comments: You said to ask for "le menu" but "la carte" is what people will want, right? Seulement après avoir lu la carte, est l'on en mesure de décider si l'on voudrait commander le menu, ou bien 'à la carte', non ? + Comme une Française, I'd like to offer a couple of little hints on English pronunciation: "salmon" is an odd word in English, as the "l" is not pronounced -- I don't know why. Try www.forvo.com; they must have pronunciations of this word. And the "ch" in "anchovies" is pronounced like "tch" in French.
Due to American television, We Americans got the idea that garçon means waiter When in actuality it means boy. which is quite rude, Geraldine is right, .
L'année dernière, ma copine et moi sommes allées à Paris. Le tout premier restaurant qu'on a visité était un restaurant de sushi. La nourriture était fantastique, et abordable, mais dès que j'ai essayé de parler c'est devenu très maladroit. Je demandais "le billet" au lieu de "l'addition", et à notre sortie, j'ai dit "b...b...bo.....bonne soirée". :P
It sounds as if you did very well, actually! When we were new to Paris, we went to a "Mexican" restaurant and were asked if we wanted "La Note". I hadn't realized that any other term besides "addition" existed for the bill. But in fact "la note" is more equivalent to "the bill" in English (in that it can also be used for more complicated things, although not quite a "facture"), whereas "l'addition" is equivalent to "the check." As far as I can judge, "la note" is more hoity-toity. ;-)
Quinsston I also thought le billet was the bill. Geraldine, What is the difference between l’addition et le billet? (Yes, my last name is really Billett!)
+Sheri Billett -- considering your last name, it's good for you to know the meaning of "billet"! "Un billet" (pronounced "bee-YAY") means "a ticket with your name on it," such as a train/airline ticket, or a ticket to a concert, etc., usually with a specific seat number assigned. "Un ticket" (pronounced "tee-KAY") is a ticket without your name on it, such as a bus or Métro ticket. "Une addition" (pronounced "ah-dee-see-on") is a restaurant check, but a more upper-class, or old-fashioned restaurant might call it "la note". "Une facture" is for a more complicated bill, such as your plumber might give you. An (American) English equivalent would be an "invoice." To learn more vocabulary, I suggest you check out www.wordreference.com -- they have a wonderful forum where you can put any language question out there and intelligent people will respond!
![French Vocabulary - At the restaurant [Words and Phrases]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Xrw7gogxK_4/mqdefault.jpg)
In rural Brittany, where I live, pick a small restaurant. My vegetarian nephew was visiting and the only thing on the menu was green salad. I said "no worries, I'll ask". The chef said "ask what he would like and if I have the ingredients I'll cook it". He could have asked for an asparagus soufflé, a vegetarian lasagne. ... and they charged menu of the day price. Fantastique!
It is very good site for learning French language with English. Your are nice instructor.
Pperffecttlayyz, forrz Leearnnz Frranqqueez.❤.
Merci beaucoup Geraldine. J'apprends tant de choses en regardant tes video.
Great advice. The most important thing in my experience is to ALWAYS say bonjour/bonsoir to everybody at every business, with the exception of big box and supermarkets.
I love how you educate your viewers to be polite! One thing I missed: the French know that when you enter a restaurant you don't just sit down anywhre you like but you wait for the waiter to show you where to sit. Dutch and German people don't know that. I don't know about other countries. Maybe this is something to mention?
Aimez toujours tes vidéos Géraldine. Très bien.
Appreciate your work!!
I’m so happy to watch learning common dialogues when traveling in France!! Thank you for sharing! Loving your channel!
J'ai vu bcp des channels, mais cette videos sont plus bon que les autres. Je vais continuer aprendre francais avec toi. Merci Beaucoup!
Super merci a vous
Exactement. Merci beaucoup Géraldine. Par excellent Madame ! Comme toujours. Très bien.
Awesome
I am totally in love with you accent, great lesson x
Bless you , very usefull
Thank you!!! I found them very useful
and for next topic, How about making reservation??
This is fast becoming one of my favourite channels
MakaiBot Polyglot It seems I need to check out your channel
il me semble que je dois jeter un œil sur ta chaine 😄
Big up from Jamaica
I appreciate the speed at which you speak, it's perfectly natural, fluid, confident.
Question; how will the waiter ask "what would you like?". Merci d'avance.
Bonjour aveuch,
Some waiters will say "Qu'est-ce que je vous sers ?"
Never heard that - but clearly they must do! I tend to hear "Vous avez choisi?"
last year in france i mostly heard "qu'est ce que vous désirez?"
I love your channel. I lived in france two years and now in the french speaking belgium area of La Hulpe. I am moving back to france in a couple of months. I am studying french but what I like about your channel is the real life conversations. Class is great but this is very helpful in my day to day life.
Merci pour posting. Magnifie .
I love your videos!
It would be good to see the English translations along with the French text on the screen. This way, we can make screen shots of phrases we want to keep for reference and memorization.
Merci beaucoup, chère Géraldine, tes conseils sont super! Eating out can be a pretty stressful situation in another country, especially one with such high culinary standards as France (and when you're also trying out your best French!), so your phrases and tips are really appreciated.
I was actually pleasantly surprised at how easy it usually is to order in "ordinary" French restaurants - not nearly as nerve-wracking as I expected, because there is often a choice of set menus (formules, as you mentioned) which take the complexity out of selecting from a long list of unknowns. It is also good to know that asking for a carafe d'eau is perfectly normal (often it is provided automatically) so there is no need to order mineral water. And the house wine is always drinkable.
Excellent as always.
Thank you very much for your hard work.
Your English is brilliant!!
However be careful with
"Anchovies "
The "ch" is pronounced as in "child".
I know- English is crazy....
Many thanks again.
Your videos are always most useful.
:-) :-)
I went to Paris this past March and had no problems ordering food. Knowing certain verbal phrases (je vais prendre being one I learned from this channel!) and reading French was enough to get by.
The only issue I ran into was trying to order enough turkey for two sandwiches. My husband and I picked up a baguette, some wine, and desserts, and wanted to eat at Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. Everything went smooth until we got to a small meat shop ran by an older French couple who didn't speak English. After some attempted conversation, I Google translated the sentence and got my order.
Perhaps a video about how to order food from specialty shops (pâtisserie, boulangerie, fromagerie, etc.) would be helpful.
Please let me join you every time. Thank you so much.
Restaurant 49 near Bayeux. Love it.
Really love your content. These tips are really useful for everyday life. Thank you very much!
So much useful vocabulary here. Thanks!
excellent, merci beaucoup🌷🌷
Thank you very much! I would be very interested in vocabulary to use at the market (for buying fruit, fish, etc. etc.)
I am going to France next week and this was helpful! Thank you very much! I have been to France but just on layover. I have been to a Le Pain Quotidien which was great!
Very useful videos, thank you? Could you perhaps think of making a video about phrases to use when taking a taxi in France? Merci!!
Merci,
C'etait tres utile pour moi parce que je visite France toujour et je'adore les restaurants francais. Comment puis-je ecrire avec des accents sur ce commentaire?
mon Dieu, I ordered the perfect meal in Avignon in French, we had all the pleasanteries with the waiter, all was good (summer, 32 degrees C), the entrée the main dish and cheese, it all went well until he asked what I wanted to drink. I ordered beer. The conversation was over :) ...
This is very useful! Would love one about buying tickets for public transport in France!
Thank you Geraldine. I really love your channel. I am learning so much! Sincerely,
Brenda Rose
New Orleans, Louisiana
Hello! This was very helpful! Thank you. For the next video, scheduling a rendez-vous/interview/meeting on the phone?
Wonderful series of lessons...you make learning French so easy and entertaining. When the sentences are long it might be helpful if you repeated three times with the first repeat slow. I visit your site several times a week. Wishing you much success.
I'm going to France as a vegetarian, needed this! merci
Fantastic work! Been lucky enough to have a house in France and this will come in handy so much!
Merci! This is perfect, I'm going back to Paris in 16 days and needed some phrases like this.
I alreaDy here☺
Who cares ?
Could you talk about public transportation and airplane etiquette? Thank you!!!!
Merci beaucoup, pour moi, très utile!
How about a video on the outdoor markets please?
Merci beaucoup
I find your videos useful and interesting. This is the second time im watching one. I've been to a few restaurants in France and especially on one bâteaux mouche sailing on the river Seine. 😊 S'il vous plaît, could you make a video on what to say to break the ice during un déjeuner de travail. Merci. A plus 💜
my fav channel
S'il tu plait. Could you have a session on going to the Doctor? Merci!
The last restaurant I went to was my home. I have never left my house so no I have not gone to a restaurant in France. By the way how do I say, "this food is disgusting, get it away from my face." Thank you and great video! CAN YOU RESPOND PLEASE I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR 3 WEEKS JUST STARING AT MY SCREEN FOR YOU TO RESPOND! PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO SAY IT!
Magnifique
My family and I will be travelling to France, but I'm nervous about the food because I have a dairy allergy. How do I politely explain my limited diet and ask for accommodation? Merci!
merci..
Thanks so much! Merci! Are there any Keto friendly restaurants and or meals in France, silvous plait?
Bonjour,
I plan on visiting Paris for three days next year. As for scripts, I'd like to be able to explain that I am on a ketogenic diet and ask if the staff have any recommendations, also to explain that my daughter is a vegetarian. In a polite a way as possible. I appreciate you channel. Merci
Suggestion: Could you make a video about some of the typical names of dishes on menus.And, some of the typical food descriptions?. Merci!
Could you do an episode of the questions a server would ask you? Or what an interaction would look like ordering at a Starbucks?
What is the different french way to ask to split the bill between friends or colleagues?
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS CONTENT
PLEASE MAKE MORE VIDEOS, IVE LEARNED SO MUCH
Manners learning a new language? A good concept and Americans should take to heart.
Very nice! Useful and accessible ;-)
One question: don't you ever use "Je voudrais..."?
Marco F. I use it
No, the French don't use that formula. When you hear it used, it's always foreigners. (I don't know Caleb Montgomery, but his name doesn't indicate that he's a native French speaker.)
It's false. You can use "Je voudrais" instead of "Je veux" or "Ce sera".
You are French, +Antoine Nicoco, and when you're ordering in a restaurant, you would actually say "Je voudrais X," for example, "Je voudrais le confit de canard"? Without the addition of any other verb? I have dined in restaurants with countless French people over the past 20 years, and I've never heard anyone order like that.
We Americans, on the other hand, will often directly translate our usual formula, "I would like X," e.g., "I would like the swordfish," to "je voudrais l'espadon." Or "je voudrais le croque monsieur." Doesn't that sound a bit odd to your ears?
En revanche, il est bien possible que l'on puisse entendre "je voudrais prendre X," par ex, "je voudrais prendre le côte d'agneau." Mais jamais "voudrais" sans un autre verbe à l'infinitif.
A mon expérience !
I have been told by French people that "Je veux" is rather abrupt, if not rude and "je voudrais" is the phrase to use. Oddly, it is the reverse in Spanish. "Quisiera" I would like - I was told this is rather pompous and unnecessarily formal/polite. Everyone says, "Quiero." I want.
2 years ago i went to a restaurant in the Latin Quarter of Paris and i ordered Frog legs and chips. I wanted to try the frog legs and i had a side in case i didn't like the frogs legs. In fact i really liked it which was a surprise. At the end, even at the cafe i always tell the waiter to round up the bill such as the meal was 15 euros i always pay them the 20 for the good service.
i always struggle with ; la, le, ma, mon, mes etc infront of words.. can you do a video on that please?
Hello Geraldine, I find that many French instructions talk about multiple people asking for a table in a restaurant. How can one ask for a table when one is dining alone (without being super formal)? Thank you…
Good content, merci. Please slow down! 1 or 2 extra repetitions a bit slowere would be great.
Please can you advise us on what to say upon entering a restaurant and when we're greeted by the waiter/waitress (especially if you're alone)? I always have a mind blank when I first enter a French restaurant
Cool
vous pouvez ferez un session sur comment vous acherterez des chose dans un magasin
Hi Geraldine, i visit France a lot but never know what to say when you go to a grocery store like carrefour etc. As you speak and interact with the cashier. How to say 'just these today' and so forth. Any help I'd greatly appreciate :)
If you're checking out at a grocery store, they won't ask if you want anything more. A simple 'bonjour' and 'merci, au revoir' is all you really need to say to a cashier.
Anywhere else, though -- a boulangerie, somebody who's helping you to shop in a store -- you can say "ça sera tout" [pronounced Sa Serah Too] = "just these today"!
C'vetre tout
Hi Geraldine!! Hi from Perú! I would like to know phrases about going shopping.
How do you say at the end of your meal, you want to pay but let's suppose your are with friends and you want to pay one by one you want to split the bill and everybody pays for what he ordered? Do you have some good phrases for that?
You can say "On partage ?" to your friends and each pays equal amount.
Or you pay for what you had at the counter.
Can you give us examples of the replies that we recieve from waiters as we use your phrases. I am often thrown by the replies as they are fast and compressed.
Just for fun, I hope you make a video on how to order in French at MCDonald's and Starbucks while in France. :)
Why going to McDonald's ?(à plus forte raison en France !)
Thank you! It's a great video to help me feel more natural at the restaurant 😊
I love your videos. I have been teaching myself French since I first went there in 2002. You are solving many questions and problems I have been struggling with on my own. I have a question that doesn't have to do with language exactly. Seven years ago, I ordered the baked salmon at a resto in Paris. I was very surprised that the salmon arrived alone, without any verdures ou pommes de terre. Only the salmon. I assume that's what happens when you don't order correctly. Could you tell me how I should have ordered to make sure that I got a complete meal. Thank you.
I absolutely love your videos Geraldine. Question: How would tell the waiter how you wanted your meat cooking, for example rare/medium rare/well done? I got flustered once and had difficulty saying I liked my meat rare - ended up saying 'rouge' and my husband like his well done, so I said bien cuit?
SandbachKLMR we would use ‘bleu’ for really rare, ‘saignant’ for rare, then you have ‘à point’ for medium rare, ‘cuit’ for well done et ‘bien cuit’ which is well well done. I don’t think you use those terms in English for the first and last one but I wanted to show there are more than 3 ways to cook meat :) hope it helped you!
Jordan gives perfect advice. How did the meat turn out? Probably they guessed your meaning all right?
P.S. If you're ordering lamb, you don't say "bleu" or "saignant," but "rosé" (like the wine).
Funny story about this... On my first trip to Paris long time ago (with far less skills the french language) I was asked in a restaurant for the cooking time of my steak. I have to mention first that the term for "rare" in Germany is "englisch" (english, yes we think a bloody steak is the english way to eat it). This in mind I ordered "english" ...and the reply of the waitress was: Yes, I speak English 😂😂😂 Afterwards I learned about the 5 styles of preparing meat.
S'il vous plaît faire une vidéo sur la commande de la nourriture de rue d'un vendeur ou un camion.
‘In France employers are supposed to pay a living wage for the staff.’ The shaaaaade! Lol, you’re right though. We’re wrong in America on that count.
It's also oversimplifying a complex topic by painting it with a rather meaning slogan which harms any chance of having any meaningful discussion
@@afhostie in which sense? Are you suggesting some full-time work shouldn’t pay wages that people can survive off of?
How take food and drinks order
Bonjour, Géraldine. J’adore votre channe. J’ai un question. Ma fille ne peux jamais manger de la nourriture avec où près des cacaouettes. Est-ce que vous pouvez m’aider demander si toys it’s sûr pour lui? P.S. How many grammar mistakes did I make in my question?
This video is great. I do have a question though.
I can't stand vinegar. I always want to eat the salad but because of the dressing I don't and it goes to the trash.
How would I ask if they can leave the dressing off the salad? Merci
....une salade sans vinaigrette s'il vous plait.
Stephen Wilson, merci
I’m advanced in French but I struggle with all of the words that are on French menus. Like “flanks” of veal and lamb, steak hâché, types of containers and sauces that they come with. Types of cuissances and things like that! I usually need to know what body part, what animal, and what exactly I’m ordering.
The first night I was in France I ate bull meat and potatoes it was delicious I had never had Bull in the States
I have found that the only options normally on the menu for vegetarians are salads, fries or an omelette. Can you please tell me how to ask what they can offer vegetarians if I don't see anything appropriate on the menu? Thank you!
L'été dernier, j'étais à Paris pour étudier. Ma mère a venu me voir et nous avons dîné à une restaurant prés de nos hôtel. A ce temps je ne comprends pas beaucoup de français et le serveur a essayé de parler avec moi mais j'ai malentendu ce qu'il disait. A cause de ça j'ai complètement trompé la response. Heureusement, il était très gentil et après il parlait plus lentement.
I am allergic to shellfish. How do I best communicate that?
Hello from Dubai.
Non pas en France. En Asheville NC 🎂☺️
Very usefull video, Geraldine. When I went to Paris with my family we could manage restaurants fairly well. There was only one situation when I was really shocked with how rude the waiter was in a restaurant/cafe very close to Ile de la Cité. Please comment on the habit of bringing small orders (like drinks and ice-cream only) together with "l'addittion". The situation: I order a coke and an ice cream, while my wife went to the restrooms as she badly needed it. I didn't master french enough yet to tell him my wife was still coming. He brought my order and the bill. Following I order a beer for my wife and - ok - he brought the beer and the bill again. We took our time having our drinks, and thought of paying after we were finished. But the waiter was uncomfortable. He passed by a couple of times and even pointed the bill and repeated the total price. Is this common for drinks only? Or did he suspected we foreigners were not going to pay? I would appreciate your comments, so I can understand what happened. (and maybe avoid a second situation like that).
Some cafes in busy places like the money when you order. Just put the money in the little plastic tray and stay sitting there. They will bring change if you leave too much.
I've lived in Paris for 10 years, and your experience is quite uncommon! I'm guessing that it was due to your being in a very touristy area.
Even so, I'm betting that if you had ordered "real food" (meaning, a meal), your waiter would not have behaved this way.
I'm very sorry that this happened to you. I have always had a problem getting the waiter to product the "addition" -- and then to accept payment! That often takes forever, because the French don't like to rush you out the door....
Picking up the phone in France would be a helpful conversation practice.
she has a video about that
Jamais. ... mais un de ces jours je vais aller🥂
Is it OK to say la facture, or is it preferred to say l'addition ?
In a restaurant the word l'addition is absolutely common... la facture is used in a business context and not very approbiate for (the mostly) hand written bill 😉😁
@@petereggers7603 thanks ive gotten away with la facture
@@petereggers7603 merci de m'avoir aide
@@palomadsilva4446 Avec plaisir 😊
Français subtitle s’il vous plait
When you ask for more of something...I thought you said plus de or encore du, like 'can I have more bread' = vous pouvez m'apporter encore du pain or plus de pain...which one or neither:) thks.
Bonjour, Géraldine - merci pour le video, c'est trés util. I suggest a video on how to order a steak/entrecôte in France. There is no information in English on how to do this - we Americans try to translate "rare," "medium rare," "medium," "medium well," and "well done" into French, but those words do not exist in the French kitchen. "Moyenne" ou "mi-saignant" is what the books say, but that is not French. A clear, thorough explanation of "bleu," "saignant," "bien cuit" would be super helpful! And extra time spent on "trés-bien cuit" - which will get you a piece of the dishwasher's shoe leather - do not do that! MDR.
And extra *extra* time spent on the best way to order a steak in France: À Point. A good explanation of "cuit à point" would be so helpful! Comment cuit? Cuit à point, s'il vous plaît!
Merci bien!
Tips are always an issue when travelling, it may change in every country, how much is a good tip in France?
Entirely depends on context. At a bar or café, having had just a coffee or a beer - maybe a pastry with the coffee - a tip is not expected but leaving the small change - the coppers - is usual. Or, in effect, rounding a small bill up to the next €.
At most restaurants at the bottom of the bill you will see either "Service Compris" [tip included - sometimes S/C] or "Service Non Compris" - [sometimes S.N.C]. It's very rare to see neither of those.
Where service is not included, 10% is fine. Where it is, at your discretion you could give your server something personnally, into their very hand, if you feel they have been particularly helpful.
Be careful not to say I am full, ''je suis plein'' as this refers that you are pregnant , I use '' j'ai assez mangé ''
me souviens pas de la deniere fois j suis allé au restau honetement haha... aux etats unis, bien que c'est obligatoire pas a donner un pourboire, c'est tres poli. et tu peux donner un pourboire de 15% minimum. donc, cette video est tres super pour quand j vais au restau en france un jour... haha. mais, je veux savoir si on peut commander du vin a n'importe l'heure de la journee? pour petite dejeuner, dejeuner, et diner? parce que aux etats unis, c'est tres bizzare a commander du vin au restau a n'importe l'heure. dailleurs, il n'y a personne qui commande du vin au restau ici lol. c'est drole parce que si on veut a commander quelque chose a boire, on a commander du coca cola ou de l'eau ou un "cock tail" (mais ca depend de l'heure). je n'ai jamais vu une personne commande du vin au restau ici hahaha. mais, je veux savoir si on peux commander et boire du vin au restau en france a n'importe l'heure? désolé si mon francais n'est pas trop bon.
What do you say when there’s only one person (going to a restaurant)?
I just discovered your channel last week, and you do a terrific job! I am now a subscriber.
I would just like to make a couple of comments: You said to ask for "le menu" but "la carte" is what people will want, right? Seulement après avoir lu la carte, est l'on en mesure de décider si l'on voudrait commander le menu, ou bien 'à la carte', non ?
+ Comme une Française, I'd like to offer a couple of little hints on English pronunciation: "salmon" is an odd word in English, as the "l" is not pronounced -- I don't know why. Try www.forvo.com; they must have pronunciations of this word. And the "ch" in "anchovies" is pronounced like "tch" in French.
Due to American television, We Americans got the idea that garçon means waiter When in actuality it means boy. which is quite rude, Geraldine is right, .
L'année dernière, ma copine et moi sommes allées à Paris.
Le tout premier restaurant qu'on a visité était un restaurant de sushi. La nourriture était fantastique, et abordable, mais dès que j'ai essayé de parler c'est devenu très maladroit.
Je demandais "le billet" au lieu de "l'addition", et à notre sortie, j'ai dit "b...b...bo.....bonne soirée". :P
It sounds as if you did very well, actually! When we were new to Paris, we went to a "Mexican" restaurant and were asked if we wanted "La Note". I hadn't realized that any other term besides "addition" existed for the bill.
But in fact "la note" is more equivalent to "the bill" in English (in that it can also be used for more complicated things, although not quite a "facture"), whereas "l'addition" is equivalent to "the check." As far as I can judge, "la note" is more hoity-toity. ;-)
Quinsston I also thought le billet was the bill. Geraldine, What is the difference between l’addition et le billet? (Yes, my last name is really Billett!)
+Sheri Billett -- considering your last name, it's good for you to know the meaning of "billet"! "Un billet" (pronounced "bee-YAY") means "a ticket with your name on it," such as a train/airline ticket, or a ticket to a concert, etc., usually with a specific seat number assigned. "Un ticket" (pronounced "tee-KAY") is a ticket without your name on it, such as a bus or Métro ticket. "Une addition" (pronounced "ah-dee-see-on") is a restaurant check, but a more upper-class, or old-fashioned restaurant might call it "la note". "Une facture" is for a more complicated bill, such as your plumber might give you. An (American) English equivalent would be an "invoice." To learn more vocabulary, I suggest you check out www.wordreference.com -- they have a wonderful forum where you can put any language question out there and intelligent people will respond!