{"id":118305,"date":"2024-03-12T07:52:26","date_gmt":"2024-03-12T11:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/how-to-order-food-in-french\/"},"modified":"2025-02-16T20:53:49","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T01:53:49","slug":"how-to-order-food-in-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/french\/how-to-order-food-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Order Food in French Like the Locals Do"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eating can actually be a fabulous way to introduce French culture into your life. That goes double if you’re in a French-speaking area<\/a>. With this complete guide on how to order in French, entering a restaurant can be one of the most exciting ways to practice your language skills.<\/p>\n

Read on for French meals, navigating menus in France, how to order food in French, types of restaurants, making reservations and more.<\/p>\n

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How to Order in French<\/h2>\n

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Essential Phrases<\/h3>\n

French restaurants work in much the same way as restaurants around the world. While meals in France can be lengthy affairs, ordering itself usually happens very close to the beginning and is a relatively quick event.<\/p>\n

Once you’ve made your decision and closed the menu, your waiter will likely come over and say one of the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
French<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Qu\u2019est-ce que vous voulez comme boisson ? <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>What would you like to drink?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Qu\u2019est-ce que vous buvez ? <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>What will you have to drink?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Je vous \u00e9coute. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>I'm listening.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Avez-vous choisi ? <\/a>\n <\/em>
\n Vous avez choisi ? <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>		Have you chosen?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Que d\u00e9sirez-vous manger ? <\/a>\n <\/em>
\n Que voulez-vous manger ? <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>		What would you like to eat?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Quelle cuisson ? <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>How would you like your meat cooked?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

The basic way to order in French is to say: Je voudrais<\/strong><\/em> (I would like) + the name of the thing you want.<\/p>\n

If you need to attract your waiter’s attention, you can say Excusez-moi ?<\/em><\/strong> (Excuse me?).<\/p>\n

Here are some other phrases that will help you through the ordering process:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
French<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Je prendrai... <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>I will take...<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Je vais prendre\u2026 <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>I'm going to take...<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Je n'ai pas choisi. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>I haven\u2019t chosen.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Une minute encore, s\u2019il vous pla\u00eet. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>One more minute, please.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Qu\u2019est-ce que vous recommandez ? <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>What would you recommend?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Quelle est la sp\u00e9cialit\u00e9 du jour ? <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>What is today's special?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Allergies and Dietary Restrictions<\/h3>\n

If you have any food allergies or dietary requirements, these phrases will help you let your waiter know:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
French<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Je suis diab\u00e9tique <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>I am diabetic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Je suis v\u00e9g\u00e9tarien <\/a>\n <\/em> \/ v\u00e9g\u00e9tarienne <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>I am vegetarian (masculine\/feminine)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Je suis v\u00e9g\u00e9talien <\/a>\n <\/em> \/ v\u00e9g\u00e9talienne <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>I am vegan (masculine\/feminine)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Je suis allergique \u00e0\u2026 <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>I am allergic to\u2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

While French food is some of the most loved in the world, it may be difficult to find vegetarian or vegan options at certain places.<\/p>\n

If you can’t see any<\/em> dishes on the main menu that don’t contain meat, it’s likely you could have some of the starters adapted to meet your needs.<\/p>\n

Many places will either allow you to select a number of smaller dishes to be brought out with your party’s main meals, or will serve you a starter in a bigger size, charging a little more so you can eat it as a main dish.<\/p>\n

During the Meal<\/h3>\n

If your waiter sees that you’ve finished the main dish, they might ask “Have you finished?” with one of the following:<\/p>\n