Ordering at a French Café: A Beginner's Script
Vocalyra teaching team · Last updated:
Ordering at a café is often the first thing learners do in France, and it is one of the easiest conversations to prepare. The exchange is short, the vocabulary is small, and the same phrases work in every café in the country. This guide gives you the exact lines, using the same situation you can hear in the Vocalyra Français podcast episode about ordering at a café.
Ordering a Drink
The simplest order is just the item plus s'il vous plaît. In the podcast episode, Emma orders a coffee.
- Un café, s'il vous plaît. (A coffee, please.)
- Je voudrais un café. (I would like a coffee.)
- Un thé, un jus d'orange, de l'eau. (A tea, an orange juice, some water.)
Un café means an espresso by default. If you want something else, name it: un café crème (coffee with milk), un thé (tea), un chocolat chaud (hot chocolate).
Ordering Food
Café food vocabulary is small and repetitive, which makes it easy to learn. In the episode, Emma has a cheese sandwich.
- Un sandwich au fromage, s'il vous plaît. (A cheese sandwich, please.)
- Un croissant, une salade, une soupe. (A croissant, a salad, a soup.)
- Et avec ceci ? (And with that? Anything else?)
Note the pattern au fromage: au plus an ingredient means with that ingredient. Un sandwich au jambon is a ham sandwich.
Paying and Understanding the Price
The total comes at the end. In the episode, Emma's order costs 7 euros.
- Combien coûte le total ? (How much is the total?)
- C'est 7 euros, s'il vous plaît. (That is 7 euros, please.)
- L'addition, s'il vous plaît. (The bill, please.)
In France you usually pay at the counter or ask for l'addition at the table. Service is included in the price; tipping is optional.
The Full Exchange
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Un café, s'il vous plaît. | A coffee, please. |
| Un sandwich au fromage. | A cheese sandwich. |
| Combien coûte le total ? | How much is the total? |
| C'est 7 euros. | That is 7 euros. |
Listen to the café episode of the Vocalyra Français podcast and answer the three comprehension questions under the player. Then try ordering your own usual drink out loud in French.
Quick self-check
How do you order a coffee politely?
Show answer
Un café, s'il vous plaît.
Emma eats a cheese sandwich. How do you say that in French?
Show answer
Un sandwich au fromage.
How do you ask for the bill?
Show answer
L'addition, s'il vous plaît.
Not sure where you stand? The free Vocalyra level test gives you a CEFR estimate and a recommended starting point.