French · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 19
Au restaurantAt the restaurant
Meals and ordering at a restaurant. To order, you use the verb "prendre" (je prends, tu prends, il prend): Je prends le menu. Note: the "je" form takes an -s (je prends), but "il" does not (il prend). You eat (manger) and drink (boire). The meals: le petit-déjeuner (breakfast), le déjeuner (lunch), le dîner (dinner). New vocabulary: petit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner, manger, boire, restaurant, serveur, menu, commander, addition.
Dialogue
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Je prend ou je prends ?— je prend or je prends?
- LucasMike, qu'est-ce que tu prends ?Mike, what are you having?
- MikeJe prend le déjeuner.I'll have lunch. (slip: the "je" form takes an -s → "je prends")
- LucasAvec « je », un -s : je prends.With "je", an -s: je prends.
- MikeAh, je prends le déjeuner. Et le menu ?Ah, I'll have lunch. And the menu?
Dialogue
i
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L'addition, s'il vous plaît— The Bill, Please
- ServeurBonjour. Qu'est-ce que vous prenez ?Hello. What will you have?
- CamilleJe prends le déjeuner, s'il vous plaît.I'll have lunch, please.
- ServeurTrès bien. Voici le menu.Very good. Here is the menu.
- CamilleMerci. Et l'addition, s'il vous plaît.Thank you. And the bill, please.
Vocabulary
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- petit-déjeuner
n.m.breakfast (m)
- déjeuner
n.m.lunch (m)
- dîner
n.m.dinner (m)
- manger
verbto eat
- boire
verbto drink
- restaurant
n.m.restaurant (m)
- serveur
n.m.waiter (m)
- menu
n.m.menu (m)
- commander
verbto order
- addition
n.f.bill, check (f)
Grammar
i
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Ordering with "prendre"
Explanation
At a restaurant, to say "I'll have…", you use the verb "prendre": Je prends le menu, Je prends le déjeuner. "Prendre" is irregular: je prends, tu prends, il/elle prend, nous prenons, ils prennent. Note: "je" and "tu" take an -s (prends), but "il" does not (prend). The English mistake is to say "je prend" without the -s. You ask: Qu'est-ce que tu prends? For eating and drinking, use "manger" (je mange) and "boire" (je bois). And at the end: L'addition, s'il vous plaît.
Examples
- Je prends le menu, s'il vous plaît.I'll have the menu, please.
- Qu'est-ce que tu prends ? — Je prends le déjeuner.What are you having? — I'll have lunch.
- Je mange et je bois au restaurant.I eat and drink at the restaurant.
- L'addition, s'il vous plaît.The bill, please.
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