French Lesson: Au restaurant – part 2

22 January 2012 by Camille Chevalier-Karfis    2455  
French Lesson: Au restaurant – part 2
Camille Chevalier-Karfis
By Camille Chevalier-Karfis
Au restaurant—part 2 Here are some tips and a few common expressions to help you communicate when going to a restaurant in France. This is part two of the Au restaurant lessons – Stay tuned for la troisième partie (part 3)! A restaurant is likely to offer des menus, which means fixed price selections. Watch out, it’s a false cognate with the English word ‘menu’, which is la carte in French. You also have la carte des vins (the wine menu). When you order, say: je vais commander à la carte (I’ll order from the menu), and then say what you’d like, or je vais prendre le menu à… 20 Euros (I’ll take the… 20 Euros fixed price selection) and then say what you’ve chosen. Another false friend is the word entrée which means appetizer. Not to be mistaken with le plat principal (main course or entrée as used in English). When you order something, say je voudrais le plat du jour s’il vous plaît (I’d like today’s special please). In English, you use the verb ‘to like’, ‘I would like’, but in French we don’t use the verb aimer, we use the verb vouloir (to want). Aimer is for likes and dislikes and for love of course. Photo credit:  DigitalArt / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Camille Chevalier-Karfis lives in Brittany and she’s been teaching today’s French language to adults around the world for over 19 years with her company, French Today. Please click on her name to learn more about her by reading her complete profile. Subscribe for free weekly newsletters with subscriber-only content. BonjourParis has been a leading online France travel and French lifestyle site since 1995.   Top 100 France-themed books & more: Readers’ Favorites.  
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By Camille Chevalier-Karfis

Although born and raised in Paris, Camille lived in Boston for 16 years and has been teaching today's French language for 20 years to adults around the world in person, by phone and through Skype. Repatriating to Brittany, France, in 2008 to be closer to family and to practice a balanced lifestyle, Camille created French Today, offering original audio novels and audio courses based on the adult student needs and interests, and written and recorded using the modern French language. She is the author of a full French audio method called “À Moi Paris” comprised of 4 audiobooks for the French beginner and French intermediate learner. She is also the author of more than 15 other audiobooks and audio lessons on grammar, modern pronunciation and vocabulary. In October 2014, Camille was also chosen to be the About.com French Expert, the largest French web site in the world.