You've mastered ordering drinks — now let's sit down for a full meal! In this lesson you'll learn the vocabulary for a complete restaurant experience: starter, main course, dessert, the waiter and waitress, and the key verbs for ordering and recommending. Restaurant meals are central to French social life, and by the end of this lesson you'll be able to navigate a Parisian menu with ease. Bon appétit!
Learning tips
- French restaurants typically serve three courses: 'l'entrée' (starter), 'le plat' (main course), and 'le dessert'. A fixed-price menu offering all three is called 'une formule' or 'un menu'.
- The verb 'prendre' (to take) is the natural verb for ordering food in French: 'Je prends le plat du jour' = I'll have the dish of the day. English speakers often try to use 'avoir' (to have) but 'prendre' is more idiomatic here.
- 'Prendre' is an irregular verb — memorise 'prends/prend/prenons/prenez/prennent'. The pattern is shared with 'apprendre' (to learn) and 'comprendre' (to understand).
- When asking for a recommendation, use 'Qu'est-ce que vous recommandez ?' — a very useful phrase in any restaurant.
- To say you want something readily and willingly, use 'je veux bien' — it sounds friendlier and more natural than just 'oui'.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| le café | the coffee |
| le thé | the tea |
| l'eau | the water |
| le jus | the juice |
| le vin | the wine |
| la bière | the beer |
| commander | to order |
| servir | to serve |
| chaud | hot |
| froid | cold |
Dialog
Camille and Lucas are at a restaurant looking over the menu. They discuss what to choose for each course, then interact with the waitress to get a recommendation. The dialog naturally uses 'prendre' for ordering, 'recommander' for asking for suggestions, and 'apporter' for asking the waiter to bring things.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| le menu | /lə mə.ny/ | the menu | In French, 'le menu' usually means a set-price meal deal; 'la carte' is the full à-la-carte menu. |
| le plat du jour | /lə pla dy ʒuʁ/ | the dish of the day / today's special | Always a good value choice in French restaurants — freshly made from seasonal ingredients. |
| l' l'entrée | /lɑ̃.tʁe/ | the starter / first course | Literally 'the entrance' — this is the first course before the main dish. |
| le plat | /lə pla/ | the main course / dish | Can also mean a flat dish or bowl. Context makes clear whether it's 'dish (plate)' or 'main course'. |
| le dessert | /lə de.sɛʁ/ | the dessert | Always the sweet course at the end of the meal. A staple of the French dining experience. |
| le serveur | /lə sɛʁ.vœʁ/ | the waiter (male) | The polite way to address him is 'Excusez-moi, monsieur' — don't shout 'garçon'! |
| la serveuse | /la sɛʁ.vøz/ | the waitress | Address her as 'Excusez-moi, madame' or 'Excusez-moi, mademoiselle'. |
| recommander | /ʁə.kɔ.mɑ̃.de/ | to recommend | 'Qu'est-ce que vous recommandez ?' = What do you recommend? Very useful in restaurants. |
| goûter | /ɡu.te/ | to taste, to try (food) | 'Goûter' means to sample or taste something. 'Tu veux goûter ?' = Do you want to try some? |
| apporter | /a.pɔʁ.te/ | to bring (to carry to someone) | 'Apporter' = to bring/carry something to a place. 'Vous pouvez apporter l'addition ?' = Can you bring the bill? |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| la spécialité | /la spe.sja.li.te/ | the speciality | 'La spécialité de la maison' = the house speciality. Every good French restaurant has one. |
| la formule | /la fɔʁ.myl/ | the set menu / meal deal | 'Une formule' typically includes entrée + plat or plat + dessert at a fixed price. |
| la suggestion | /la syɡ.ʒɛs.tjɔ̃/ | the suggestion | You might see 'Suggestions du chef' (chef's suggestions) on a menu board. |
| végétarien | /ve.ʒe.ta.ʁjɛ̃/ | vegetarian | Feminine form: 'végétarienne'. Ask 'Avez-vous des options végétariennes ?' if needed. |
| sans | /sɑ̃/ | without | 'Sans gluten' = gluten-free, 'sans viande' = without meat. Very useful for dietary needs. |
| le plat du jour | /lə pla dy ʒuʁ/ | the dish of the day | This is a duplicate entry in the passive list — it reinforces 'plat du jour' from the active words. |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| le menu, s'il vous plaît | the menu, please |
| qu'est-ce que vous recommandez | what do you recommend? |
| je veux bien | yes, I'd love to / yes, gladly |
Grammar: Present tense of prendre (to take)
| Sujet | prendre | apprendre | comprendre |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | prends | apprends | comprends |
| tu | prends | apprends | comprends |
| il/elle | prend | apprend | comprend |
| nous | prenons | apprenons | comprenons |
| vous | prenez | apprenez | comprenez |
| ils/elles | prennent | apprennent | comprennent |
The verb 'prendre' (to take) is one of the most important irregular verbs in French. Its full present-tense conjugation is: je prends, tu prends, il/elle prend, nous prenons, vous prenez, ils/elles prennent. Notice the double 'nn' in the third-person plural — this is a distinctive feature. The same pattern applies to two other very useful verbs: 'apprendre' (to learn) and 'comprendre' (to understand). So once you know 'prendre', you also know 'j'apprends le français' (I'm learning French) and 'je comprends' (I understand). In restaurant contexts, 'je prends' is the natural way to say 'I'll have...' — more idiomatic than 'je voudrais' when you've already decided. Use 'je voudrais' when you're still deciding or being polite with the waiter.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct French word from this lesson.
- Regarde , il y a beaucoup de choix. (the menu)(with article: the menu)
- Je voudrais la soupe, s'il vous plaît. (to taste)(infinitive: to taste/try)
- peut recommander un bon plat. (the waiter)(with article: the waiter, masculine)
- Vous pouvez l'entrée d'abord ? (to bring)(infinitive: to bring)
- Le aujourd'hui, c'est du poulet. (dish of the day)(no article needed — plat du...)
Grammar Application
Conjugate 'prendre' or 'apprendre' to match the subject. Watch out for the irregular plural forms.
- Je le plat du jour. (prendre)(prendre, je)
- Tu un dessert ? (prendre)(prendre, tu)
- Nous l'entrée et le plat. (prendre)(prendre, nous)
- Ils le menu à la table. (prendre)(prendre, ils)
- Vous le français au restaurant ! (apprendre)(apprendre, vous)
Translate into French
Translate each English sentence into French using vocabulary and structures from this lesson.
- I'm having the dish of the day.
- The waitress recommends the dessert.
- Can you bring the menu?
- I'd like to try the starter.
- The waiter brings the main course.
Build Your Own Sentence
Imagine you are at a Parisian restaurant. Write 2–3 sentences in French describing what you would order and whether you'd ask for a recommendation.
Takeaway
Use 'prendre' (je prends, tu prends, nous prenons, ils prennent) to say what you're having in a restaurant — and remember that 'apprendre' and 'comprendre' follow the exact same pattern.