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Everything you need for ordering food in a French restaurant — the phrases, the courses, the bill — with audio. Ordering like a local, course by course. This French ordering like a local course by course vocabulary list gives you 12 essential words — from l’entrée (the starter) to l’addition (the bill) — each with audio and its English translation. Use it to build the French words you need to talk about ordering like a local course by course, then test yourself with the games below.
Ordering like a local, course by course
Le repas · the courses
Commander · ordering
5 quick questions on « Au Restaurant » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →
the menu (the printed list) = la ___ (the trap!)
carte
medium (steak) = à ___ (doneness)
point
The tip is already included : service ___ (bill culture)
compris
How do you say « the starter »? (recall)
l’entrée
What does « le plat » mean? (recall)
the main course
How do you say « the dessert »? (recall)
le dessert
What does « la carte » mean? (recall)
the menu
How do you say « the set menu »? (recall)
le menu / la formule
What does « le plat du jour » mean? (recall)
today’s special
How do you say « to book a table »? (recall)
réserver une table
What does « la carte des vins » mean? (recall)
the wine list
Go further: get the full picture in our guide 25 survival phrases for your trip to France.
Here’s a complete restaurant exchange using the key French restaurant phrases — from getting a table to paying the bill:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Bonjour, une table pour deux, s’il vous plaît. | Hello, a table for two, please. |
| La carte, s’il vous plaît. | The menu, please. |
| Qu’est-ce que vous me conseillez ? | What do you recommend? |
| Je vais prendre le menu du jour. | I’ll have the set menu of the day. |
| Je voudrais le steak, à point. | I’d like the steak, medium. |
| Une carafe d’eau, s’il vous plaît. | A jug of (free) tap water, please. |
| C’était délicieux ! | It was delicious! |
| L’addition, s’il vous plaît. | The bill, please. |
Tip for ordering food in French: waiters say « Et pour vous ? » (and for you?) — answer with « Pour moi, … ». Service is included in French prices, so tipping is a small optional extra.
For example: the starter is « l’entrée », the main course is « le plat (principal) », the dessert is « le dessert ». The full list above has 12 French ordering like a local course by course words, each with audio so you can hear the pronunciation.
Start with the basics: l’entrée (the starter), le plat (principal) (the main course), le dessert (the dessert), la carte (the menu (list)), le menu / la formule (the set menu), le plat du jour (today’s special). Master these core French words before moving on to the rest of the list.
Learn the words in small themed groups, say each one out loud with the audio, and use it in a short sentence about your own life. Spaced repetition is what makes new vocabulary stick — see our guide to learning French vocabulary that sticks.
Games built from this exact page — turn what you just read into play: