French café phrases, with audio
Bonjour, je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît
“Hello, I'd like a coffee, please”
When: When the waiter arrives
The moment
You take a seat at a Parisian café terrace and the waiter comes over to take your order.
A1 · Unit 2 · Café & food
The lines
The magic formula
French service runs on "Bonjour" + "s'il vous plaît". Skipping the bonjour is genuinely rude — always greet first, then order with "je voudrais" (I would like).
Bonjour, je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît
“Hello, I'd like a coffee, please”
When to use it: When the waiter arrives
What you’ll hear back: Très bien. Autre chose ?
Getting the bill
Ask "l'addition, s'il vous plaît" — waiters will not bring it unprompted; lingering is the default in France.
L'addition, s'il vous plaît
“The bill, please.”
When to use it: When you want to leave
What you’ll hear back: Tout de suite.
Words for this scene
| French | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| je voudrais... | zhuh voo-DREH | I would like... |
Je voudrais un café et un croissant. I would like a coffee and a croissant. Tip: The polite conditional — never "je veux" (I want). | ||
| un café allongé | uhn kah-FEH ah-lon-ZHEH | a long black coffee |
Un café allongé, s'il vous plaît. A long coffee, please. Tip: Plain "un café" gets you an espresso. | ||
| l'addition | lah-dee-SYON | the bill |
L'addition, s'il vous plaît. The bill, please. Tip: You must ask — it will not come on its own. | ||
Your objective
Order a drink and say how you’d like it, then ask how much it is or ask for the bill.
- a drink
- how you’d like it
- the price or the bill
Lines that get it done
- Je voudrais un café et un croissant. · I would like a coffee and a croissant.
- Un café allongé, s'il vous plaît. · A long coffee, please.
- L'addition, s'il vous plaît · The bill, please.
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. What must every café interaction start with?
- Bonjour
- Merci
- Au revoir
- Voilà
Show the answer
Bonjour
Greeting first is non-negotiable in French service culture.
2. Ordering just "un café" gets you...
- An espresso
- A latte
- A filter coffee
- A decaf
Show the answer
An espresso
The default French café is a small espresso.
3. How do you ask for the bill?
- L'addition, s'il vous plaît
- Le menu, s'il vous plaît
- Encore un, s'il vous plaît
- C'est combien de temps ?
Show the answer
L'addition, s'il vous plaît
L'addition is the bill; you have to request it.