How to share dishes and split the bill in French
J'ai déjà pris le confit de canard ici, c'était excellent.
“I've had the duck confit here before, and it was excellent.”
When: When friends are stuck choosing
The moment
You are at dinner with two French friends who can't decide what to order, and the bill will land on the table at the end.
A2 · Unit 1 · Eating out
The lines
Recommending what you tried
Back a tip with the past: "J'ai déjà pris le confit de canard ici, c'était excellent." J'ai déjà pris says you have had it before, and c'était says how it was.
J'ai déjà pris le confit de canard ici, c'était excellent.
“I've had the duck confit here before, and it was excellent.”
When to use it: When friends are stuck choosing
What you’ll hear back: Ah oui ? Alors je prends ça. (Oh really? Then I'll have that.)
Ça vous dit for suggestions
Ça vous dit de… is how the French float any idea: "Ça vous dit de partager des entrées ?" With one friend it becomes ça te dit, and they answer with a yes or a counter-offer.
Ça vous dit de partager des entrées ?
“How about sharing some starters?”
When to use it: Suggesting the table shares starters
What you’ll hear back: Bonne idée, on prend deux ou trois choses. (Good idea, let's get two or three.)
Words for this scene
| French | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| Tu veux goûter ? | tew vuh goo-TAY | Do you want a taste? |
Mon risotto est délicieux, tu veux goûter ? My risotto is delicious, do you want a taste? Tip: Among friends, hand over a clean fork rather than the plate. | ||
| Tchin-tchin ! | cheen-CHEEN | Cheers! |
Allez, tchin-tchin, et bonne soirée à tous ! Come on, cheers, and have a great evening everyone! Tip: Meet everyone's eyes as you clink, or it's bad luck. | ||
| On fait moitié-moitié ? | on feh mwah-tyay-mwah-TYAY | Shall we go halves? |
Laisse, on fait moitié-moitié, c'est plus simple. Leave it, let's go halves, it's simpler. Tip: For a bigger table say on divise par trois, par quatre. | ||
Your objective
Recommend a dish you’ve had before; when a friend can’t eat it, suggest another to share, then propose how to split the bill.
- a dish you recommend
- another dish when they can’t eat it
- how to split the bill
Lines that get it done
- J'ai déjà pris le confit de canard ici, c'était excellent.
- Ça vous dit de partager des entrées ?
- On fait moitié-moitié ? · Shall we go halves?
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. A friend can't choose, and you had the duck here last month. What do you say?
- J'ai déjà pris le confit de canard ici, c'était excellent.
- Je vais prendre le confit de canard ici, c'était excellent.
- Je n'ai jamais pris le confit de canard, c'était excellent.
- J'ai déjà pris le confit de canard ici, ce sera excellent.
Show the answer
J'ai déjà pris le confit de canard ici, c'était excellent.
J'ai déjà pris plus c'était keeps the whole recommendation in the past, where your experience belongs.
2. Everyone raises their glass before the first bite. What do you say?
- Tchin-tchin !
- Bon appétit !
- Bonne chance !
- À vos souhaits !
Show the answer
Tchin-tchin !
Tchin-tchin goes with the clink; bon appétit is for the food and à vos souhaits is for a sneeze.
3. The bill arrives and you want an even split with your friend. What do you say?
- On fait moitié-moitié ?
- On fait demi-demi ?
- On coupe moitié-moitié ?
- On fait moitié par moitié ?
Show the answer
On fait moitié-moitié ?
Moitié-moitié is the fixed expression for an even split; the other three are not French.