Everyday French · café & boulangerie
Could you order at a French café without switching to English?
Ask for une noisette and you get a coffee, not a hazelnut. Say une tradition and you get the better baguette. Ten lines you’ll say or hear at the counter.
10 phrasesbeginner to advancedabout 2 minutesno sign-up
Word for word: “a hazelnut, please”
What arrives? Tap an answer to start.
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Free pack
The café & boulangerie pack
All 75 phrases, sorted by situation: the polite bits, ordering, coffee, bread and pastries, paying, and what the staff say back. Each card comes with audio and an example.
- 75 cards
- A1 to B2
- 9 situations
Free · no card
Every phrase in the pack
75 phrases
Politeness
6 phrases- Bonjour !Meaning hidden until you get the packA1
- S’il vous plaîtMeaning hidden until you get the packA1
- Excusez-moiMeaning hidden until you get the packA1
Ordering
12 phrases- Je voudrais…Meaning hidden until you get the packA1
- Je vais prendre…Meaning hidden until you get the packA2
- Je peux avoir… ?Meaning hidden until you get the packA2
At the café
6 phrases- Une tartine et un café.Meaning hidden until you get the packA2
- une servietteMeaning hidden until you get the packA2
- C’est quoi, le code wifi ?Meaning hidden until you get the packA2
Drinks
14 phrases- Une noisette, s’il vous plaît.Meaning hidden until you get the packA1
- Avec un nuage de lait.Meaning hidden until you get the packB2
- Un café serré.Meaning hidden until you get the packB2
Boulangerie
9 phrases- Une tradition, s’il vous plaît.Meaning hidden until you get the packB1
- Vous prenez la formule ?Meaning hidden until you get the packB1
- une baguetteMeaning hidden until you get the packA1
Describing
9 phrases- Plutôt sucré ou salé ?Meaning hidden until you get the packA2
- Une tradition, pas trop cuite.Meaning hidden until you get the packB1
- chaud / froidMeaning hidden until you get the packA1
What they’ll say
13 phrases- Sur place ou à emporter ?Meaning hidden until you get the packA2
- C’est à qui ?Meaning hidden until you get the packA2
- Vous désirez ?Meaning hidden until you get the packA2
Paying
4 phrases- par carte / en espècesMeaning hidden until you get the packA1
- sans contactMeaning hidden until you get the packA2
- le ticketMeaning hidden until you get the packA2
Rescue
2 phrases- Vous pouvez répéter, s’il vous plaît ?Meaning hidden until you get the packA1
- Qu’est-ce que c’est ?Meaning hidden until you get the packA1
Questions
What do I get with the pack?
A free deck with all 75 phrases on this page, sorted by situation: politeness, ordering, drinks, the boulangerie, paying, and the lines staff say back. Each card has audio and an example, and comes back for review just before you’d forget it.
Which level is this for?
Most of the phrases are A1 and A2, enough to get through any order. The B1 and B2 ones make you sound at ease: pour moi, ce sera… instead of je voudrais…, or asking for your espresso serré.
Why learn what the staff say?
That’s where most people get stuck. You can rehearse your own order, but sur place ou à emporter ? and vous réglez comment ? come at you fast. Know them and you won’t switch to English halfway through.
Do I really have to say bonjour first?
Yes. In France you greet the person behind the counter before you ask for anything, even with a queue behind you. Skip it and it reads as rude, which is the quickest way to a cooler welcome.
What do I get if I order un café?
An espresso. For coffee with milk, ask for un crème, or un grand crème for a bigger one. A splash of milk in your tea or coffee is un nuage de lait.
What’s the difference between a baguette and a tradition?
Une tradition (baguette de tradition) follows a stricter recipe: flour, water, salt and yeast or sourdough, with no additives. It costs a little more, most bakeries sell both, and locals ask for it by name.
Is tap water free in a French café?
Yes. Ask for une carafe d’eau and you get a jug of tap water at no charge, usually alongside food or a drink.
Do I pay at the counter or at the table?
In a traditional café the waiter brings your order and the bill to the table, and you pay there. Chains and coffee shops work like they do anywhere: you order and pay at the counter, then pick your drink up when it’s ready.
How do I ask for the bill in French?
L’addition, s’il vous plaît. In a café the waiter won’t bring it until you ask, since hurrying you out would be rude.