Easy Learning French Conversation

• If you’re flat-hunting in France, you will hear flats described as F1, F2, F3 and so on. These refer to the number of rooms in a flat, not including the bathroom and kitchen. A studio is a studio, an F1 is a one-room flat, an F2 is a two-room flat, and so on.

• One good way of getting to know an area and its locals is to stay in a gîte rural – a cottage or apartment in the country. Some offer self-catering facilities, but others give you the chance to stay in an apartment within the house of the host family.

• The equivalent of B&Bs in France are chambres d’hôte, usually a room in someone’s house. Some of these places also offer table d’hôte, which means that they will provide a meal using local produce, or even food grown on the farm. If there aren’t any vacancies you will see a “Complet” (“Full”) sign.

• When staying in a camping (campsite), you will have to pay des arrhes (a deposit) which is part of the full amount you will pay at the end of your stay. When renting accommodation you may also have to pay une caution (a security deposit).

Wining and dining (#ulink_1c545bd2-dfc2-5faa-a7d3-87fc147be6a4)

Bon appétit! – Enjoy your meal! (#ulink_9fbc7f97-a840-548f-abe2-3ae774e660c7)

If you’re going out for a meal in France either in a local café or in a fancy restaurant, the phrases in this unit will give you the confidence to talk to the waiter and chat with your French friends in easy, natural French. We’ll also give you some tips on getting advice about what to order, and a few key phrases the waiters are likely to use.

MAKING ARRANGEMENTS (#ulink_391de24b-df23-5b0d-931d-1d5bdbf10b64)

If you want to make arrangements such as where and when to meet when you go out for a meal with French-speaking people, you can ask Où est-ce que…? (Where…?) or À quelle heure…? (What time…?).

Where…?

What time…?

If you want to check that the arrangements suit your friends or colleagues, you can use Ça te va si…? or Ça vous va si…? (Will it be all right if…?).

Will it be all right if…?

Is it better to…?

It would suit me best to…

ASKING FOR INFORMATION (#ulink_e9828fe1-ce52-5d10-bee8-fd2d10f4f096)

When you’re going out for a meal you’ll need to ask for various pieces of information, such as where things are and how much they cost. To ask where something is, you can use Où se trouve…? (Where is…?), and to ask how much it costs, use C’est combien…? (How much is…?).

Where’s…?

How much…?

What…?

Many of the questions you will be asking can be answered by yes or no. You can either put est-ce que before what you want to know or alternatively you can raise the tone of your voice at the end of the sentence – this will make you sound more informal.

Is it…?

ASKING FOR THINGS (#ulink_b7e73071-965b-5e42-8886-8b1405f7c39d)

When you’re out in a French restaurant you will need to be able to ask for what you want. If you want to ask for something in French, use je voudrais (I’d like) or on voudrait (we’d like). voudrais and voudrait come from the verb vouloir. For more information on vouloir, see here (#litres_trial_promo).

I’d like…

When the waiter approaches and you want to say that you’re not ready to order, use je n’ai pas encore décidé. Alternatively, if your order has already been taken, you can say on a déjà commandé, merci (someone’s already taken our order, thanks).

I’ll have…

When you want to find out if something is available, use Est-ce que vous avez…? or Vous avez…? (Have you got…?). avez comes from the verb avoir. For more information on avoir, see here (#litres_trial_promo).

Have you got…?