Food and drinks in French

Imagine going to the restaurant in France and not being able to understand the waiter or the menu. To avoid any misunderstanding we have prepared a list of vocabulary that includes meals, drinks and examples of dialogues in a restaurant.

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1.A complete vocabulary list of all kind of food in French language
1.1.Eating times
1.2.How to say fruits in French?
1.3.Vegetables in French
1.4.Different type of meat
1.5.Other kind of food
2.List of drinks in French
3.Ordering in a restaurant in French
3.1.Example dialogue in a restaurant
4.Exercises
4.1.Exercise: Food in French
4.2.Food and drinks mixed exercise
4.3.Ordering in a restaurant: recap exercise

A complete vocabulary list of all kind of food in French language

In order to be able to understand a menu in French, here you have a list with most common types of food. The menu in general consists of the starter (l´entrée), the main dish (le plat de résistance or le plat principal), the side dish (l´accompagnement) and the dessert (le dessert).

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Eating times

In general the French people always do three meals a day. The main meal of the day is a lunch, with dinner sometimes just reduced to an afterthought. Children usually have a small snack or goûter after school - a piece of fruit or a cake - but this is limited to a specific time. Before you begin with the list of dishes, please first check some basic words.

English	French
meal	le repas
breakfast	le petit-déjeuner
lunch	le déjeuner
dinner	le dîner
snack	le goûter

How to say fruits in French?

Traditional French cuisine relies on lot of fruit and vegetables.

English	French
fruit	les fruits
apple	la pomme
orange	l'orange
banana	la banane
lemon	le citron
peach	la pêche
pear	la poire
strawberry	la fraise
melon	le melon
pineapple	l'ananas
grape	le raisin
grapefruit	le pamplemousse

Vegetables in French

In France, vegetables do not play a starring role in a meal; they are usually featured in a side dish or as a part of the main course. Popular French vegetables include mushrooms , leeks, string beans, tomatoes, onions, and a variety of lettuces and leafy greens. The most renown French vegetable dish is ratatouille, a Provençal main dish made of eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, onions and a range of herbs.

English	French
vegetables	les légumes
salad	la salade
potato	une pomme de terre
carrot	une carrotte
peas	les petits pois
garlis	l'ail
green beans	les haricots verts
onion	un oignon
tomato	le tomate
cucumber	un concombre
mushroom	un champignon
leek	un poireau
lettuce	la laitue
zucchini	la courgette
herb	l'herbe

Different type of meat

A typical French lunch or dinner centers around some form of meat, whether beef, pork or poultry. Classic French meat dishes include Coq au Vin (cockerel in red wine), Cassoulet (beans stewed with pork, duck or mutton), Confit de Canard (“preserved” duck) and Steak Tartar (raw ground beef). The French also have a great fondness for sausage and often eat charcuterie (sausage, ham and cold cuts) as a prelude to a main meal.

English	French
meat	la viande
ham	le jambon
pate	le pâté
rabbit	le lapin
fish	le poisson
lamb	l´agneau
veal	le veau
chicken	le poulet
duck	le canard
salmon	le saumon
poultry	la volaille

Other kind of food

One of the main courses is a dessert, to which traditionally French people add some cheese or they chose something from the patisseries, treats like eclairs or sugary cakes.

English	French
fries	des frites
ice cream	une glace
pancake	une crêpe
yoghurt	le yaourt
croissant	le croissant
cake	le gâteau
chocolate	le chocolat
cheese	le fromage
sausage	la saucisse

List of drinks in French

Speaking about drinks you should know that many French will usually have wine with their meals.

English	French
water	l'eau
sparkeling water	l'eau minerale
beer	bière
vine	du vin rouge du vin blanc
tea	un thé
coffee	un café
orange juice	un jus d´orange
hot chocolate	un chocolat chaud
lemonade	une limonade
cider	un cidre
rum	le rhum
cognac	le cognac
champagne	le champagne
syrup	le sirop
whisky	le whisky

Ordering in a restaurant in French

When in the restaurant, first, the waiter/waitress will ask you what would you like to order. To have a proper conversation you should learn the following expressions:

English	French
What would you like to drink?	Que voulez-vous boire?
What would you like to order?	Que voulez-vous commander?
What would you like to eat?	Que voulez-vous manger?
Would you like a starter?	Voulez-vous une entrée?
Have you chosen already?	Avez-vous déjà choisi?
The bill, please	L'addition, s'il vous plait
I would like to pay, please	Je voudrais payer, s'il vous plaît
together	ensemble
separately	séparément
the tip	pourboire

Example dialogue in a restaurant

French

in a restaurant

Marc: Bonsoir Monsieur, Je voudrais une table pour une personne, s'il vous plaît.

Serveur: Pas de problème. Voici une table pour 1 personne, et voici le menu.

Marc: Merci, Je voudrais le paté en entrée, pour le plat principal un steak frites bien cuit, et pour le dessert une glace au chocolat.

Serveur: Très bon choix. (...) Comment vous trouvez vos plats?

Marc: Le steak frites est délicieux. Maintenant je voudrais payer, l'addition, s'il vous plait.

Serveur: Bien Monsieur, Vous pouvez payer à la caisse.

English

Marc: Good evening Sir, I would like a table for one person, please.

Server: No problem. Here is a table for 1 person, and here is the menu.

Marc: Thank you, I would like the paté for appetizer, for the main course a steak french fries well cooked, and for the dessert a chocolate ice cream.