I see your passport, please?
Lifestyle Tips
• The proportion of propriétaires (homeowners) in France is much lower than it is in Britain. People tend to rent a lot more. Long-term rented accommodation is usually unfurnished; locataires (tenants) often even have to supply their own appareils ménagers (white goods) and meubles de cuisine (kitchen units).
• It is not as common for professionals to share a flat – être en colocation – in France as it is in Britain, although high rents have changed this over the past few years, especially in cities.
• 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).
Bon appétit! – Enjoy your meal!
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.
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…?
| Où est-ce qu’on se retrouve? | Where shall we meet? |
| Où est-ce que tu veux que je vienne te prendre? | Where do you want me to pick you up? |
| Où est-ce qu’on pourrait aller manger? | Where shall we go to eat? |
What time…?
| À quelle heure est-ce qu’on se retrouve? | What time shall we meet? |
| À quelle heure est-ce qu’elle va arriver? | What time is she going to get here? |
| Tu as réservé une table pour quelle heure? | What time did you book the table for? |
| Vous servez jusqu’à quelle heure? | What time do you serve till? |
| On peut arriver à partir de quelle heure? | How early can we come? |
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…?
| Ça te va si on va au restaurant demain soir? | Will it be all right if we go to the restaurant tomorrow night? |
| Ça te va si on se retrouve à sept heures? | Will it be all right if we meet up at seven pm? |
| Ça vous va si on vous rejoint là-bas? | Will it be all right if we meet you there? |
Is it better to…?
| Est-ce qu’il vaut mieux réserver? | Is it better to book? |
| Est-ce qu’il vaut mieux arriver en avance? | Is it better to arrive early? |
| Est-ce qu’il vaudrait mieux changer notre réservation? | Would it be better to change our reservation? |
| Est-ce que ça t’irait mieux samedi soir? | Would Saturday evening suit you better? |
It would suit me best to…
| Ça m’arrangerait de vous retrouver sur place. | It’d suit me best to meet you there. |
| Ça m’arrangerait d’y aller à huit heures. | It’d suit me best to be there for eight. |
| Ça nous arrangerait d’y aller en voiture. | It’d be better for us to go there by car. |
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…?
| Où se trouve le restaurant? | Where is the restaurant? |
| Où se trouve le coin change-bébé? | Where’s the baby changing area? |
| Excusez-moi, où se trouvent les toilettes? | Excuse me, where are the toilets? |
How much…?
| C’est combien une bouteille de blanc du pays? | How much is a bottle of local white wine? |
| C’est combien une petite salade? | How much is it for a side salad? |
| Il est à combien, le menu? | How much is the set menu? |
What…?