#14 Phrases for Buying Tickets at Tourist Sites｜French Travel Conversation
Izumi French Garden
#150 Ordering Takeout at a Café｜French Shopping Phrases
Izumi
At cafés, bakeries, and delicatessen shops, customers are usually asked at the time of ordering whether they would like to eat in or take their food to go.
For this reason, it is reassuring to be familiar with expressions for placing an order, indicating takeout, adding items, and communicating specific preferences.
In this article, I will explain commonly used French expressions for ordering takeout, based on a realistic conversation example.
Contents
Dialogue
Bonjour. Je voudrais prendre un sandwich au poulet, s’il vous plaît.
（Hello. I would like to have a chicken sandwich, please.）
Sur place ou à emporter ?
（For here or to go?）
À emporter, s’il vous plaît.
（To go, please.）
Vous voulez autre chose avec ?
（Would you like anything else?）
Oui, je vais prendre aussi une part de quiche et un café.
（Yes, I will also have a slice of quiche and a coffee.）
D’accord. Le café, vous le préférez chaud ou froid ?
（All right. Would you prefer the coffee hot or iced?）
Chaud, s’il vous plaît.
（Hot, please.）
Cela fera 12 euros au total.
（That will be 12 euros in total.）
Très bien, merci.
（Very well, thank you.）
1. Ordering the Item You Want
When you enter the shop, the first step is to tell the staff what you would like to order.
Example
- Je voudrais prendre un sandwich au poulet.
（I would like to order a chicken sandwich.）
“Je voudrais …” means “I would like to …” and is a polite and commonly used expression when placing an order.
The verb “prendre,” which literally means “to take,” is often used in French to mean “to order” in food-related contexts.
Related Expressions
- Je vais prendre une salade.
（I will have a salad.） - Je voudrais un croissant, s’il vous plaît.
（I would like a croissant, please.）
2. Indicating Eat-in or Takeout
After placing an order, you will usually be asked whether you would like to eat in or take your order with you.
Example
- Sur place ou à emporter ?
（For here or to go?）
This is a standard phrase in cafés and restaurants and is worth memorizing as it is.
Examples
- À emporter, s’il vous plaît.
（To go, please.） - Sur place, s’il vous plaît.
（For here, please.）
Although these expressions are short and direct, adding “s’il vous plaît” makes them sound more polite.
3. Adding Additional Items to Your Order
It is common to add items while ordering. In such cases, using “aussi” (also) helps indicate that you are making an additional order.
Example
- Je vais prendre aussi une part de quiche et un café.
（I will also have a slice of quiche and a coffee.）
In French, foods such as quiche or cake that are served in slices are ordered using “une part de”, which means “a slice of.”
This is because you are ordering a portion of a prepared dish, rather than a whole item.
Related Expressions
- une part de quiche
（a slice of quiche） - une part de gâteau
（a slice of cake）
4. Communicating Specific Preferences
Depending on the item, you may be asked about preferences such as temperature, size, or type.
Example
- Vous le préférez chaud ou froid ?
（Do you prefer it hot or cold?）
When responding, it is not necessary to use a full sentence. A common pattern is “a single word + s’il vous plaît.”
Example
- Chaud, s’il vous plaît.
（Hot, please.） - Froid, s’il vous plaît.
（Cold, please.） - Je le prendrai chaud, s’il vous plaît.
（I will have it hot, please.）
→ For a More Polite Response.
Summary
Key French Phrases
- Je voudrais / Je vais prendre ～
→ Useful expressions for placing an order. - Sur place ou à emporter ?
→ Used to ask whether the customer is eating in or taking the order to go. - À emporter, s’il vous plaît.
→ A simple way to indicate takeout. - Je vais prendre aussi ～
→ A natural way to add items to an order.
