#277 Ordering an Additional Drink on a Flight｜French Travel Phrases

While traveling by plane, you may sometimes want to request an additional drink, such as coffee or juice.

When asking a flight attendant for a drink, it is important to use polite expressions so that your request does not sound impolite.

In this article, I will explain useful French expressions for ordering an additional drink on a flight, together with conversation examples and key grammar points.

Dialogue

A

Excusez-moi, est-ce que je pourrais avoir un autre café, s’il vous plaît ?
（Excuse me, could I have another coffee, please?）

B

Bien sûr. Avec du sucre ou du lait ?
（Of course. Would you like sugar or milk?）

A

Un peu de lait, s’il vous plaît.
（A little milk, please.）

B

D’accord, je vous apporte ça tout de suite.
（Certainly, I will bring it right away.）

A

Merci beaucoup.
（Thank you very much.）

1. Politely Asking for a Drink

When you want to order an additional drink, using the conditional form to say “Could I have … ?” makes your request sound more polite.

The word “pourrais” is the present conditional form of the verb “pouvoir” (can / to be able to). By using the conditional, the sentence gains a softer and more polite nuance, similar to saying “if possible” or “if you do not mind.”

In service-related situations, “avoir” can mean “to have” in the sense of receiving something. Therefore, “Est-ce que je pourrais avoir ～ ?” is commonly used as a polite way of saying “Could I have ～?” or “May I request ～?”

The adjective “autre” means “another” or “an additional.” In this context, “un autre café” means “another cup of coffee”rather than “a different coffee.”

2. Giving Additional Preferences

When ordering a drink, a flight attendant may ask whether you would like sugar or milk.

Here, the preposition “avec” means “with” or “served with.”

The forms “du sucre” and “du lait” use the partitive article, which is commonly used in French with uncountable nouns such as milk, sugar, food, and drinks.

In the dialogue, the passenger responds as follows:

The phrase “un peu de + noun” means “a little” or “some.”

With uncountable nouns such as “lait” (milk) and “sucre” (sugar), French typically expresses quantity rather than counting items individually.

3. Understanding the Flight Attendant’s Response

After making a request, the flight attendant may respond with phrases such as “I will bring it right away” or “Please wait a moment.”

In addition to learning how to make requests yourself, I recommend becoming familiar with these responses so that conversations onboard feel smoother and more comfortable.

The verb “apporter” means “to bring” or “to carry to someone.” It is commonly used when bringing drinks, meals, or documents to another person.

The pronoun “ça” means “that” and refers to the drink that was just ordered.

The phrase “tout de suite” means “right away” or “immediately.”

A similar expression is “dans un instant” (in a moment), although the nuance is slightly different.

In general, “tout de suite” sounds natural when something can be prepared immediately, while “dans un instant” is more appropriate when a short wait is expected.

Summary