Dialogue
Ask for a dish recommendation in French: a restaurant dialogue
Ask what the server recommends, check a dish’s ingredients and order with the sauce on the side. Includes a practice dialogue, food cards and three questions.
- A2
- 12 lines
- Practice mode
- Learn this in the A2 notebook →
In short
Ask Qu’est-ce que vous me conseillez ? for “What do you recommend?” Add a preference, such as Je voudrais un plat plutôt léger. Then ask a concrete follow-up: Qu’est-ce qu’il y a dans la sauce ? Confirm your choice with Je prends….
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
Four things you will hear in the dialogue
Find:
Ask, clarify, then order
You want a fairly light meal. The server suggests a lentil salad, then answers your questions about the dressing and the side. In practice mode, say the customer’s lines from the English cues.
- Serveuse
Bonjour, vous avez choisi ?
English
Hello, have you decided?
- You
Pas encore. Je voudrais un plat plutôt léger. Qu’est-ce que vous me conseillez ?
Say you have not decided. Ask for a fairly light dish and a recommendation.
English
Not yet. I’d like a fairly light dish. What do you recommend?
- Serveuse
Je vous conseille la salade de lentilles, avec notre sauce maison.
English
I recommend the lentil salad, with our house dressing.
- You
Qu’est-ce qu’il y a dans la sauce ?
Ask what is in the dressing.
English
What’s in the dressing?
- Serveuse
Du yaourt, des herbes et un peu de moutarde.
English
Yoghurt, herbs and a little mustard.
- You
Est-ce que je peux avoir la sauce à part ?
Ask for the dressing on the side.
English
Can I have the dressing on the side?
- Serveuse
Oui, bien sûr.
English
Yes, of course.
- You
Et la salade est servie avec quoi ?
Ask what the salad comes with.
English
And what does the salad come with?
- Serveuse
Avec des légumes grillés. Nous pouvons aussi ajouter du riz.
English
With grilled vegetables. We can also add rice.
- You
Non merci, les légumes me suffisent. Je prends la salade, avec la sauce à part.
Decline the rice and order the salad, keeping the dressing on the side.
English
No thank you, the vegetables are enough for me. I’ll have the salad, with the dressing on the side.
- Serveuse
Très bien : une salade de lentilles avec des légumes grillés, et la sauce à part.
English
Very good: a lentil salad with grilled vegetables, and the dressing on the side.
- You
C’est ça, merci beaucoup.
Confirm the order and thank the server.
English
That’s right, thank you very much.
What questions can you ask a waiter in French?
| You want to know… | Ask… | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| The recommended dish | Qu’est-ce que vous me conseillez ? | What do you recommend? |
| The ingredients | Qu’est-ce qu’il y a dedans ? | What’s in it? |
| The side | C’est servi avec quoi ? | What does it come with? |
| Another category | Et parmi les plats chauds ? | And among the hot dishes? |
Conseiller gives advice: Je vous conseille la salade. Je prends places the order. Sauce maison means a house-made sauce or dressing; the server’s next reply names its ingredients. À part asks for it in a separate dish.
How do you ask for more time to order in French?
Vous avez un autre plat à me conseiller ?
Do you have another dish to recommend?
Je vais regarder encore un instant, merci.
I’ll look for another moment, thank you.
A preference makes your first question easier to answer: plutôt léger for fairly light, un plat chaud for a hot dish. If you want a detail, ask for that detail directly, then repeat your choice and any agreed change.