Phrasebook
French quantity phrases for ordering: glasses, bottles and a little more
Order two coffees, a bottle of water or a little milk in French. Practise quantities in short exchanges and check de, d’ and plural containers.
- A2
- 12 phrases
- 4 situations
- Learn this in the A2 notebook →
In short
Count servings with a number: deux cafés. Name a container or measure with de: un verre d’eau, une bouteille de lait. For a small amount, use un peu de; before a vowel, de becomes d’.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
Six useful quantities
Find:
1
Count the drinks
YouJe voudrais deux cafés et un verre d’eau, s’il vous plaît.I’d like two coffees and a glass of water, please.
Server or shopkeeperDeux cafés et un verre d’eau. Très bien.Two coffees and a glass of water. Certainly.
YouEt un peu de lait à part, s’il vous plaît.And a little milk on the side, please.
2
Choose a bottle size
YouUne bouteille d’eau, s’il vous plaît.A bottle of water, please.
Server or shopkeeperUne grande ou une petite ?A large one or a small one?
YouUne petite, merci.A small one, thank you.
3
Ask for more, or say that it is enough
YouEncore un peu de pain, s’il vous plaît.A little more bread, please.
Server or shopkeeperComme ça ?Like that?
YouOui, merci, ça suffit.Yes, thank you, that’s enough.
4
Change the quantity at the shop
YouJe voudrais un kilo de pommes.I’d like a kilogram of apples.
Server or shopkeeperUn kilo, c’est bien ça ?One kilogram, is that right?
YouDeux kilos, finalement, s’il vous plaît.Two kilograms after all, please.
| One | Two or more | Notice |
|---|---|---|
| un café | deux cafés | Counted servings take the plural. |
| un verre d’eau | deux verres d’eau | The container becomes plural. |
| une bouteille de lait | trois bouteilles de lait | Keep de before the contents. |
| un kilo de pommes | deux kilos de pommes | The apples are plural in both phrases. |
Un peu de sucre means a little sugar; trop de sucre means too much sugar. In a request, un peu de asks for a small amount. In Il y a trop de sucre, the speaker judges the amount excessive. Ask Encore un peu ? to offer a little more, or say ça suffit when you have enough.