Lesson 11: In a French café

Simple French lesson on how to order a coffee in a typical French brasserie. You will also learn the two most popular types of coffee ordered in France: un expresso and un café allongé. Enjoy your lesson !

1. Dialogue: Au café

S: Serveur ( a waiter ), Mme: Madame , M: Monsieur

S: Qu’est-ce que vous prendrez Messieurs, Dames ?
Mme: Pour moi un café.
S: Un café serré ou allongé ?
Mme: Ah.., quelle est la différence entre les deux, s’il-vous-plaît ?
S: Un café serré est un petit café, un expresso si vous préférez. On l’appelle également un “café court”.
M: Et qu’est-ce qu’un café allongé ?
S: Un café allongé est tout simplement un café court avec deux fois plus d’eau.
M: D’accord. Un café allongé pour moi s’il-vous-plaît.
S: Et pour vous Madame ?
Mme: Moi, je prendrai un café court s’il-vous-plaît.

2. Notes

This lesson introduces the use of the Simple Future Tense (Le futur simple).

The futur simple is heavily used when making orders in a café, bar or a restaurant. You can also use it when you imagine what your future will look like or when you make projects. In short:

Future Simple:

1. 1. imagining the future:
      1. Quand je serai grand, je ferai le tour du monde. When I’m big, I will go on a round the world trip.
   2. making projects:
      1. Je prendrai un verre de vin. I will take / have a glass of wine.
      2. Qu’est-ce que vous prendrez Monsieur? What will you take / have, sir ?

How is Future Simple formed ?

Infinitive (eg. parler, habiter, etc.) + suffixes: -ai -as -a -ons -ez -ont.

If infinitive + e (eg. prendre, vivre)): no “e” :

je prendrai, je vivrai, …

Distinctive feature of the French Simple Future Tense :

lots of r sound !

[su_note]

This can be quite daunting for the beginning learners of French. Fortunately, there is a remedy exercise on Simple-French to help you tame the pronunciation of the French “R” sound.

[/su_note]

Simple Future Conjugation (La conjugaison au Futur simple)

Conjugation of Futur Simple with examples:

Dialogue Vocabulary

Additional Vocabulary:

Useful Expressions

3. Exercises

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

4. Homework

Imagine you are on a trip to Paris. You have been walking for 2 hours and now you want to make a break. You have spotted une brasserie and you decide to enter inside to have a coffee. Write a dialogue in which:

• You have to order 1 coffee with milk for you, an espresso for you friend and two teas for two other people who are with you.
• You need to speak for yourself (I will take …) and for your friend (he / she will take …) and the two other people ( they will take …).