Order Coffee (part 1 of 2)

A waiter looks at you and asks Qu'est-ce que je vous sers ?. This first part of the cafe conversation hands you an answer that comes out smoothly: a polite Je voudrais, the drink you actually want, and enough confidence left over to add a croissant to the order.

Everything here happens at the counter. You greet the waiter, order your coffee and choose between a plain one and un café au lait, ask whether there are croissants, and answer the question every French cafe asks: C'est pour ici ou à emporter ?, meaning eat in or take it away with you. Then you find out what you owe with Ça fait combien ?, the everyday way to ask a price, which literally says how much does that make. The answer comes back in euros and centimes, so you get practice hearing numbers at normal speaking speed too. These are the phrases you reach for in cafes, bakeries, and station kiosks, and they work just as well when what you want is a tea or a sandwich.