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Lesson 142 of 240

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Treating friends to dinner in French

After dinner at Café des Tilleuls, someone has to pay. Sam wants to treat Inès and Gaspard.

Odile looks at Gaspard's unfinished crème and will not bring the bill yet.

You will offer to treat, ask to split, take the bill, and toast.

Keep the postcard mystery for later. Tonight is only about who pays.

By the end of this lesson

Pay for a meal, offer to treat, and split the bill.

  • C'est moi qui régale.This is on me.
  • On partage ?Shall we split it?
  • Chacun sa part.Each person pays their share.
  • La prochaine, c'est pour moi.The next one's on me.
  • Je prends l'addition.I'll take the bill.
  • Santé !Cheers!

Scene — the crème can wait

Evening on rue des Tilleuls. Sam, Inès, and Gaspard have finished dinner at the café, still at the table next to the window.

Gaspard's café crème sits untouched. Odile watches from the zinc counter. The blank brass sign stays on the window table.

After dinner, Sam, Inès, and Gaspard sit at a café table near the window, with an untouched café crème still on the table.

Learn — who pays tonight

Six lines cover treating friends, splitting the bill, taking it yourself, and a toast.

You also get a line for next time, when it will be your turn.

  1. Sam sits across from Inès at the café table and signals that the meal is on Sam.

    C'est moi qui régale.

    This is on me.

    When to use it: Say this when you want to pay for the whole table.

    C'est moi qui names you as the one who treats.

    Say it: The t in C'est is silent.

  2. Inès's hands divide the space on the table, offering to split the bill with Sam.

    On partage ?

    Shall we split it?

    When to use it: Ask friends this when you want to split the bill.

    On here means we, the usual spoken we in Paris.

    Say it: The last e in partage is silent.

  3. Gaspard sits across two chairs and divides the table into shares so each person pays a part.

    Chacun sa part.

    Each person pays their share.

    When to use it: Say this when each person should pay only their own share.

    Sa goes with part because part is feminine.

  4. From behind Sam, Gaspard points inward to take the next meal, with Inès listening at the side.

    La prochaine, c'est pour moi.

    The next one's on me.

    When to use it: Promise this after someone else has paid tonight.

    Prochaine is feminine because it stands for la prochaine fois, the next time.

  5. Sam takes the bill folder at the zinc while Odile stands behind the counter.

    Je prends l'addition.

    I'll take the bill.

    When to use it: Say this at the table when you will pay.

    Addition takes l' because it starts with a vowel.

    Say it: The a of la drops before addition.

  6. Gaspard raises a glass in a toast from two chairs, with the café crème still full and Sam and Inès lifting glasses at the edges.

    Santé !

    Cheers!

    When to use it: Raise a glass with friends before you drink.

    Use this as a toast, not a question about health.

    Say it: The an in Santé is a nasal sound.

Story — odile holds the bill

Watch Sam try to pay for Inès and Gaspard. Odile has other ideas about the bill.

The highlighted words are the lines you just learned. Turn on Show English if you need it.

  1. The plates are gone. Three glasses sit between them. The window table stays empty.
  2. GaspardSanté !Cheers!
  3. InèsSanté !Cheers!
  4. GaspardChacun sa part.Each person pays their share.
  5. SamC'est moi qui régale.This is on me.
  6. InèsOn partage ?Shall we split it?
  7. SamNon. C'est moi qui régale. Je prends l'addition.No. This is on me. I'll take the bill.
  8. InèsMerci beaucoup.Thank you very much.
  9. GaspardLa prochaine, c'est pour moi.The next one's on me.
  10. Odile comes over. She looks at Gaspard's crème, still full.
  11. OdileIl n'est pas fini, mon grand.It isn't finished, dear.
  12. GaspardOui, je sais.Yes, I know.
  13. OdileJe ne l'apporte pas maintenant.I'm not bringing it now.
  14. InèsD'accord.Okay.
  15. The crème stays full. Nobody sits at the window table.

Practice — treat or split

Ten short exercises wait here. You'll listen, pick, match, fill a gap, and build a line.

They stay tiny, so the round moves fast.

0 of 10 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    French

    On partage ?Drop the English here
    Chacun sa part.Drop the English here
    Santé !Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its French, or tap one and then the other.

  3. What do you say?

    Friends look at the bill. You want to split it, not treat everyone.

  4. Fill the gap

    I'll take the bill.

    Je prends ____.

  5. What does it mean?

    Santé !

  6. Swap the word

    A friend paid tonight. Promise that the next meal is yours.

    La ____, c'est pour moi.

  7. Build the line

    Each person pays their share.

    .

    Tap the words in order.

  8. Pick the reply

    Inès says:

    C'est moi qui régale.

    This is on me. You accept and want to thank her.

    And you reply with:

  9. True or false?

    This means you refuse to pay.

  10. Find the mistake

Say it — this one's on you

Now you're Sam at the table after dinner. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and speak the line.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the line. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. InèsAlors ?So?
  2. Sam (you)Tell them this meal is on you.

    C'est moi qui régale.

    This is on me.

0 of 3 said

Recap — what you can say now

FrenchEnglish
C'est moi qui régale.This is on me.
On partage ?Shall we split it?
Chacun sa part.Each person pays their share.
La prochaine, c'est pour moi.The next one's on me.
Je prends l'addition.I'll take the bill.
Santé !Cheers!
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A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps your treat and split lines ready for the table.

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