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Lesson 36 of 240

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Coffee, sugar and milk in French

Sam is back at Café des Tilleuls for a morning drink. Gaspard orders a crème at the counter, the one he never finishes.

Sam copies the crème, then stops Odile before the sugar lands in the cup.

By the end, you'll order a crème, a long espresso, or a noisette, and say if you want sugar or milk on the side.

Paris coffee is about sugar and milk, not ice.

By the end of this lesson

Order a café drink and say how you want the sugar and the milk.

  • Un crème, s'il vous plaît.A coffee with milk, please.
  • Un allongé.A long espresso.
  • Une noisette.An espresso with a dash of milk.
  • Avec du sucre.With sugar.
  • Sans sucre.No sugar.
  • Le lait à part.Milk on the side.

Scene — the sugar bowl

Same morning on rue des Tilleuls. Sam stands at the zinc counter. Odile watches from behind it, sugar bowl in reach.

Gaspard sits at the table next to the window table on two chairs, coat pockets full, Navigo on a cord. The blank brass sign stays on the empty window table.

A wide morning café interior with Sam at the zinc facing Odile, Gaspard on two chairs at the next table, and a blank brass plaque on the empty window table.

Learn — crème, sugar and milk

Six short lines cover a coffee with milk, a long espresso, and a noisette.

You'll also say with sugar, no sugar, and milk on the side.

  1. Sam at the zinc counter toward Odile, with a wide coffee cup of milk on the bar between them.

    Un crème, s'il vous plaît.

    A coffee with milk, please.

    When to use it: Order this milky coffee at a café in the morning.

    Learn it as one piece at the counter.

    Say it: The vowel in Un is nasal; the n is not said on its own.

  2. Gaspard on two chairs looking toward the bar with one hand lifted from the table.

    Un allongé.

    A long espresso.

    When to use it: Order this when you want espresso stretched with water.

    Learn it as one piece for a long coffee.

  3. A tiny cup with a dash of milk on the zinc while Odile’s hands rest on the saucer and Sam looks down.

    Une noisette.

    An espresso with a dash of milk.

    When to use it: Order this for espresso with just a drop of milk.

    Learn it as one piece for a tiny coffee.

  4. Sam at the counter turning a palm out as Odile holds sugar out from the bowl.

    Avec du sucre.

    With sugar.

    When to use it: Add this when you want sugar in the drink.

    Learn it as one piece after you order.

  5. Gaspard at the table by the windows, palm turned out toward sugar, an untouched milky coffee in front, and a blank brass plaque on the empty table beside Gaspard.

    Sans sucre.

    No sugar.

    When to use it: Say this before she puts sugar in your cup.

    Learn it as one piece to skip the sugar.

    Say it: The last s in Sans is silent.

  6. Sam indicating a small milk jug set apart from a coffee cup, with Odile across the zinc counter.

    Le lait à part.

    Milk on the side.

    When to use it: Say this when you want the milk in a jug.

    Learn it as one piece for milk beside the cup.

    Say it: The t in lait is silent.

Story — he will not finish it

Watch Gaspard order a crème he will not finish. Sam copies, then catches Odile with the sugar.

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

  1. The lamps are on. Odile looks up from the zinc counter.
  2. OdileBonjour.Hello.
  3. SamBonjour.Hello.
  4. She taps the chalkboard. Gaspard looks, still on two chairs.
  5. OdileUn allongé. Une noisette.A long espresso. An espresso with a dash of milk.
  6. GaspardUn crème, s'il vous plaît.A coffee with milk, please.
  7. SamUn crème, s'il vous plaît.A coffee with milk, please.
  8. Sam leans in. He wants the milk in a jug, not in the cup.
  9. SamLe lait à part.Milk on the side.
  10. Odile already has the sugar in her hand.
  11. OdileAvec du sucre.With sugar.
  12. SamSans sucre.No sugar.
  13. Gaspard's crème sits untouched. He does not sit at the window table.

Practice — milk or sugar

Eleven quick 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 11 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    French

    Un crème, s'il vous plaît.Drop the English here
    Un allongé.Drop the English here
    Une noisette.Drop the English here

    English

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

  3. What do you say?

    You want espresso with only a drop of milk.

  4. What does it mean?

    Un allongé.

  5. Fill the gap

    No sugar.

    Sans ____.

  6. Swap the word

    You want sugar in the coffee.

    Avec du ____.

  7. Pick the reply

    Odile says:

    Avec du sucre.

    With sugar. You do not want sugar.

    And you reply with:

  8. Build the line

    Milk on the side.

    .

    Tap the words in order.

  9. What do you say?

    You walk into Café des Tilleuls in the morning. Odile looks up and waits.

  10. Fill the gap

    A coffee, please.

    Un ____, s'il vous plaît.

  11. True or false?

    You say this to thank Odile for the drink.

Say it — order at the counter

Now you're Sam at the counter. 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. OdileBonjour.Hello.
  2. Sam (you)Order a long espresso.

    Un allongé.

    A long espresso.

0 of 4 said

Recap — what you can say now

FrenchEnglish
Un crème, s'il vous plaît.A coffee with milk, please.
Un allongé.A long espresso.
Une noisette.An espresso with a dash of milk.
Avec du sucre.With sugar.
Sans sucre.No sugar.
Le lait à part.Milk on the side.
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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Want to keep these coffee lines handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.

A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps your café order ready.

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