French course

Lesson 228 of 240

New here? This is lesson 228 of a free 240-lesson French course.

Start hereHow this works

Helping a newcomer in French

A newer visitor freezes at Odile's counter. She looks at him and waits. No order until she hears hello.

Sam is a regular now, so he leans in and whispers what to do.

You will coach someone through hello first, tap water, the bill, and a calm wave if they get stuck.

Odile still waits for Bonjour. The rest of the help is the point of this page.

By the end of this lesson

Help a newer visitor order and explain local café habits.

  • Ici, on dit bonjour avant de commander.Here you say hello before you order.
  • Tu peux demander une carafe d'eau.You can ask for a jug of tap water.
  • Pour payer, tu demandes l'addition.To pay, you ask for the bill.
  • Tu n'as pas besoin de stresser.You don't need to stress.
  • J'étais pareil, ma première semaine.I was the same my first week.
  • Si tu bloques, tu me fais signe.If you get stuck, you give me a wave.

Scene — he freezes at the counter

Late morning at Café des Tilleuls. Odile waits at the zinc counter, glasses on a chain. A man with a backpack stands in front of her, mouth open, no word yet.

Sam sits at a round table with his mustard backpack. Gaspard uses two chairs next to the window table, café crème untouched. The brass sign on that table stays blank.

Wide late-morning café: Odile waits at the zinc, a newcomer stands frozen before Odile, Sam sits at a round table, and Gaspard occupies two chairs by the window.

Learn — help a newcomer order

Six lines for coaching a newcomer: hello first, tap water, the bill, then calm and a wave if they freeze.

You also get a line that says you were the same your first week.

  1. Medium view of Odile behind the zinc, waiting while a newcomer stands silent at the counter.

    Ici, on dit bonjour avant de commander.

    Here you say hello before you order.

    When to use it: Use this to explain the café's hello-first habit to a new visitor.

    On here means people in this place, not a named group of friends.

  2. Close view of a glass water carafe on the zinc, with Sam indicating the jug and Odile's hands nearby.

    Tu peux demander une carafe d'eau.

    You can ask for a jug of tap water.

    When to use it: Use this when a visitor thinks they must buy a bottle of water.

    A carafe d'eau is tap water in a jug, and cafés serve it free.

    Say it: De loses its e before eau, so d'eau is one word.

  3. Over Sam's shoulder as Sam points toward Odile and a closed bill folder on the zinc, while the newcomer holds a card.

    Pour payer, tu demandes l'addition.

    To pay, you ask for the bill.

    When to use it: Use this when someone is ready to pay and lacks the local word.

    Demandes goes with tu; with vous you would say demandez instead.

  4. Close on Sam at the round table, palms open, turned toward the newcomer at the bar.

    Tu n'as pas besoin de stresser.

    You don't need to stress.

    When to use it: Use this to calm a visitor who has frozen at the counter.

    N'as pas besoin de plus a verb means there is no need to do that.

    Say it: Ne and as join as n'as, and the e is dropped.

  5. Profile of Sam at the round table, inward posture, looking toward the counter as if remembering.

    J'étais pareil, ma première semaine.

    I was the same my first week.

    When to use it: Use this to show you once stood in the same lost spot.

    Sam is a man, so he says pareil; a woman would say pareille.

    Say it: The final s in j'étais is silent.

  6. From above, Sam raises a small wave toward the newcomer still at the zinc with Odile, while Gaspard reads by the window.

    Si tu bloques, tu me fais signe.

    If you get stuck, you give me a wave.

    When to use it: Use this so a stuck visitor can call you without a long sentence.

    Si plus a present verb sets a real if, and the next present is the result.

Story — she waits for hello

Watch Sam coach the man at the counter. Odile will not move until she hears hello.

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

  1. The backpacker stares at the chalkboard. Odile has both hands on the zinc.
  2. VisitorUn croissant, s'il vous plaît.A croissant, please.
  3. Odile does not move. She looks at him and waits.
  4. OdileBonjour.Hello.
  5. The man goes still and glances at Sam, the nearest customer his age.
  6. VisitorVous pouvez m'aider ?Can you help me?
  7. SamIci, on dit bonjour avant de commander.Here you say hello before you order.
  8. VisitorBonjour.Hello.
  9. OdileBonjour.Hello.
  10. VisitorJe suis nouveau ici.I'm new here.
  11. OdileTrès bien. Qu'est-ce que vous prenez ?Very good. What will you have?
  12. SamTu n'as pas besoin de stresser.You don't need to stress.
  13. VisitorEuh, d'accord.Uh, okay.
  14. SamJ'étais pareil, ma première semaine.I was the same my first week.
  15. SamTu peux demander une carafe d'eau.You can ask for a jug of tap water.
  16. VisitorUn croissant et une carafe d'eau, s'il vous plaît.A croissant and a jug of tap water, please.
  17. OdileBien sûr.Of course.
  18. The cups sit empty. The man looks at his card, then at Sam.
  19. SamPour payer, tu demandes l'addition.To pay, you ask for the bill.
  20. VisitorL'addition, s'il vous plaît.The bill, please.
  21. OdileJe vous l'apporte tout de suite.I'll bring it right over.
  22. SamSi tu bloques, tu me fais signe.If you get stuck, you give me a wave.
  23. VisitorMerci beaucoup.Thank you very much.
  24. Gaspard turns a page and does not look up. His café crème is still full. The window table stays empty.

Practice — coach him through it

Ten short exercises. You will listen, pick, fill a gap, swap a word, and build a line.

They stay on the counter, so the round stays practical.

0 of 10 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. What do you say?

    The new visitor thinks he has to buy a bottle. Coach him toward tap water.

  3. Fill the gap

    To pay, you ask for the bill.

    Pour payer, tu demandes ____.

  4. What does it mean?

    Tu n'as pas besoin de stresser.

  5. Build the line

    I was the same my first week.

    , .

    Tap the words in order.

  6. What did you hear?

  7. Pick the reply

    Visitor says:

    Vous pouvez m'aider ?

    Can you help me?

    And you reply with:

  8. True or false?

    Odile wants this before she will take a new visitor's order.

  9. Find the mistake

  10. True or false?

    Sam should say this at the counter today, because he is still new.

Say it — whisper what to do

Now you're Sam at the next table. A new visitor is stuck 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. VisitorVous pouvez m'aider ?Can you help me?
  2. Sam (you)Tell him people here say hello before they order.

    Ici, on dit bonjour avant de commander.

    Here you say hello before you order.

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

FrenchEnglish
Ici, on dit bonjour avant de commander.Here you say hello before you order.
Tu peux demander une carafe d'eau.You can ask for a jug of tap water.
Pour payer, tu demandes l'addition.To pay, you ask for the bill.
Tu n'as pas besoin de stresser.You don't need to stress.
J'étais pareil, ma première semaine.I was the same my first week.
Si tu bloques, tu me fais signe.If you get stuck, you give me a wave.
Next: lesson 229The neighborhood meeting

Save your progress — it’s free

Keep your place in the course and see which lines you’ve learned.

Want the next lesson in your inbox?

Get the next lesson by email, one a day.

Where should we start?
Join the newsletter

Daily lesson emails are coming soon. Newsletter subscribers get them first.

Keep practicing with Yak Cards

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

A quick round with the Yak Cards keeps the café habits ready when someone new freezes.

Open Yak Cards