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How to Say ‘A little Italian restaurant’ in French

Un petit resto italien

uhn puh-tee res-TOH ee-tahl-YAN

[uhn puh-tee res-TOH ee-tahl-YAN]

💬 Usage Tip: Petit goes before the noun but italien goes after; most descriptions follow the noun, while a few short common ones like petit, bon and grand come first.

🇫🇷 In France: Resto is the everyday clipped form of restaurant. Calling a place petit signals cosy and good value, a recommendation in itself.

Phrase Breakdown

Un petit resto

uhn puh-tee res-TOH

A little restaurant

'Resto' is casual for 'restaurant'. 'Petit' comes before the noun.

Example

On va au resto ?

Shall we go to a restaurant?

Words in this phrase

[uhn]

Indefinite article used before a singular noun.

Example

Un petit garçon joue.

A little boy is playing.

petit

[puh-tee]

little

Describes something small in size.

Example

Un petit garçon est venu.

A little boy came.

resto

[res-TOH]

restaurant

Casual, informal short form of 'restaurant'.

Example

On va au resto ce soir ?

Shall we go to a restaurant tonight?

italien

[ee-tahl-YAN]

Italian

Adjective of nationality; placed after the noun and not capitalised.

Example

J'adore la cuisine italienne.

I love Italian food.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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