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How to Say ‘Would you like to have a coffee with me?’ in French

Vous voulez prendre un café avec moi ?

voo voo-LAY prond-ruh uhn kah-fay ah-vek mwah

[voo voo-LAY prond-ruh uhn kah-fay ah-vek mwah]

💬 Usage Tip: The word order is the same as a plain statement. Raising your voice at the end is what turns it into a question.

🇫🇷 In France: Use vous with a stranger. Starting with tu can feel too familiar, or even pushy, in this situation.

Phrase Breakdown

Vous voulez

voo voo-LAY

Do you want / Would you like

This is the polite 'vous' form of 'vouloir'. Both words have the 'ou' sound: 'voo voo-lay'.

Example

Vous voulez du thé ?

Would you like some tea?

Words in this phrase

Vous

[voo]

you

Used to refer to the person or people being addressed.

Example

Vous aimez le film?

Do you like the movie?

voulez

[voo-LAY]

want

Form of the verb 'vouloir' (to want) used with 'vous'.

Example

Vous voulez un café ?

Do you want a coffee?

prendre un café

prond-ruh uhn kah-fay

to have a coffee

The fixed expression for having a coffee. Link 'prendre' smoothly into 'un'.

Example

Je vais prendre un café.

I'm going to have a coffee.

Words in this phrase

prendre

[prond-ruh]

take

To receive or acquire.

Example

Nous allons prendre un taxi.

We are going to take a taxi.

[uhn]

Indefinite article used before a singular noun.

Example

Un petit garçon joue.

A little boy is playing.

café

[kah-fay]

coffee

A coffee; in networking, it often suggests an informal conversation over coffee.

Example

Un café après le salon permet de continuer l'échange.

A coffee after the fair allows the conversation to continue.

avec moi ?

ah-vek mwah

with me?

Say 'a-vek mwa' and let your voice rise at the end, because it's a question.

Example

Tu viens avec moi ?

Are you coming with me?

Words in this phrase

avec

[ah-vek]

with

A preposition indicating accompaniment or association.

Example

Je suis avec elle.

I am with her.

moi

[mwah]

The person speaking or writing.

Example

Ils ont dîné chez moi.

They had dinner at my place.

Guides for French learners

The Most Common French Verbs: the 20 You'll Actually UseThe 20 most common French verbs, with the present-tense forms you need, real example sentences with native audio, and two shortcuts for past and future.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.

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