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How to Say ‘Half a liter of milk, please.’ in French

Un demi-litre de lait, s'il vous plaît.

uhn duh-mee-LEE-truh duh lay seel eel voo pleh

[uhn duh-mee-LEE-truh duh lay seel eel voo pleh]

🇫🇷 In France: In a bar, un demi on its own means a small glass of beer, about 25 cl, not half a liter.

Phrase Breakdown

Un demi-litre de lait,

uhn duh-mee-LEE-truh duh lay

Half a liter of milk,

This is the item and quantity, said in one flow: 'uhn duh-mee leetr duh leh'.

Example

J'ai acheté un demi-litre de lait.

I bought half a liter of milk.

Words in this phrase

[uhn]

a / an

Masculine singular indefinite article.

Example

Un supplément peut être ajouté la nuit.

A surcharge can be added at night.

demi-litre

[duh-mee-LEE-truh]

half-litre

Masculine noun; half of a litre. Demi stays unchanged before a hyphen.

Example

Je voudrais un demi-litre de jus.

I'd like half a litre of juice.

[duh]

Expressing the relationship between part and a whole.

Example

Un verre de lait.

A glass of milk.

lait

[lay]

milk

Masculine noun; key ingredient in lattes and cappuccinos.

Example

Un café avec du lait, s'il vous plaît.

A coffee with milk, please.

s'il vous plaît.

seel eel voo pleh

please

The polite request ending. Link it smoothly: 'seel-voo-pleh'.

Example

Une baguette, s'il vous plaît.

A baguette, please.

Words in this phrase

[seel]

Shortened form in the polite phrase 's'il vous plaît.' Literally it comes from 'if.'

Example

S' il vous plaît est une formule très polie.

'S'il vous plaît' is a very polite expression.

[eel]

Used as a subject pronoun for things or concepts.

Example

Il fait beau aujourd'hui.

It is nice today.

vous

[voo]

you

Used to refer to the person or people being addressed.

Example

Vous aimez le film?

Do you like the movie?

plaît

[pleh]

pleases

Verb form from 'plaire.' In the full expression it contributes to the meaning 'please.'

Example

Le mot plaît est très fréquent dans la formule polie.

The word 'plaît' is very common in the polite expression.

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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