🆓🪑

How to Say ‘There's a free table’ in French

Il y a une table libre

eel ee ah ewn tahbl LEE-bruh

[eel ee ah ewn tahbl LEE-bruh]

💬 Usage Tip: Libre means free as in unoccupied, not free of charge. If something costs nothing, the word is gratuit "free of charge".

Phrase Breakdown

Il y a

eel ee ah

There is

A fixed expression, said smoothly as 'il-ya' (often just 'ya' in casual speech).

Example

Il y a du monde.

There are a lot of people.

Words in this phrase

[eel]

Impersonal subject used for weather expressions.

Example

Aujourd'hui, il fait beau.

Today, the weather is nice.

[ee]

there

In or at that place.

Example

Y a-t-il une solution?

Is there a solution?

[ah]

has

Used with a past participle to form the present perfect tense.

Example

Elle a visité Paris.

She has visited Paris.

une table libre

ewn tahbl LEE-bruh

a free table

'Libre' means free or available. The adjective comes after the noun.

Example

Une place libre.

A free seat.

Words in this phrase

une

[ewn]

a / an

An indefinite article used before feminine singular nouns.

Example

Une rencontre comme celle-ci peut ouvrir des portes.

A meeting like this can open doors.

table

[tahbl]

table

A noun meaning table, often in a restaurant context.

Example

Nous cherchons une table pour deux.

We are looking for a table for two.

libre

[LEE-bruh]

free / available

Means available (time-wise). Used to plan: “être libre” = to be free/available.

Example

Je suis libre ce soir pour regarder un épisode.

I’m free tonight to watch an episode.

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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