🤔🫴🍽️

How to Say ‘What can I get you?’ in French

Qu'est-ce que je vous sers ?

k eh suh kuh zhuh voo sehr

[k eh suh kuh zhuh voo sehr]

💬 Usage Tip: Je vous sers literally means "I serve you". The vendor uses it to ask what you want, so expect to hear it rather than say it.

Phrase Breakdown

Qu'est-ce que

k eh suh kuh

What

A common way to start a 'what' question. Say it smoothly: 'KESS-kuh'.

Example

Qu'est-ce que tu veux ?

What do you want?

Words in this phrase

Qu'

[k]

what

Shortened form of 'que', the question word 'what', used at the start of 'qu'est-ce qui/que'.

Example

Qu'est-ce que vous voulez ?

What do you want?

est

[eh]

Third person singular present of be.

Example

C'est important.

It is important.

-ce

[suh]

it (in 'est-ce que')

Part of the question formula 'est-ce que', which turns a statement into a yes/no question.

Example

Est-ce que vous êtes ouverts ?

Are you open?

que

[kuh]

(question marker)

Part of 'qu'est-ce que', a set phrase meaning 'what' in questions.

Example

Qu'est-ce que tu manges ?

What are you eating?

je vous sers ?

zhuh voo sehr

can I serve you?

'Servir' (to serve) with the polite 'vous'. 'Sers' sounds like 'sair'. The 's' is silent.

Example

Je vous sers un café ?

Shall I serve you a coffee?

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

vous

[voo]

to you

Indirect object pronoun: the person receiving something.

Example

Je vous donne la monnaie.

I give you the change.

sers

[sehr]

serve

Form of 'servir' (to serve) used with 'je'; waiters use it to ask what you'd like.

Example

Je sers le café au comptoir.

I serve the coffee at the counter.

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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