How to Say ‘Hello, I'd like a coffee, please.’ in French
Bonjour, je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît.
bohn-ZHOOR zhuh voo-DRAY uhn ka-fay seel eel voo pleh
[bohn-ZHOOR zhuh voo-DRAY uhn ka-fay seel eel voo pleh]
🇫🇷 In France: This is a standard polite café order in France: greeting first, request second, [s'il vous plaît] at the end. That small structure sounds more natural than jumping straight to the item.
Phrase Breakdown
Bonjour
[bohn-ZHOOR]
hello
A polite greeting used before placing your order.
Bonjour, je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît, avec un grain doux.
Hello, I would like a coffee, please, with a mild bean.
Je voudrais
zhuh voo-DRAY
I would like
A polite way to ask for something in French.
Je voudrais un café.
I would like a coffee.
Words in this phrase
je
[zhuh]
I
The pronoun used to say what you want personally.
Bonjour, je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît, et je préfère un mélange maison.
Hello, I would like a coffee, please, and I prefer a house blend.
voudrais
[voo-DRAY]
would like
A polite way to order something in French.
Bonjour, je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît, plutôt fruité.
Hello, I would like a coffee, please, rather fruity.
Un café
uhn ka-fay
A coffee
The item being requested: one coffee.
Un café, s'il vous plaît.
A coffee, please.
Words in this phrase
un
[uhn]
a
An indefinite article before a masculine noun like 'café'.
Bonjour, je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît, un Colombie doux.
Hello, I would like a coffee, please, a mild Colombian.
café
[ka-fay]
coffee
The beverage being ordered.
Bonjour, je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît, mais pas trop fort.
Hello, I would like a coffee, please, but not too strong.
S'il vous plaît
seel eel voo pleh
Please
A polite phrase added to requests.
Un café, s'il vous plaît.
A coffee, please.
Words in this phrase
s'
[seel]
if
Part of the set phrase 's'il vous plaît' used for politeness.
Bonjour, je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît, avec un profil rond.
Hello, I would like a coffee, please, with a round profile.
il
[eel]
he
A grammatical part of the fixed polite phrase 's'il vous plaît'.
Bonjour, je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît, si vous avez un Éthiopie.
Hello, I would like a coffee, please, if you have an Ethiopian.
vous
[voo]
you
Formal 'you,' used politely with café staff.
Bonjour, je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît, vous conseillez lequel ?
Hello, I would like a coffee, please, which one do you recommend?
plaît
[pleh]
please
Used to make the request polite.
Bonjour, je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît, bien équilibré.
Hello, I would like a coffee, please, nicely balanced.
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