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How to Say ‘Otherwise there's the allongé, which is like an Americano.’ in French

Sinon, il y a l'allongé, c'est comme un americano.

see-NOHN eel ee ah luh ah-lohn-ZHAY suh eh kom uhn a-meh-ree-ka-NOH

[see-NOHN eel ee ah luh ah-lohn-ZHAY suh eh kom uhn a-meh-ree-ka-NOH]

Phrase Breakdown

Sinon, il y a l'allongé,

see-NOHN eel ee ah luh ah-lohn-ZHAY

Otherwise, there's the allongé,

'Sinon' means 'otherwise' and offers an alternative. Pause slightly after it.

Example

Sinon, il y a du thé.

Otherwise, there's tea.

Words in this phrase

Sinon

[see-NOHN]

otherwise

Adverb meaning otherwise or alternatively.

Example

Sinon, prenez un thé.

Otherwise, have a tea.

[eel]

In il y a, il does not refer to a person; it is part of the expression meaning “there is/there are.”

Example

Est-ce qu'il y a un parking sur place ?

Is there parking on site?

[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.

[luh]

the (before a vowel sound)

Elision of “le” before a vowel: l’ + noun. Used constantly with épisode: l’épisode.

Example

L' épisode le plus récent est sorti hier.

The most recent episode came out yesterday.

allongé

[ah-lohn-ZHAY]

long black coffee

An espresso lengthened with hot water, similar to an americano.

Example

Un allongé, s'il vous plaît.

A long black coffee, please.

c'est comme un americano.

suh eh kom uhn a-meh-ree-ka-NOH

it's like an americano.

This explains the comparison. Link 'comme un' smoothly: 'ko-mun'.

Example

C'est comme un latte.

It's like a latte.

Words in this phrase

[suh]

Used to refer to a thing previously mentioned.

Example

C'est incroyable.

It is incredible.

est

[eh]

Third person singular present of be.

Example

C'est important.

It is important.

comme

[kom]

like / as

A useful word for comparisons, often meaning like in everyday speech.

Example

Comme d'habitude, j'arrive un peu en avance.

As usual, I arrive a little early.

[uhn]

a / an

An indefinite article used before a masculine singular noun.

Example

Un casque est important pour le roller.

A helmet is important for inline skating.

americano

[a-meh-ree-ka-NOH]

americano

An espresso diluted with hot water; a borrowed Italian word.

Example

Je voudrais un americano, s'il vous plaît.

I would like an americano, please.

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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