Ordering a coffee Part 2 (Advanced): Options such as type of milk, depending on dietary preferences or allergies.

🇫🇷 Say this at the counter before ordering. It tells staff to take care with almond milk and shared equipment, not just to skip one ingredient.

🇫🇷 A mild, polite way to react to small bad news. It's fine in front of strangers and staff, unlike stronger swear words.

💬 Ne... plus means "no more" or "not anymore", so on n'a plus means "we're out of". In speech the n' often nearly vanishes, but plus carries the meaning.

💬 French uses the present with depuis where English says "have been": on n'a plus... depuis ce matin is literally "we have no more... since this morning".

💬 Irait is a softened "would go" from aller; ça vous irait is a polite way to ask if something suits someone. The plain version is ça vous va ?.

💬 French often names the topic first, then points back to it with ça: Le soja, ça vous irait ?. You can do the same: L'avoine, ça vous irait ?

🇫🇷 A barista offering a substitute when your first choice is out. It's courteous and expects a quick yes or no.

💬 This is the natural answer to ça vous va ? or ça vous irait ?. Just swap vous for me.

💬 In everyday speech par contre usually just means "but" or "however", introducing a catch, such as a condition or a concern.

🇫🇷 Worth knowing if you have a milk allergy. The same wand steams every kind of milk, so asking about it is a normal, reasonable question.

💬 La here means "it" and refers back to la buse. It sits before the verb, not after as in English.

💬 L' is la shortened before a vowel and only exists joined to the verb. It still means "it".

💬 Prendre "to take" is the go-to verb for using or ordering things, from je prendrai un café "I'll have a coffee" to grabbing a jug.

🇫🇷 Tacked on at the end, promis is warm and reassuring, the barista showing they take your allergy seriously.

🇫🇷 A common warm thank-you when someone goes out of their way for you. It suits a barista who took extra care.

💬 Il y a means both "there is" and "is there"; your rising voice makes it a question. Supplément means an extra charge, not a vitamin pill.

💬 Végétal means plant-based, not vegetable. It's the umbrella word menus use for oat, soy and almond milk.

🇫🇷 Many French cafés charge a small extra for plant milk, often 30 to 50 cents. Asking up front is perfectly normal.

💬 Prices drop the word for cents: quatre euros vingt means €4.20. The s of euros links up, so it sounds like (kat-ruh-zuh-roh vahn).

🇫🇷 The standard way a cashier tells you your total. You'll hear ça vous fait at almost every till in France.

💬 Je peux plus any action is a simple, polite way to ask permission: Je peux m'asseoir ? "Can I sit down?"

💬 Par introduces how you pay. For cash, switch to en espèces "in cash".

🇫🇷 Cards are widely accepted, but some small cafés set a minimum, often around €5 to €10, so asking for a cheap coffee is wise.

💬 The final n of bien links into sûr, so it sounds like (byan-sur) said as one smooth phrase.

💬 En introduces how you pay, so the same pattern gives en espèces "in cash" and en carte "by card".

🇫🇷 Paying by card for a single coffee is completely normal in France, and contactless is accepted almost everywhere, even for very small amounts.

💬 When you tell someone to do something to themselves, vous comes after the verb with a hyphen. The same pattern gives Asseyez-vous "Sit down".

💬 In French, "to you" and "it" both sit before the verb, in the order vous then l'. L' is a shortened le that has to join the next word, so you'd say Je vous le donne "I'll give it to you" but Je vous l'apporte. The present tense here also covers "I'll", meaning right now.

🇫🇷 You'll hear this in coffee shops where you order at the counter. It's your cue to find a table rather than wait at the bar, because someone will bring your cup over.

💬 À vous means 'to you', so this hands the thanks back to someone who just thanked you. With a friend, the casual version is Merci à toi.

💬 Journée means the day as a stretch of time you live through, not just the date. Later on, switch to bonne soirée "have a nice evening".

💬 Merci à vous sends the thanks back to the other person, a bit like stressing "thank YOU". With a friend it becomes merci à toi.

🇫🇷 This is the standard closing exchange at a café counter. When the server says it, answering vous aussi "you too" is the natural reply.