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How to Say ‘Would you prefer to sit inside or on the terrace?’ in French

Vous préférez être en salle ou en terrasse ?

voo pray-fay-RAY EH-truh on SAHL OO on teh-RAHSS

[voo pray-fay-RAY EH-truh on SAHL OO on teh-RAHSS]

💬 Usage Tip: Indoors is en salle "in the dining room" and outdoors is en terrasse. Answer with just one of them: En terrasse, s'il vous plaît.

Phrase Breakdown

Vous préférez

voo pray-fay-RAY

Do you prefer

Formal 'vous' with 'préférer'. The ending '-ez' sounds like 'ay': 'pray-fay-RAY'.

Example

Vous préférez le thé ?

Do you prefer tea?

Words in this phrase

Vous

[voo]

you

Used to refer to the person or people being addressed.

Example

Vous aimez le film?

Do you like the movie?

préférez

[pray-fay-RAY]

prefer

Form of 'préférer' used with 'vous'.

Example

Vous préférez le vin rouge ?

Do you prefer red wine?

être en salle

EH-truh on SAHL

to be (seated) inside

'En salle' means in the indoor dining room. Link it: 'è-tran SAL'.

Example

On peut être en salle ce soir.

We can sit inside tonight.

Words in this phrase

être

[EH-truh]

to be

Infinitive of the basic verb 'to be'.

Example

Je veux être à l'heure.

I want to be on time.

[on]

A preposition indicating inclusion within a space.

Example

Il est en France.

He is in France.

salle

[SAHL]

dining room (indoors)

'En salle' means inside the restaurant's main room.

Example

Il fait froid, mangeons en salle.

It's cold, let's eat inside.

ou en terrasse ?

OO on teh-RAHSS

or on the terrace?

'Ou' means 'or'. Let your voice rise at the end of the question: 'oo an tè-RASS'.

Example

On mange ou en terrasse ?

Shall we eat, or on the terrace?

Words in this phrase

[OO]

Connects two choices.

Example

Du thé ou du café ?

Tea or coffee?

[on]

A preposition indicating inclusion within a space.

Example

Il est en France.

He is in France.

terrasse

[teh-RAHSS]

terrace / outdoor seating

The outside seating area of a café or restaurant.

Example

On déjeune en terrasse au soleil.

We have lunch outside in the sun.

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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