Restaurant reservations Part 2: Understanding cancellation policies and deadlines.
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Key Phrases
Je voudrais confirmer notre réservation pour samedi soir.
I would like to confirm our reservation for Saturday evening.
Je voulais aussi comprendre votre politique d'annulation.
I also wanted to understand your cancellation policy.
Merci de nous appeler si vous avez plus de quinze minutes de retard.
Please call us if you are more than fifteen minutes late.
Skills You'll Learn
Confirming a restaurant reservation politely
Confirmer une réservation au restaurant avec politesse
Asking about cancellation rules and possible fees
Demander des informations sur la politique d'annulation et les frais éventuels
Explaining or asking about being late for a booking
Expliquer ou demander quoi faire en cas de retard
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you are calling a restaurant in France to confirm your reservation for Saturday evening and ask about their cancellation policy and what happens if you arrive late.
Bonjour, je voudrais confirmer notre réservation pour samedi soir.
Hello, I would like to confirm our reservation for Saturday evening.
Bonjour, bien sûr. Vous êtes bien quatre personnes à 20 heures ?
Hello, of course. You are four people at 8 pm., correct?
Oui, c'est ça. Je voulais aussi comprendre votre politique d'annulation.
Yes, that's right. I also wanted to understand your cancellation policy.
Pas de souci. Vous pouvez annuler sans frais jusqu'à 18 heures le jour même.
No worries. You can cancel free of charge until 6 pm. on the same day.
Et si nous annulons après 18 heures ?
What if we cancel after 6 pm.?
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
Bonjour,
bohn-ZHOOR
Hello,
Je voudrais confirmer
zhuh voo-DRAY kohn-feer-MAY
I would like to confirm
💬 [Je voudrais] is a very useful polite pattern: literally "I would like," softer than a direct [je veux]. You can swap in another verb after it, like [je voudrais réserver] or [je voudrais savoir].
See breakdown →Notre réservation
NO-truh ray-zair-va-SYON
Our reservation
Pour samedi soir.
poor sam-dee swahr
For Saturday evening.
Bonjour, je voudrais confirmer notre réservation pour samedi soir.
bohn-ZHOOR zhuh voo-DRAY kohn-feer-MAY NO-truh ray-zair-va-SYON poor sam-dee swahr
Hello, I would like to confirm our reservation for Saturday evening.
💬 [Je voudrais] makes the request polite and less blunt than [je veux]. It is a reusable frame for service situations: [Je voudrais confirmer], [je voudrais modifier], [je voudrais annuler].
See breakdown →Bien sûr.
byan syoor
Of course.
Vous êtes bien quatre personnes
voo ett byan KAH-truh pair-SON
There are indeed four of you
💬 Here [bien] does not mean "well." In [vous êtes bien quatre personnes ?] it adds the sense of "indeed" or "just to confirm."
See breakdown →À 20 heures ?
ah van ur
At 8 pm.?
💬 In French, times with [heures] are usually said with the 24-hour clock in formal situations like bookings: [20 heures] for 8 pm, [18 heures] for 6 pm.
See breakdown →Vous êtes bien quatre personnes à 20 heures ?
voo ett byan KAH-truh pair-SON ah van ur
You are indeed four people at 8 pm.?
💬 [Bien] here is a confirmation word, not "well": [Vous êtes bien quatre personnes ?] means "It is four people, right?" You will hear the same pattern in [Vous avez bien réservé ?].
See breakdown →Learn this vocabulary list the easy way
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