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How to Say ‘I would like the dish of the day.’ in French

Je voudrais le plat du jour.

zhuh voo-dray luh plah dyoo zhoor

[zhuh voo-dray luh plah dyoo zhoor]

💬 Usage Tip: Je voudrais is the polite way to order anything. Swap in the item, as in Je voudrais un café.

Phrase Breakdown

Je voudrais

zhuh voo-dray

I would like

This is a polite way to order. Say 'zhuh voo-dreh'. The final 's' is silent.

Example

Je voudrais un café.

I would like a coffee.

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

voudrais

[voo-dray]

would like

A polite conditional form of vouloir, used to say would like.

Example

Je voudrais une table près de la fenêtre.

I would like a table near the window.

le plat du jour.

luh plah dyoo zhoor

the dish of the day.

This means today's special: 'luh plah dew zhoor'.

Example

Le plat du jour est bon.

The dish of the day is good.

Words in this phrase

[luh]

the

Used as a function word to indicate a noun and to mark the noun as definite.

Example

Le chat noir.

The black cat.

plat

[plah]

dish; main course

A prepared dish, often referring to the main course in a meal.

Example

Plat est un mot fréquent au restaurant.

Plat is a common word at the restaurant.

[dyoo]

of the

Contraction of de and le, used before masculine singular nouns.

Example

Du pain est sur la table.

Some bread is on the table.

jour

[zhoor]

day

The period of 24 hours which starts at midnight.

Example

Chaque jour est une nouvelle opportunité.

Each day is a new opportunity.

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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