Salut !
You’re in France, at the restaurant with friends. « La note » ou « l’addition », the bill arrives. Who pays? How much? For what?
Ahah.
That’s very cultural. It’s in Montreal, Quebec, that it struck me how different it can be, from one country to the other. Even if both Montreal and Paris speak the same language!
How to pay at the restaurant? This is what you’ll discover in today’s episode of Comme une Française TV.
Click to watch « How to pay at the restaurant in France »:
Next time we go to the restaurant, we’ll do « moitié moitié ». (click to tweet)
Et toi ?
How do you pay at the restaurant with a French friend?
Do you do « moitié moitié »? or invite your friend?
Share your story so we can discuss in the comments area below the video.
A la prochaine !
Géraldine
PS: There’s a BIG (HUGE) new feature coming up in 14 days: on Tuesday 23rd. Stay tuned! ????
hello
Actually, in France the ‘doggy bag’ is becomming more and more usual .
The waiters know this word
Be free to ask the waiter
mik
Hello Geraldine,
I have just discovered your site.. Wonderful and very helpful so far. In a few minutes, I have learnt when to shake hands or kiss (and never to hug unless it’s mon mari or close family); what to wear, bring to dinner party; and how to pay at a restaurant…
Merci,
Roz
Hi Roz,
Congrats on your HUGE progress.
This seems very promising!
How do you say: ” We would like separate checks please”?
And do you say it at the beginning of the order or at the end before paying?
Merci beaucoup!
Bonjour Cosette,
You can say “On va payer séparément”.
Usually, when you go to a restaurant where you pay “à la caisse”, tell what you ordered and then they will give you your bill.
I found your site last week and enjoyed looking at it. You give a real service to English speakers and I’ll tell my friends to read your posts. I just read your Classic Expat Mistakes and they are mistakes made also by non-expats but francophiles – your cliché section is very good. I wish more people realized that there is no “Bastille Day” in France mais on a le quatorze juillet. Je suppose que vous parlez surtout pour un public du Royaume Uni? Moi, j’habite à Atlanta en Géorgie depuis de nombreuses années. J’ai vu que vous aviez écrit un article sur Noël en France – ici je connais des américains musulmans qui veulent aller en France cet hiver car ils savent qu’il y a beaucoup de musulmans en France – est-ce que vous avez des articles sur des sujets qui pourraient les intéresser puisqu’il y a maintenant beaucoup de français d’origine d’Afrique du Nord – quoi dire et quoi ne pas faire ? J’ai encore pas mal à lire sur votre site et à voir aussi plus de vidéos – celle d’aujourd’hui sur le restaurant est super. A Nice, il y a plusieurs mois j’ai entendu une dame américaine qui essayait de traduire “Doggy Bag” au snack, elle a dit à la serveuse “je veux un sac a main pour mes chiens” ….
Bonjour vagabonde,
Merci beaucoup pour votre gentil message.
C’est une excellente suggestion, je vais voir ce que je peux faire.
Ahah, génial ! Je me demande si c’était une google trad ! 😉
Hey, I’ve only recently come to Paris and have a date with a parisian man tomorrow night. I was wondering if it’s polite to offer to pay for dinner or not? I would always do it at home but I’ve noticed that French men (so far anyway) tend to be much more focused on being the traditional ‘man’ in the relationship. What’s the etiquette when it comes to paying on a date? Thanks xxx
Hi Rachael,
if he wants to pay, let him pay. 🙂
He’ll probably say “C’est pour moi”.