Must-Know Vocabulary for French Restaurant Dining

Must-Know Vocabulary for French Restaurant Dining Knowing how to conduct yourself and order food in a  French restaurant can be a little tricky. There are some  important differences between restaurants in France and other countries, including what foods are offered and how they are prepared. Even the way dishes are listed on most  French menus  is a little different. Knowing the terms to use in most French restaurants- and especially learning how to pronounce them correctly- is the key to ensuring that your restaurant experience is enjoyable and that you receive the food you want. Understanding what your waiter is asking you or what the menu says- from Quest-ce  que  je  vous  sers? (What can I get you?) to service  compris (tip included)- will soon have your server and others wishing you:  Bon appà ©tit! (Enjoy your meal!). French Restaurant Terms and Pronunciations The table below contains key French restaurant terms followed by their English translations. Click on the French words and phrases to hear how to pronounce them correctly. French Term English Translation commander to order Vous avez choisi? Have you decided? Que voudriez-vous? Vous dsirez? What would you like? Je vous coute. What would you like? (Literally, Im listening to you.) Que prenez-vous? What are you having? Quest-ce que je vous sers? What can I get you? Je voudrais... Jaimerais... I would like... Je vais prendre... Je prends... Ill have... Combien cote...? How much does ... cost? Cest votre got? Do you like it? Is everything ok? Cest termin? Have you finished? a a t? Was everything ok? Je suis... I am... allergique ... allergic to... diabtique diabetic vgtarien / vgtarienne vegetarian vgtalien / vgtalienne vegan Je ne peux pas manger... I cant eat... bleu, saignant very rare ros rare point medium-rare bien cuit well done le serveur (not garon) waiter la serveuse waitress le/la chef cook le menu fixed-price meal la carte menu la carte side order laddition check/bill le socle base of credit card machine le pourboire tip service compris tip included service non compris tip not included A la vtre! Cheers! Bon apptit Enjoy your meal dfense de fumer no smoking les animaux sont interdits no pets allowed A Typical French Restaurant Dialogue Now that you know the key terms you might need to know to dine in a French restaurant, scan the table below to study a typical dialogue that might occur between a serveur  (server) and à ©tudiant  (student). The first column lists the speaker, the second gives the French dialogue, and the third provides the English translation. Serveur Bonsoir Monsieur/Madame. Good evening sir/maam. tudiant Bonsoir Madame/Monsieur. Je voudrais une table pour trois personnes, pour dner, sil vous plat. Good evening maam/sir. I would like a table for 3, for dinner, please. Serveur Vous avez une reservation? Do you have a reservation? tudiant Non, je nai pas de reservation. No, I dont have a reservation. Serveur Pas de problme. Voici une table pour 3 personnes, et voici la carte. No problem. Here is a table for 3, and here is the menu. tudiant Merci Madame/Monsieur. Sil vous plat. Thank you maam/sir. Excuse me? Serveur Oui Monsieur/Madame ? Yes sir/maam ? tudiant Je voudrais de leau. I would like some water. Serveur Oui Monsieur/Madame. Et pour dner, vous avez choisi ? Yes sir/maam. And for dinner, have you decided? tudiant Je voudrais le menu 15 Euros. I would like the set price menu for 15 Euros. Serveur Oui. En entre ? Yes. For the appetizer? tudiant Je voudrais le pat. I would like the pat. Serveur Et en plat principal. And for your main course? tudiant Je voudrais le steak frites. I would like the steak with French fries. Serveur Bien Monsieur/Madame, quelle cuisson ? OK sir/maam, how would you like it cooked? tudiant Bien cuit, sil vous plat. Non, point, sil vous plat. Well done please. No, medium rare, please. Serveur En dessert? For dessert? tudiant Une glace la vanille. Et, excusez-moi Madame/ Monsieur, o sont les toilettes ? Vanilla ice cream. And, excuse me maam/sir, where is the restroom? Serveur Au sous-sol. In the basement. tudiant Je ne comprends pas. Vous pouvez rpter sil vous plat ? I dont understand. Could you repeat please? Serveur Au sous sol. Vous descendez lescalier. In the basement. Go down the stairs. tudiant Oh, je comprends maintenant. Merci. Ah, now I understand. Thank you. Serveur Comment vous trouvez votre steak frites ? How is your steak? tudiant Cest dlicieux. Cest parfait. Its delicious. Its perfect. tudiant Laddition sil vous plat. May I have the check, please? Serveur Bien Monsieur/Madame. Vous pouvez payer la caisse. OK sir/maam. You can pay at the register.

The American Economy at the End of the 20th Century

The American Economy at the End of the 20th Century After a tumultuous century embroiled in world wars and financial crises, the United States economy at the end of the 20th century was experiencing a period of economic calm wherein prices were stable, unemployment fell to its lowest level in 30 years, the stock market boomed and the government posted a budget surplus. Technological innovations and a rapidly globalizing market contributed to the economic boom near the end of the 90s, then again between 2009 and 2017, but many other factors - including presidential policy, foreign affairs, and domestic innovations and foreign supply and demand needs - affected the rise of the American economy as it entered the 21st century. Long-term challenges like poverty, especially for single mothers and their children, and environmental quality of life still faced the nation as it prepared to enter a new century of technological development and rapid globalization. A Calm Before the Turn of the Century With the presidency of Bill Clinton at the tail end of George Bush Sr.s one-term presidency, the economy of the United States stabilized in the mid-1990s, creating a status in the economy as it prepared to enter a new millennium, finally recovered from two world wars, a 40-year Cold War, a Great Depression and several large recessions, and enormous budget deficits in government in the last half of the century. By 1998, the  gross domestic product  (GDP) of the U.S. had exceeded $8.5 trillion, achieving the longest uninterrupted period of expansion in American history. With just five percent of the worlds population, the United States was accounting for 25% of the worlds economic output, outproducing its closest rival Japan by nearly double the amount. Innovations in computing, telecommunications, and life sciences opened up new opportunities for Americans to work as well as new goods to consume while the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and the strengthening of Western and Asian economies offered new business ventures for American capitalists. Uncertainty at the Edge of the Millennium While some may have rejoiced in the new expansion in technology and the economy of the United States, others were skeptical of the rapid changes and feared some of the long-term challenges American hadnt resolved yet would be forgotten in the blur of innovation.   Although many Americans had achieved economic security by this point, with some even accumulating large sums of earnings, poverty was still a large issue facing the federal government and a substantial number of Americans lacked access to basic health coverage. Industrial jobs in the manufacturing field also took a hit at the end of the millennium, suffering setbacks as automation began to take over jobs and certain markets saw a decrease in demand for their goods. This resulted in a seemingly irreversible deficit in foreign trade. Ever the Market Economy As the United States passed into the early 2000s, one principle remained strong and true in terms of its economy: it was and would always be a market economy wherein the economy works best when decisions about produce and what prices to charge for goods are made through the give-and-take of millions of independent buyers and sellers, not by government or by powerful private interests, according to the State Department website. In this  free market economy, Americans feel that the true value of a good or service is reflected in its price, guiding the production end of the economy to only produce what is needed according to the supply-and-demand model, which leads to peak  economic efficiency. As is the tradition in all things concerning American politics, it is essential to limit the governments involvement in determining the economic market of its country in order to prevent an undue concentration of power and promote the pluralist foundation of the United States.