French A1 Reading Practice: At the Restaurant
A short beginner text about ordering a meal in French. Everything is in the present tense, with everyday food words. Tap any highlighted word to see what it means here.
Au restaurant
Aujourd'hui, Marie va au restaurant avec son ami Paul. Le restaurant est petit. Il y a six tables et une grande fenêtre.
Marie regarde le menu. Elle aime le poisson. Paul préfère la viande. Le serveur arrive et demande : « Vous désirez ? »
Marie dit : « Je voudrais le poisson, s'il vous plaît. » Paul dit : « Pour moi, un steak et une salade. » Ils boivent de l'eau.
Le repas est bon. Paul demande l'addition. Le dîner coûte vingt-deux euros. Marie et Paul sont contents. Ils rentrent à la maison à pied.
English translation
Today, Marie is going to the restaurant with her friend Paul. The restaurant is small. There are six tables and a big window.
Marie looks at the menu. She likes fish. Paul prefers meat. The waiter arrives and asks: "What would you like?"
Marie says: "I would like the fish, please." Paul says: "For me, a steak and a salad." They drink water.
The meal is good. Paul asks for the bill. The dinner costs twenty-two euros. Marie and Paul are happy. They walk home.
Why this is A1
This text uses only present-tense verbs, short main clauses and very common food and restaurant vocabulary. Every sentence follows the simple subject, verb, object order that A1 learners can follow without grammar knowledge.
Grammar you will meet
- Present tense of regular verbs: regarde, aime, demande
- Irregular present: va, est, sont, boivent
- Articles: le, la, un, une, des
- The polite je voudrais
- Numbers: six, vingt-deux
Words worth keeping
- je voudrais — I would like (the polite way to order)
- le serveur — the waiter
- l'addition — the bill
- coûte — costs
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