# French/Lessons/Dining

* School
* Culture
* Shopping
* Going out
* Transportation
* Everyday life
* Rural life
* Food and drink
* Dining
* Communication
Lessons · Vocabulary · Grammar · Appendices · Texts

## Vocabulary

Canadian and Belgian French has an off-by-one behavior with meals : breakfast is called déjeuner, lunch is called dîner and dinner is souper.
* French butchers do not sell pork, pork products, nor horsemeat. For these products, go to a charcuterie.
* In France, bakeries only sell fresh bread. Places where they sell bread that is not fresh are called dépôt de pain.
* 'Charcuteries' sell things besides pork products, including pâte, salami, cold meats, salads, quiches and pizzas.
* An alternative to an 'épicerie' is an alimentation générale (a general foodstore).

## Grammar · To want and to be able to · Vouloir et pouvoir
### Vouloir

The verb vouloir, meaning to want, is irregularly conjugated (it is not a regular -ir verb).
| vouloir /vu.lwaʁ/ (voo-lwahr) | to want |
| je veux /vø/ (vew) | I want |
| tu veux /vø/ (vew) | you want |
| il veut /vø/ (vew) | he wants |
| nous voulons /vu.lɔ̃/ (voo-loh$^{(n)}$) | we want |
| vous voulez /vu.le/ (voo-lay) | you want |
| ils veulent /vøl/ (vewl) | they want |
| voulu /vu.ly/ (voo-lew) | wanted |
The related phrase vouloir dire /vu.lwaʁ diʁ/ means to mean. The idiom en vouloir /ɑ̃ vu.lwaʁ/ means to be angry (with) .

### Pouvoir

Pouvoir, meaning to be able to, is conjugated similarly to vouloir.
| pouvoir /pu.vwaʁ/ (poo-vwahr) | to be able to |
| je peux /pø/ (pew) | I am able to |
| tu peux /pø/ (pew) | you are able to |
| il peut /pø/ (pew) | he is able to |
| nous pouvons pu.vɔ̃/ (poo-voh$^{(n)}$) | we are able to |
| vous pouvez /pu.ve/ (poo-vay) | you are able to |
| ils peuvent /pøv/ (pewv) | they are able to |
| pu /py/ (pew) | been able to |
The noun le pouvoir means power or authority, and the term au pouvoir means in power. The adverb peut-être /pø.tɛtʁ/, literally translated as could be, means maybe or perhaps.

### Supplementary usage notes · Pouvoir

Pouvoir is not used with verbs relating to the five senses:
    I can see you. - Je te vois. (not Je peux te voir., which is I can meet you.)
Pouvoir is not used to mean can in the sense of to know how to. Use savoir instead.
    I can swim. - Je sais nager. (not Je peux nager.)
In Belgian French, pouvoir is additionally not used to say someone is capable of something, savoir is also used for that.
    Je ne sais pas dormir. - I am not able to sleep. to a Belgian, I do not know how to sleep. to a Frenchman.
    Je ne peux pas dormir. - I am not allowed to sleep. to a Belgian, I am not able to sleep. to a Frenchman.
Puis is the first person present indicative form used in inversion and as an archaic variant.

## Grammar · To serve · Servir

Servir, meaning to serve (to bring a meal to someone), is conjugated similarly to sortir, partir, and dormir.

### Formation

| servir /sɛʁ.viʁ/ (sehr-veer) | to serve |
| je sers /sɛʁ/ (sehr) | I serve |
| tu sers /sɛʁ/ (sehr) | you serve |
| il sert /sɛʁ/ (sehr) | he serves |
| nous servons /sɛʁ.vɔ̃/ (sehr-voh$^{(n)}$) | we serve |
| vous servez /sɛʁ.ve/ (sehr-vay) | you serve |
| ils servent /sɛʁv/ (sehrv) | they serve |
| servi /sɛʁ.vi/ (sehr-vee) | served |
The verbs desservir /de.sɛʁ.viʁ/, meaning to clear (a table) or to clear away, and resservir /ʁə.sɛʁ.viʁ/, meaning to serve again, are conjugated in the same way as servir.

### Supplementary usage notes · Servir and desservir

Servir means to serve (to bring a meal to someone):
    On nous a servi à dîner. (We were served dinner.)
It can also mean to serve more generally:
    Il sert son pays. (He serves his country.)
    Il a servi dans l’infanterie. (He served in the infantry.)
    Il aime à se faire servir. (He likes to be served.)
It can also mean to be used for or to be useful for someone:
    Ce livre lui a bien servi dans son travail. (This book served him well in his work.)
    Cela ne sert à rien! (That is useless!)
    Cette machine ne peut plus servir. (This machine is no longer useful.) (lit: This machine no longer serves.)
In the context of sports, servir means to serve (start a point with service) or to set up (pass to, in order to give a scoring chance).
In the context of transportation, desservir, meaning to serve (of a train or bus, to stop at a particular town), is used instead:
    Ce train dessert les grandes villes de la région. (This train serves the big towns in the region.)
    Cet autobus dessert les boulevards. (This bus serves the boulevards.)
    Ce bureau de poste dessert plusieurs communes. (This post office serves several municipalities.)

## Grammar · -cer verbs

-cer verbs are regular -er verbs, but are also stem changing. The most common -cer verb is commencer, meaning to begin.

### Formation

| commencer /kɔ.mɑ̃.se/ (koh-mah$^{(n)}$-say) | to begin |
| je commence /kɔ.mɑ̃s/ (koh-mah$^{(n)}$s) | I begin |
| tu commences /kɔ.mɑ̃s/ (koh-mah$^{(n)}$s) | you begin |
| il commence /kɔ.mɑ̃s/ (koh-mah$^{(n)}$s) | he begins |
| nous commençons /kɔ.mɑ̃.sɔ̃/ (koh-mah$^{(n)}$-soh$^{(n)}$) | we begin |
| vous commencez /kɔ.mɑ̃.se/ (koh-mah$^{(n)}$-say) | you begin |
| ils commencent /kɔ.mɑ̃s/ (koh-mah$^{(n)}$s) | they begin |
| commencé /kɔ.mɑ̃.se/(koh-mah$^{(n)}$-say) | begun |

### Supplementary vocabulary · Other -cer verbs
## Supplementary vocabulary · Silverware and the table
## Supplementary usage notes · To take, to eat, to drink · Prendre

| prendre /pʁɑ̃dʁ/ (prah$^{(n)}$dr) | to take |
| je prends /pʁɑ̃/ (prah$^{(n)}$) | I take |
| tu prends /pʁɑ̃/ (prah$^{(n)}$) | you take |
| il prend /pʁɑ̃/ (prah$^{(n)}$) | he takes |
| nous prenons /pʁə.nɔ̃/ (pruh-noh$^{(n)}$) | we take |
| vous prenez /pʁǝ.ne/ (pruh-nay) | you take |
| ils prennent /pʁɛn/ (prehn) | they take |
| pris /pʁi/ | taken |

## Supplementary vocabulary · Quantities

* -eille is pronounced eh-y$^{uh}$
* Do not confuse with le livre (book) .

## Exercises

← Food and drink ·  Level two lessons  · Communication →
School · Culture · Shopping · Going out · Transportation · Everyday life · Rural life · Food and drink · Dining · Communication
Lessons :
Introductory · Level one · Level two · Level three · Level four
French :
Lessons · Vocabulary · Grammar · Appendices · Texts