Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Water choices in restaurants..How do I ask?

Hi - I would love to learn how to ask for tap water in restaurants. I would also want to know how to ask for mineral water with fizz/gas. I want to use as much newly learned French as possible. Merci.




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carafe d%26#39;eau - a pitcher of tap water, free at all French restaurants





bouteille d%26#39;eua avec gaz or bouteille d%26#39;eau minerale





A nice s%26#39;il vous plait will get you whatever you need :)




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Judy - Thanks and s%26#39;il vous plait is already part of our learned French vocabulary...from years back in high school!




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I could be wrong, but %26quot;une bouteille d%26#39;eau avec gaz%26quot; does not sound right - I would say %26quot;une bouteille d%26#39;eau gazeuse%26quot; (or %26quot;une bouteille d%26#39;eau pétillante%26quot;). If you want it without gas, it would be %26quot;eau plate%26quot;.



And if you ask for mineral water, the waiter might ask you which brand you prefer... Badoit, Evian, Vichy, Perrier, Vittel?



Just so you will be prepared - I%26#39;ve noticed that waiters sometimes try to steer tourists to ordering (expensive) mineral water, instead of plain tap water which is - in most cases - free...




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I always ask for %26quot;une carafe d%26#39;eau%26quot; which is as the other poster said - tap water. Brought in a carafe. I really don%26#39;t like paying for water...





When or if you want to ask for %26quot;Eau Minerale%26quot;, ask for Evian if you want still and Badoit if you want fizzy. You can skip a long, difficult sentence by just asking for the brands.




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Salut!





For a bottle of mineral water it is usual to ask for %26quot;une bouteille d%26#39;eau minérale gazeuse%26quot; for sparkling and %26quot;une bouteille d%26#39;eau minérale non-gazeuse%26quot; for still.





In restaurants the usual brands are Badoit, San Pellegrino or Perrier for sparkling and Evian for still.





Bonne journée!




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There is no reason to buy bottled water in Paris except that you hate the flavour of the tap water - I don%26#39;t mind it so I never order bottled unless I%26#39;m with someone who wants it.





It%26#39;s always possible to say only %26quot;D%26#39;eau minerale, s%26#39;il vous plait%26quot; - %26quot;naturale%26quot; for still water and %26quot;avec gaz%26quot; for the fizzy stuff - After you have asked for it a few times in shorthand, you%26#39;ll find that the longer sentences don%26#39;t get stuck halfway.





It always takes me several days to be comfortable in any language other than English - so I know shorthand for many longer sentences - as long as you remember to smile and say please and thank you, the shorthand will serve you very well while you get your feet under you, so to speak.





The object of the exercise always is communication - no waiter will fail to understand the shorthand, nor will he fault you for not using the longest form possible - he%26#39;ll be pleased that you have found a way to make your way in French.




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3une carafe d%26#39;eau%26quot; = free jar of tap water. As a previous poster said, some may gear you towards buying mineral water, when a carafe is free tap water. If this is what you want (perfectly safe to drink), when the waiter asks if you want water, just say %26quot;une carafe d%26#39;eau s%26#39;il vous plaît%26quot;



%26quot;Une demi-bouteille d%26#39;eau plate%26quot;= a small bottle of water without gas



Une bouteille d%26#39;eau plate%26quot; = a big bottle of water without gas, or you can just say %26quot;une Evian%26quot; or %26quot;une Vittel%26quot;



Une bouteille d%26#39;eau gazeuse (we don%26#39;t say avec gas, although we would understand) or une Badoit or une San Pelegrino (not as common as Badoit)




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Thanks to all. We%26#39;re set!




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I have never heard the waiters use the term %26quot;fizz%26quot;, but they certainly understand %26#39;with gas%26#39; or especially %26#39;sparkling%26#39; .




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