prendre à emporter
To take food to go in French is prendre à emporter.
This phrase is used when you are buying food from a restaurant to eat it somewhere else.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb prendre (to take) and the prepositional phrase à emporter (to be carried away).
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase à emporter means 'to go'.
Did you know?
- The verb prendre is derived from the Latin prehendere, meaning 'to seize'. This makes it a linguistic relative of the English word 'apprehend'.
- If you are ordering at a café, you might simply say sur place to mean 'for here' instead of using the full phrase for staying.
- In Quebec, people frequently use the preposition pour instead of à in the phrase pour emporter. While both are understood, the North American construction differs from the standard French à emporter.
Examples in context
- Je voudrais un sandwich à emporter, s'il vous plaît.I would like a sandwich to go, please.
- Je voudrais prendre à emporter, s'il vous plaît.I would like to take food to go, please.
- Est-ce que je peux prendre à emporter ?Can I take food to go?
- Nous allons prendre à emporter pour le dîner.We are going to take food to go for dinner.
Example conversation
Chloé and Lucas are deciding where to eat lunch.
- ChloéTu as faim, Lucas ?Are you hungry, Lucas?
- LucasOui, on mange au restaurant ?Yes, shall we eat at the restaurant?
- ChloéNon, on va prendre à emporter.No, let's get food to go.
- LucasC'est une bonne idée, Chloé.That is a good idea, Chloé.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries emporter, prendre, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
