serveur
/sɛʁ.vœʁ/masculine
The French word for waiter is serveur.
Serveur refers to a male server in a restaurant or similar establishment. While serveur and serveuse mean waiter and waitress respectively, you can address a server using the polite titles Mademoiselle, Madame or Monsieur.
Meaning: a server in a restaurant or similar (noun)
Which one should you use?
serveur is the masculine form used for a male waiter or a mixed-gender group of staff.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of serveur is serveuse.
How do you pronounce it?
/sɛʁ.vœʁ/. It has 2 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often use Garçon! to get a waiter's attention, but this is considered outdated or even slightly rude in modern French etiquette.
When do people say it?
In French restaurants, it is more natural to call for a waiter by saying S'il vous plaît rather than shouting Garçon! While Garçon literally translates to boy, it is no longer the preferred way to address staff.
Did you know?
- In French culture, snapping your fingers to get a serveur to come to your table is considered extremely offensive, even more so than using the word garçon.
- In a computer context, the French word for a 'server' is also serveur, meaning the word is used identically for both people and technology.
- In high-end French dining, a specialized waiter known as a sommelier focuses exclusively on wine, a role distinct from the general serveur.
Examples in context
- Voici le serveur !Here comes the waiter.This sentence is useful for pointing out the waiter.Tatoeba #1852608 by sacredceltic, translation #1850973 by Dottyeyes
- On demande un serveur.Waiter needed.This sentence is useful for expressing a need for a waiter.Tatoeba #474068 by sacredceltic, translation #464320 by lukaszpp
- Ziri est devenu serveur.Ziri became a waiter.This sentence is useful for describing someone's profession.Tatoeba #11764054 by Amastan, translation #10209434 by Amastan
- Garçon, l'addition s'il vous plaît.Waiter, the check, please.
- Excusez-moi, serveur, pourriez-vous nous recommander un bon vin?Excuse me, waiter, could you recommend a good wine to us?
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé are at a café.
- HugoOù est le serveur ?Where is the waiter?
- ChloéIl arrive tout de suite, Hugo.He is coming right away, Hugo.
- HugoLe serveur est très rapide ici.The waiter is very fast here.
- ChloéOui, il est très gentil.Yes, he is very kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “waiter” translations and entries serveur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
