qu’est-ce que vous désirez
The English phrase "what would you like" is translated into French as qu’est-ce que vous désirez. Wiktionary also lists que voulez-vous.
Meaning: used to ask the interlocutor what they would like to order, to buy or have a look at (phrase)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| qu’est-ce que vous désirez | |
| que voulez-vous | /kə vu.le.vu/ |
This phrase is used to ask the interlocutor what they would like to order, to buy or have a look at. It is the preferred professional way to ask a customer's order in a restaurant or shop.
Which one should you use?
qu’est-ce que vous désirez is more formal and is the standard phrase used by service staff (waiters, shopkeepers) to ask a customer what they want.
How does it change in a sentence?
When asking 'what would you like [someone else] to do', French requires the use of the subjunctive mood in the subordinate clause.
Did you know?
- In a French shop, using désirer marks a specific social distance. It is so formal that using it in a casual setting with friends would sound like a joke or a theatrical performance.
- The word vous is a distant relative of the Russian word вы (vy) and the Italian word voi. All three evolved from the same ancient Proto-Indo-European root for the plural 'you'.
- The phrase qu’est-ce que is used to avoid the inversion of the subject and verb, which can sound overly stiff or archaic in spoken French, even in professional settings.
Examples in context
- Que voulez-vous manger ?What would you like to eat?This example shows how to ask what someone would like to eat using que voulez-vous.Tatoeba #439274 by chtof, translation #400191 by sysko
- Que voulez-vous que je fasse ?What would you like me to do?This example demonstrates asking what someone would like someone else to do using que voulez-vous.Tatoeba #477482 by sacredceltic, translation #751928 by Eldad
- Que voulez-vous que le Père Noël vous apporte ?What would you like Santa to bring you?This example uses que voulez-vous to ask what someone would like a specific person to bring them.Tatoeba #9520990 by Micsmithel, translation #6856835 by Hybrid
Example conversation
A waiter is taking an order from a customer in a cafe.
- LéaBonjour, qu’est-ce que vous désirez ?Hello, what would you like?
- GabrielUn café et un croissant, s'il vous plaît.A coffee and a croissant, please.
- LéaTrès bien, je vous apporte ça tout de suite.Very well, I will bring that to you right away.
- GabrielMerci beaucoup.Thank you very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what would you like” translations and entries que voulez-vous, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries que, vous, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
