How to Order at Tim Hortons in French, Step by Step

Tim Hortons is a Canadian institution, and in Montréal the cashier will often greet you in French. Here's the full exchange broken into steps, so you know what's coming and what to say back.

Step 1: The greeting

Cashier: "Bonjour! Qu'est-ce que je vous sers?" — "Hello! What can I get you?" You: "Bonjour!" — that's enough to start.

Step 2: Your order

The pattern is: "Je voudrais [item] [size], s'il vous plaît."

Sizes: petit (small), moyen (medium), grand (large).

Step 3: For here or to go?

Cashier: "Pour manger ici ou pour emporter?" You: "Ici, merci" (here) or "Pour emporter" (to go).

Step 4: Payment

Cashier: "Ça fait [amount]." — "That'll be [amount]." You: "Je paie par carte" (I'll pay by card) or "En espèces" (in cash).

Step 5: Closing

Cashier: "Voilà! Bonne journée!" You: "Merci! Bonne journée!"

If it goes sideways

• "Pardon? Pouvez-vous répéter?" — Sorry, can you repeat that?
• "Est-ce qu'il y a du WiFi?" — Is there WiFi?
• "Pouvez-vous changer la taille?" — Can I change the size?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Overthinking the greeting — "Bonjour" alone is a complete, normal response.
• Freezing when the cashier speaks fast — "Pardon? Pouvez-vous répéter?" is expected and used constantly, even by native speakers.
• Switching to English the moment something's unclear — try repeating the question back first; most of the time you'll understand more than you think once you slow it down.

Try it today

Go through this exact order the next time you're in line, even if you only use one or two lines from it. If you'd rather rehearse the whole exchange first with instant feedback, try the Tim Hortons scenario before you go.