help with restaurant reservations in paris they say they only speak french, i speak english and spanish
 

I have spent the last 2 hours calling paris to make reservations at 6 restaurants for my trip in June. It was a piece of cake for 4 of the restaurants, but for l'ami jean and astier the one who answers the phone though very nice couldn't help me. Any suggestions???

What do you wish to say..as to be understood?

If you simply want to book a table for 2 people..

Je voudrais faire une reservation pour 2 personnes sous le nome ( your last name) a (time)..


If you give me more details.. I may be able to help you further..

Copy and paste Langcraft sentence(with the accent on réservation and no e at nom)into the link below and you'll know how to say it. :-)
http://tinyurl.com/k49s9

I can help also...

Bonjour/Bonsoir,

J'aimerais savoir si je pourrais faire une reservation pour deux/trois/quatre personnes pour le 24 juin, vers 20 heures?
.....they say yes or no
Merci, le nom est timetravller1028.

Question....is there a possibility of making the reservation when you get there? Via hotel front desk? I've heard the names before, but are these restaurants that are popular enough to require reservations 2 months ahead of time? MY take on what people have epxerieced here (including me) is that apart from the very high end (e.g. Tour D'Argent) or popular (e.g. at Eiffel Tower), reservations can be made while there.

What, you mean talking or yelling at the top of yur lungs while pounding the desk demanding a reservation no longer works? I thought that was the way to do it.

I don't really know how someone can help you, if they do not wish to speak to you in English. They aren't required to. I would suggest you find someone who can speak French well enough to do that, if you really must reserve there. Do you know anyone who speaks French well, or a student or something (a good student)?

I really don't think you can do this well by writing something in French you don't understand that is limited to the information you decide to put down. Obviously, you need more than the above phrases, like the date. What if they can't make that reservation, but could a half hour later, so want to ask you if that is okay? I wouldn't say would Michel_Paris suggested, for example, I think it has some extraneous stuff in it. Why the j'aimerais savoir.... rather than just saying you want to make a reservation.

While it’s not a total solution, you can reserve a table online — in English — if the restaurant has a website. I’ve made four reservations for my upcoming trip to Paris in this manner. It eliminates the cost of long-distance. I plan to make other reservations when in Paris by phone.

Coco:

SVP de pardonner mon erreur, mais mon ordenateur manque quelconque des diacritiques en Francaise..et mon francaise est effroyable....

Desolee...

I don't think L'Ami Jean is the type of place that you need to book so far out, although who knows with all the attention Jego is getting lately! Can you not get your hotel to book for you, or are you not staying in a hotel?

Copy the French phrases fax them to the restaurants. Astier has a fax number and I would not be surprised if l'Ami Jean had one too.

For Astier two days ahead is all that you need, so you could stop by once you are in Paris.

Are you staying at a hotel?

I always ask hotel concierge to make reservations. It seems they have better rapports with restaurants and have gotten me good tables.

You guys have been great with all your responses. I wish I could speak french, I love the language. But I feel very insecure that if they ask me a question I won't understand and I don't want them to think I am rude. Yes you are probably right about being too early, but I am over compulsive about travel issues, since I get to go about twice a year. I am also responsible for making sure things work out since I am traveling with my husband and two sons age 12 and 14 and boy can they whin.or is it whine.

Anyway the hotel we are staying probably can make reservations. I am sure if I email them it would be no problem and my other option is my friend who is french canadian and her husband is french. I just wanted to be self reliant, but thank you for all your advice.

Any arrangements I have needed to do over the telephone and in French, I asked my hotel front desk to do for me.

How far in advance does one need to make reservations for "average" bistros/restaurants in Paris?

You can email Astier and ask to make a reservation (I've done this). They will ask you to reconfirm by phone a few days ahead of time. Have your hotel do this, or make a little script for yourself if you need it.

Have fun!

Hi Deja_Sue,

>How far in advance does one need to make reservations for "average" bistros/restaurants in Paris?

The evening or the morning before.

((I))

I'd wait till you get there.

Even if you read the written info on this thread perfectly, you're not going to understand what's said back to you.

It might even be that your hotel can make the reservations for you.

<i> Even if you read the written info on this thread perfectly, you're not going to understand what's said back to you.</i>

But the poster could ask for help on this board.

If they don't understand French how on earth are they going to relay back what's been said?