Learn French: Bonjour Monsieur, je voudrais la carte, s'il vous plaît. - Hello sir, I would like the menu, please.

Je veux means "I want" and can sound a bit demanding or rude when ordering. Je voudrais means "I would like" and is the standard, polite way to ask for something in French. Even though it comes from a more advanced verb form, you can just memorize it as a very useful set phrase for being polite!

Wait, doesn't the French word menu mean menu? Why use la carte?

This is a very common mix-up for English speakers! In French, la carte is the physical menu with all the individual options you can choose from. The word menu usually refers to a set meal with a fixed price (like a lunch special with an appetizer, main, and dessert). So to look at all your options, you ask for la carte.

Why is it s'il vous plaît and not s'il te plaît?

We use vous here because we are talking to a waiter or a stranger, which requires the formal "you". If you were asking a close friend or a family member for something, you would use the informal s'il te plaît.

Is it normal to just say Bonjour Monsieur without adding a last name?

Yes, very normal! In English, saying "Hello Mr." without a name sounds incomplete, but in French, it is extremely common and polite to address strangers, shopkeepers, or waiters as simply Monsieur or Madame.