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Je voudrais une carafe d'eau, s'il vous plaît.

Je voudrais une carafe d'eau, s'il vous plaît.
I would like a carafe of water, please.
From Lesson 51:Polite requests (je voudrais)·French

Questions & Answers about Je voudrais une carafe d'eau, s'il vous plaît.

Why do we say Je voudrais instead of Je veux?
Je voudrais means I would like, which is the standard polite way to ask for something in French. Using Je veux (I want) can sound quite rude or demanding when ordering in a restaurant.
Why is it d'eau instead of de l'eau?
When you talk about a specific quantity or container, like une carafe (a pitcher), you just use the word de (of). You drop the article (la or l'). Because eau starts with a vowel, de drops its vowel and becomes d'.
Why does this sentence use s'il vous plaît instead of s'il te plaît?
S'il vous plaît uses the formal word for you (vous). Since you are usually making this kind of polite request to a waiter, shopkeeper, or stranger, you use the formal version rather than the casual s'il te plaît.
What kind of water do you get if you order une carafe d'eau?
In French restaurants, asking for une carafe d'eau specifically means you are asking for tap water, which is always free. If you want paid bottled water, you would ask for une bouteille d'eau.

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