French for Hosting: Invite Someone to Dinner at Home
Learn to ask 'Would you like to come for dinner?' in French, suggest a time, and respond to a home dinner invitation politely.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
Inviting someone to your home for dinner is different from asking them to a restaurant. In French, the key structure is 'Tu veux venir dîner à la maison ?' or the more polite 'Vous voulez venir dîner à la maison ?'. This lesson teaches you to extend a home dinner invitation, suggest a day and time, and accept or decline naturally. You will also learn why 'à la maison' matters and how to avoid sounding like you are booking a table.
By the end, you can…
- invite someone to my home for dinner in French.
- suggest a day and time for a home dinner.
- accept or politely decline a home dinner invitation.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Tu veux venir dîner à la maison ?
Would you like to come for dinner at my place?
tew vuh vuh-NYAY dee-NAY ah lah may-ZOHN
Informal, used with friends, family, or people you call 'tu'.
Vous voulez venir dîner chez nous ?
Would you like to come for dinner at our place?
voo voo-LAY vuh-NYAY dee-NAY shay noo
Polite or plural, used with people you address as 'vous'.
Ça te dit de venir dîner vendredi ?
How about coming for dinner on Friday?
sah tuh dee duh vuh-NYAY dee-NAY vahn-druh-DEE
Very common informal way to suggest a plan.
On mange à quelle heure ?
What time are we eating?
ohn mahnzh ah kel UHR
Useful when you need to confirm the time.
Avec plaisir, merci !
With pleasure, thank you!
ah-VEK play-ZEER, mair-SEE
Warm, natural acceptance of a dinner invitation.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To invite someone to your home, use 'venir' + infinitive + 'à la maison' or 'chez nous'. Examples: 'Tu veux venir dîner à la maison ?' (Would you like to come for dinner at my place?) and 'Vous voulez venir dîner chez nous ?' (Would you like to come for dinner at our place?). 'Chez nous' means 'at our home' and is common when speaking for a household. To suggest a time, add a day or time: 'vendredi à vingt heures' (Friday at 8 p.m.).
When to use it
Use 'Tu veux venir...' with friends, close family, or classmates. Use 'Vous voulez venir...' with a boss, a neighbor you do not know well, or more than one person. 'Ça te dit de...' is informal and works well for a casual suggestion: 'Ça te dit de venir dîner samedi ?' Avoid 'réserver une table' (to book a table), because that sounds like a restaurant, not a home dinner.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Salut Marie ! Tu veux venir dîner à la maison vendredi ?
Hi Marie! Would you like to come for dinner at my place on Friday?sah-LOO mah-REE! tew vuh vuh-NYAY dee-NAY ah lah may-ZOHN vahn-druh-DEEAvec plaisir ! On mange à quelle heure ?
With pleasure! What time are we eating?ah-VEK play-ZEER! ohn mahnzh ah kel UHRVers vingt heures. Tu peux venir à dix-neuf heures quarante-cinq ?
Around 8 p.m. Can you come at 7:45 p.m.?vair van UHR. tew puh vuh-NYAY ah dee-zuhf UHR kah-RAHNT-SANKOui, très bien. J'apporte un dessert ?
Yes, great. Shall I bring a dessert?wee, tray byan. zhah-PORT uhn day-SAIRA little context goes a long way
In France, a home dinner invitation often includes an aperitif before the meal, and guests commonly bring a bottle of wine, flowers, or a dessert rather than arriving empty-handed. The host usually says 'à la maison' or 'chez nous' to make clear the meal is at home, not in a restaurant.
One thing to watch for
Tu veux venir dîner au restaurant à la maison ?
Try this instead: Do not mix restaurant and home hosting. Say 'Tu veux venir dîner à la maison ?' for a home dinner, or 'Tu veux aller au restaurant ?' for a restaurant. The phrase 'au restaurant à la maison' is contradictory.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you informally ask a friend, 'Would you like to come for dinner at my place?'
Show a sample answer
Tu veux venir dîner à la maison ?
This uses 'tu veux' for an informal invitation and 'à la maison' for 'at my place'. 'Tu veux venir dîner chez moi ?' is also correct.
2Suggest Friday at 8 p.m. in French.
Show a sample answer
Vendredi à vingt heures.
'Vendredi' means Friday and 'à vingt heures' means at 8 p.m. in the 24-hour clock. In casual speech, 'vendredi à huit heures du soir' is also possible.
3What is a polite way to accept a home dinner invitation?
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Avec plaisir, merci !
'Avec plaisir' means 'with pleasure' and is warm and natural. 'Oui, merci, je viendrai' is also acceptable.
Use 'Tu veux venir dîner à la maison ?' or 'Vous voulez venir dîner chez nous ?' to invite someone home, then add a day and time. Keep restaurant phrases separate.
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