French Phrase
Notre repas arrive quand ?
Meaning
Literally, ‘Our meal arrives when?’ It is a short, informal way to ask the time at which the food you are waiting for will be served or delivered. The structure is common in everyday conversation, especially in restaurants or at home when a delivery is expected.
When to use
Use this sentence when you are waiting for a dish in a restaurant, a catered order, or a home‑cooked meal that someone else is preparing. It works best in casual settings; in a more formal context you might choose a longer form such as ‘À quelle heure notre repas arrivera‑t‑il ?’
✦Grammar Breakdown
Notrerepasarrivequand?
Notre (possessive adjective)
‘Notre’ means ‘our’ and agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies; it is used for both masculine and feminine singular nouns.
repas (masculine noun)
‘repas’ is a masculine singular noun meaning ‘meal’; its plural is ‘repas’ as well, but the article changes.
arrive (verb arriver)
‘arrive’ is the third‑person singular present of ‘arriver’ (to arrive). It is used here to talk about something that is expected soon.
quand (interrogative adverb)
‘quand’ means ‘when’ and can be placed at the end of a sentence in spoken French for a quick, informal question.
🗨In Conversation
Notre repas arrive quand ?
When is our meal arriving?
Il devrait être là dans cinq minutes.
It should be here in five minutes.
✕Common Mistakes
Notre repas est arrivé quand ?
Using the past tense ‘est arrivé’ asks when the meal *already* arrived, which is the opposite of what you want.
Notre repas arrive quel temps ?
‘Quel temps’ means ‘what weather’, not ‘when’. The correct interrogative for time is ‘quand’ or ‘à quelle heure’.
↔Alternatives
À quelle heure notre repas arrivera‑t‑il ?
At what time will our meal arrive?
Quand est‑ce que notre repas arrive ?
When does our meal arrive?
Quand va arriver notre repas ?
When is our meal going to arrive?
Cultural Tip
In French dining culture it is considered polite to preface the question with a brief apology or ‘Excusez‑moi’ before asking about the timing of your food. Also, while ‘arriver’ is perfectly natural for a delivery, in a restaurant you’ll often hear ‘être servi’ (to be served) – e.g., ‘Quand sera notre plat servi ?’