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How will you pay at the restaurant?

currency

At the end of a meal at a restaurant, you have to pay the check. Do you remember what currency is used in France?

L'euro

To learn about the countries in Europe that use euros as their money, read and listen to the passage below. Read slowly and look for cognates and high-frequency vocabulary to help you understand the main points.

map of europe

La France est un membre de l’Union Européenne. Il y a vingt-sept pays (countries) dans l’Union Européenne. L’Union Européenne est une union politique et économique en Europe. Tous les pays dans l’Union Européenne utilisent l’euro. La France et l’Allemagne (Germany) sont les plus grandes économies dans l’Union Européenne.

What have you learned about France and the euro? Answer the questions below in English and then check your answers.

How many countries are in the European Union?

What type of union is the European Union?

What do all the countries in the European Union use for money?

What two countries have the biggest economies in the European Union?

Why does France use the euro as its money?

Your Responses Sample Answers
twenty-seven
an economic and political union
the euro
France and Germany
It is a member of the European Union.

Is a euro worth more or less than a dollar? To find out, you have to look up the current exchange rate between dollars and euros.

Any time you travel abroad, you may want to exchange some of your money for the local currency. The values of the local currency and the dollar change according to the economic strength of the two countries. The value usually is stable unless there are economic problems in one or both countries.

In general, 1 euro is close in value to 1 dollar. In the past, a euro was worth a little less than the dollar. Lately, a euro has been worth a little more than a dollar, about $1.19. So how do you exchange money and pay for items in France? Click each image below to learn more.

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currency exchange

So where do you exchange money? Many airports and big cities have currency- exchange agencies, known in French as les bureaux de change. You sell them your American dollars, and they give you euros for a small (or not-that-small) fee.

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credit card

In the past, les bureaux de change were the only way to exchange money. Today, you can use most major credit cards, les carte de crédit, in restaurants and shops. Your bank will automatically convert the euros into dollars at the current exchange rate. Just be sure to check if your card or bank charges an extra fee for this service.

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woman at an atm machine

In France, you can also use your credit card or debit card to withdraw money from an ATM, un guichet automatique, or un distributeur de billets.

Typically, people like to have some cash on hand. If they travel to the countryside or to smaller towns in France, the stores may not accept credit cards, or un guichet automatique may not be close by.

Question

Comment dit-on: Do you take credit cards? en français?

Prenez-vous les cartes de crédit?