Would you really call the waiter, garçon?
Because what you are really saying is "boy" and unless you are being served by an 10 year old male this sounds insulting.
Would you really call the waiter, garçon?

Technician
September 28, 2008

(deleted)
October 9, 2008
Well i dont know much about this but i saw a french movie and infact they do call the waiter "garçon" but remember you can't translate phrases from a language to another a language has it's unique way of grammar and phrasing.

(deleted)
October 15, 2008
Hi there,
calling a waiter "garçon" while snipping your finger is not considered very polite, however the waiter might not mind. I would recommend to ask the waiter himself if he wants to be called "garçon" or not. Younger waiters might be fine with it, however it pays to check. The most acceptable way of attracting a waiters attention would be to say "sil vous plaît".
I hope that helps.

Oneinam
July 8, 2009
Salut Everyone
In May I was at a cafe with a French girl and she told me to catch the attention of the waiter by saying 'garcon'. I couldn't say this word because I personally felt it was condescending. After a series of hand signals I simply started to attract his attention by saying 'monsieur' and he was delighted.

MichaelMarsais
January 10, 2010
In several years holidaying and now living in France I have never heard a waiter referred to as 'garcon', people usually say monsieur (mademoiselle or madame for a waitress depending on age).

humanist
April 19, 2010
If waiter's age is a less than 18, you may call him "garçon, if moer than 18 then call him "Monsieur". For girls less than 18, call "Mademoiselle," woman, moe than 18, calle "Madame".

Marie-Claire-Riviere
May 6, 2010
Salut à tous!
"Monsieur","Mademoiselle" or "Madame" are probably the most useful way to attract the attention of a waiter/waitress.
I hope this helps :)

shjomi
May 12, 2010
Not sure how correct this is, but I also listen to the podcast 'Coffee Break French' along with taking this course, and they have said that to call a waiter 'garçon' is actually quite insulting. They recommend 's'il vous plait'.