How do I respond to an invitation?
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What could I be invited to?
If you get an invitation to lunch, dinner, barbeque, party, wedding, birthday, or any type of event you will usually respond with a letter or phone call. The midday meal is called lunch, and the evening meal is called dinner or tea. Many of us also refer to the evening meal as tea and can use the term to mean a cup of tea or 'cuppa'. If invited for tea, the time of the event is a good sign of whether your host means dinner or just a cup of tea. An invitation to tea, for anytime after 6pm (1800 hours) usually means dinner.
How are invitations made?
Invitations can be written or spoken. Written ones usually ask for RSVP, (which is repondez s'il vous plait in French) and means please reply. You should reply whether you intend to go or not. The invitation will tell you how to reply and when the reply is expected. Your host may be specific about how many people are invited. If your host invites the whole family, you should tell your host how many people would go. Usually a family is the parents and their children.
What if I do accept an invitation?
When you accept an invitation to a meal, it is also usual to tell the host what you cannot eat. It is perfectly okay to say that you are a vegetarian and do not eat meat or that you are Muslim or Jewish and do not eat pork.
It is not polite to arrive late and you should make a telephone call to your host to explain if you are going to be late.
What if I cannot accept an invitation?
You may not always be able to accept an invitation. The best way to refuse is to say, 'thank you, unfortunately I/we have other plans at that time'. To say that you are too busy may seem extremely rude, even if it is true. Once you accept an invitation, you should only cancel if something arises where you cannot go. You should also explain the reason to your host. To cancel because you got a better invitation from somewhere else can seem very rude, and can affect new friendships.
Sometimes it is best not to accept an invitation right away and to ask your host whether they would mind if you check your plans and reply to them later.