Top 25 Common French Phrases Every French Learner Should Know
By Ivy do Carmo
Are you planning a trip to France or to another French-speaking country? Then you are probably aware of the importance of learning some French phrases for travel to get by while you are there. Some people say that French people do not like to speak English and that, even if they do, they have a pretty strong accent. Independently of this being true or false, knowing these French phrases for travel won’t hurt. You may not even have travel plans, but you want to learn some common French phrases to communicate with French speakers that live next to you.
Regardless of your reason to learn a new language, it is in fact an excellent idea to start by learning some essential French words and sentences. In this article, we will focus on both basic French words to use in day-to-day situations and common French phrases to travel.
Let’s start by learning some common greetings, those first sentences you normally say when you meet someone.
Greetings In French
Whether you meet someone new or encounter a friend on the street, it is a basic politeness rule to greet the person, right? The same applies to when you are leaving a place – instead of taking a French leave, it’s better to say a proper goodbye to everyone. Here are some common French phrases and words for you to do greet and say goodbye:
Saying Hello
Salut! – Hello!
Bonjour – Good morning
Bonsoir – Good afternoon / Good evening
Bonne nuit / Bonne soirée – Good night
Bienvenue – Welcome
Saying Goodbye
Au revoir! – Goodbye!
À plus – See you
À bientôt – See you soon
À demain – See you tomorrow
Bonne journée – Have a good day
Bon weekend – Have a good weekend
Introducing Yourself In French
If you do not already know the person you have just greeted, the next natural thing to do is to introduce yourself and ask the person’s name. You can also ask how the person is doing and ask where are they from. Take a look on how you can do this in French:
What’s Your Name?
Comment vous appelez-vous? (formal) – What’s your name?
Comment t’appelles-tu? (informal) – What’s your name?
C’est quoi ton nom? (literal) – What’s your name?
My Name Is…
Je m’appelle _____ – My name is _____
Je suis _____ – I am _____
Nice To Meet You
Je suis ravi de faire ta connaissance – Nice to meet you.
Je suis enchanté(e) de faire votre connaissance – It’s a pleasure to meet you.
How Are You?
Comment allez-vous? (formal) – How are you?
Ça va? (informal) – How are you?
Ça va bien – It’s going well.
Where Are You From?
D’où venez-vous? / Quelle est votre origine? – Where are you from?
Quelle est votre nationalité? – What is your nationality?
I Am From…
Je viens d’Angleterre. – I am from England.
Je viens de Etats-Unis – I am from the United States.
Je suis américain. – I am American.
Essential French Words and Sentences
If your goal is to speak French, at least to get by while traveling, there are some words you must be familiar with. Whether it’s to be polite, to answer questions or to make yourself be understood, these are words and sentences you will definitely use a lot:
Words Of Courtesy
Excusez-moi – Excuse me
Désolé(e) / Pardon – I’m sorry
Merci – Thank you
Merci beaucoup – Thank you very much
Je vous en prie – You’re welcome
S’il vous plaît / s’il te plaît – Please
Answering To Questions
Oui – Yes
Non – No
Peut-être – Maybe
Très bien – Very well
Je sais – I know
Je ne sais pas – I don’t know
Il n’y a pas de mal – It’s OK
Ce n’est pas grave – It doesn’t matter
Je suis d’accord avec toi / vous – I agree with you
Je ne suis pas d’accord avec toi / vous – I don’t agree with you
Do You Speak English?
Tu parles anglais? / Vous parlez anglais? – Do you speak English?
Je ne parle français – I don’t speak French
Je ne parle pas très bien français – I don’t speak French very well
I Don’t Understand
Je ne comprends pas – I don’t understand.
Je n’ai pas entendu ce que vous avez dit – I didn’t understand what you said.
Pourriez-vous parler plus lentement, s’il vous plaît? – Can you speak more slowly, please?
Que veut dire _____? – What does _____ mean?
Comment dit-on _____ en français? – How do you say _____ in French?
Comment ça s’écrit? – How do you spell that?
Est-ce que vous pouvez l’écrire? – Can you write it down?
Asking For Information In French
Especially when travelling to a French-speaking country, you will need to ask information every now and then. Do not take any risks of getting lost or late by learning the next sentences:
Where is… ?
Où sont les toilettes? – Where are the toilets?
Où est la Tour Eiffel? – Where is the Eiffel Tower?
Où se trouve le supermarché? – Where is the supermarket?
Où est le Louvre? – Where is the Louvre?
Où est que je pourrais acheter les billets? – Where can I buy the tickets?
Où se trouve la gare la plus proche? – Where is the nearest train station?
Où se trouve l’arrêt de bus? – Where is the bus stop?
Je suis perdu. Vous pouvez m’aider ? – I am lost. Can you help me?
Dans quelle direction dois-je aller? – Which direction should I go?
Giving Directions
À droite – To the right
À gauche – To the left
Tout droit – Straight ahead
À côté de _____ – Next to _____
What Time Is It?
Quelle heure il est – What time is it?
Pourriez-vous me dire l’heure, s’il vous plaît? – Could you tell me the time, please?
Vous savez l’heure qu’il est? – Do you know the time?
Telling The Time
Midi – Noon
Minuit – Midnight
Du matin – In the morning
De l’après-midi – In the afternoon
Du soir – In the evening
Il est… – It’s…
- une heure – one o’clock
- deux heures – two o’clock
- une heure cinq – five past one
- une heure dix – ten past one
- une heure et quart – a quarter past one
- une heure vingt – twenty past one
- une heure vingt-cinq – twenty-five past one
- une heure et demie – half past one
- une heure moins le quart – a quarter to two
French Words For Travel
Now, we will learn some sentences every tourist will use in a French-speaking country. Let’s see some common French phrases to communicate at the airport, the hotel, a restaurant and while shopping:
At The Airport
Arrivées – Arrivals
Départs – Departures
Douane – Customs
Contrôle des passeports – Passports control
Salle d’embarquement – Boarding hall
Quel est le numéro de ce vol? – What is the number of the flight?
Oú je fais le check in? – When can check in?
Je ne trouve pas ma valise – I can’t find my bag
Où est la porte 5? – Where is gate 5?
Je suis en retard – I’m late
Le vol a été retardé – The flight is delayed
Le vol a été annulé – The flight is canceled
At A Restaurant
Table pour deux personnes – Table for two.
La carte/le menu, s’il vous plaît. – The menu, please.
Je ne peux pas manger _____ – I can’t eat _____
Je suis végétarien(ne) – I am a vegetarian
Nous voudrions commander maintenant. – We would like to place an order now.
Je voudrais _____, s’il vous plaît. – I would like _____, please.
L’addition, s’il vous plaît. – The bill, please.
Puis-je payer par carte? – Can I pay with a credit card?
C’était délicieux! – It was delicious!
Drinks
- une bière – a beer
- a verre de vin – a glass of wine
- un café – a coffee
- le thé – a tea
- le jus d’orange – an orange juice
- la limonade – a limonade
- la boisson gazeuse – a pop
- un verre d’eau – a glass of water
Foods
- Entrées – Starters
- Soupe de tomate – Tomato soup
- Frites – French Fries
- Viande – Meat
- Rosbif – Roasted beef
- Poisson – Fish
- Poulet – Chicken
- Porc – Pork
- Fromage – Cheese
- Pomme de terre – Potato
- Cacahuètes – Peanuts
- Noix – Nuts
- Gluten – Gluten
- Fruits de mer – Shellfish
- Oeufs – Eggs
- Produits laitiers – Dairy products
- Soja – Soy
- Pain – Bread
- Pâtes – Pasta
- Sel – Salt
- Sucre – Sugar
- Friandise – Candy
- Chocolat – Chocolat
- Gâteau – Cake
- Glace – Ice cream
- Tarte – Pie
At The Hotel
Est-ce que vous avez une chambre libre, s’il vous plaît? – Do you have a free room, please?
Je souhaiterais réserver une chambre pour 3 personnes – I would like to book a room for 3 people.
Je souhaiterais louer une chambre pendant 7 jours – I would like to book a room for 7 days
J’ai une réservation au nom de ______ – I have a reservation in the name of _____
Quel est le prix d’une nuit? – What is the price per night?
À quelle heure est le petit déjeuner? – What time is breakfast?
À quelle heure est-ce qu’il faut régler la note? – What time is check out?
Public Transportation
J’aimerais acheter un billet pour Madrid, s’il vous plaît – I would like to purchase a ticket to Madrid, please.
A quelle heure est le bus pour la plage? – What time does the bus leave to the beach?
Où se trouve le guichet? – Where is the ticket office?
Un billet simple – A simple ticket
Un billet aller-retour – A round-trip ticket
Pourriez-vous me donner les horaires? – Could you pass me the timetable?
Shopping
Combien ça coûte? – How much does it cost?
C’est combien? – How much is it?
Qu’est-ce que c’est? – What is this?
C’est beau! – It is pretty!
C’est cher! – It is expensive!
Je voudrais ceci – I would like this one.
Emergencies
Au secours! / À l’aide! – Help!
Attention! – Attention!
Aidez-moi! – Help me!
Appelez une ambulance! – Call an ambulance!
Appelez la police! – Call the police!
Appelez les pompiers! – Call the fire brigade!
J’ai besoin d’un médecin – I need a doctor
Il y a en un accident – There’s been an accident
A Few More Common Expressions In French
Defénse de fumer – No smoking
Defénse de garer – No parking
Accueil – Reception
Urgences – First-aid post
Sortie de secours – Emergency exit
Poussez – Push
Tirez – Pull
Hommes – Men
Dames – Women
Libre – Vacant
Occupé – Occupied
Entrée interdite – No entry
Now you are totally prepared to travel and to enjoy your vacation! However, wouldn’t it be nice to really know how to speak French? There’s a lot of great and painless methods to do so, such as listening to music and podcasts, reading children’s books and watching movies and TV series in French. We have prepared a free language learning guide to help you master French or any other language of your choice.