80+ Important French Phrases and Fundamental French Phrases for Each State of affairs
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Planning a visit to France? How about Belgium, Madagascar, or Senegal? With over 70 French-speaking nations all over the world, understanding fundamental French phrases and phrases can assist you see the websites, navigate transportation, and—most significantly—spark significant conversations with the folks you meet! Plus, you’ll have the ability to join with French audio system in your group lengthy after your journey has ended.
French phrases and phrases for greeting others
First impressions matter! French audio system have clear boundaries between formal and casual speech based mostly on how acquainted they’re with the individual they’re chatting with. Bonjour is the commonest and fundamental strategy to say “Whats up” in French and can be utilized with any individual you meet. Salut means “Hello,” however watch out, folks solely use it with these they know properly. The identical rule applies to Coucou (“Hey”).
After midday, you’ll be able to say Bon après-midi (“Good afternoon”). Come 6 pm, you must greet folks with Bonsoir (“Good night”). Follow utilizing the suitable greetings in Rosetta Stone Tutoring periods with skilled French audio system.
| French | English | Use |
| Bonjour. | Whats up. | any time |
| Salut. | Hello. | casual |
| Coucou. | Hey. | casual |
| Allô ? | Whats up? | answering the cellphone |
| Bon après-midi. | Good afternoon. | after midday and earlier than 6 pm |
| Bonsoir. | Good night. | after 6 pm |
| Enchanté. (masculine) Enchantée. (female) | Good to fulfill you. | any time |
| Remark allez-vous ? | How are you? | formal |
| Remark ça va ? | How are you? | semi-formal |
| Remark vas-tu ? | How are you? | casual |
| Ça roule ? | How’s it going? | slang |
| Quoi de neuf ? | What’s new? | slang |
Tip: Take into account that French has two types of “you.” One is tu (casual), which might solely be used when addressing somebody very well, like a good friend, a member of the family, or a coworker. Vous (formal) is used when addressing a stranger or somebody you don’t know properly.
French phrases for saying goodbye
Au revoir means “Goodbye.” Should you say goodbye in French to somebody you’re shut with, you’ll be able to say À plus ! (“Later!”)
When leaving a retailer, it is rather frequent for folks to say, Merci et bonne journée (“Thanks, and have a pleasant day”). Come 6 pm, they are saying Merci et bonne soirée (“Thanks, and have a pleasant night”).
| French | English | Use |
| Au revoir. | Goodbye. | any time |
| À plus ! | Later! | casual |
| Merci et bonne journée. | Thanks, and have a pleasant day. | any time |
| Merci et bonne soirée. | Thanks, and have a pleasant night. | after 6 pm |
French phrases and phrases for getting round
Vacationers, this part is for you! Realizing fundamental French phrases and phrases for journey ensures that you just safely make it to your vacation spot. Plus, it boosts your possibilities of discovering off-the-beaten-path locales.
| French | English |
| en voiture | by automobile |
| en practice | by practice |
| en bus | by bus |
| en avion | by aircraft |
| en ferry | by ferry |
| à pied | by stroll |
| Excusez-moi. | Excuse me. |
| Savez où est le musée ? | Have you learnt the place the museum is? |
| Où est le musée ? | The place is the museum? |
| Y a-t-il une pharmacie près d’ici ? | Is there a pharmacy close to right here? |
| à côté de | subsequent to |
| en face de | throughout from |
| à droite | to the suitable |
| à gauche | to the left |
| derrière | behind |
| devant | in entrance of |
| Traversez la rue. | Cross the road. |
| Prenez à gauche. | Take a left. |
| Tournez à droite. | Flip proper. |
| Continuez tout droit. | Maintain going straight. |
| Suivez la Seine. | Observe the Seine (River). |
| Traversez la rue Victor Hugo, puis continuez tout droit. | Cross Victor Hugo Avenue, then hold going straight. |
French phrases to ask for instructions
In case you are misplaced, don’t hesitate to ask for instructions in French. To be well mannered, at all times begin your sentence with Excusez-moi (“Excuse me”)
Let’s say you wish to go to the museum. You’ll be able to say, Excusez-moi, savez où est le musée ? (“Excuse me, are you aware the place the museum is?”). Or, you’ll be able to ask in a extra direct manner: Excusez-moi, où est le musée ? (“Excuse me, the place is the museum?”)
If you wish to discover a place or go to a spot close to you, you’ll be able to ask, Y a-t-il une pharmacie près d’ici ? (“Is there a pharmacy close to right here?”) If you wish to be sure that the place you’re on the lookout for shouldn’t be too far, you’ll be able to ask, Est-ce que c’est près d’ici ? (“Is it close to right here?”)
French phrases to make use of when asking for clarification
It’s straightforward to mishear phrases or phrases in French. Whether or not you’re receiving instructions or chatting in regards to the Tour de France, these French phrases can assist you discover readability.
| French | English |
| Excusez-moi, je n’ai pas compris. | Excuse me, I didn’t perceive. |
| Pouvez-vous répéter s’il vous plaît ? | Are you able to repeat, please? |
| Qu’est-ce que vous avez dit ? | What did you say? |
| Pardon ? | Sorry? |
| Remark ? | Come once more? |
| Quoi ? | What? |
| Hein ? | What? Eh? |
You might hear folks say Quoi ? (“What?”) or Hein ? (“What” / ”Eh?”) and even Hein ? Quoi ? (“Eh? What?”) These phrases indicate a deep sense of familiarity and may solely be used amongst pals and other people you’re very near.
French phrases for attending to know others
Studying French isn’t nearly saying “hey” and catching the suitable practice. To essentially interact with the tradition and language, you’ll wish to know extra in regards to the folks you meet! Bear in mind the distinction between vous and tu? Right here, you’ll discover French phrases that show you how to be taught the fundamentals and cross the bridge from a proper (vous) to an off-the-cuff (tu).
| French | English | Use |
| Remark tu t’appelles ? | What’s your identify? | casual |
| Remark vous appelez-vous ? | What’s your identify? | formal |
| Où habitez-vous ? / Où tu habites ? | The place do you reside? | formal / casual |
| Quel est votre travail ? / Quel est ton travail ? | What’s your job? | formal / casual |
| Qu’est-ce que vous faites dans la vie ? | What do you do for a residing? (formal) | formal |
| Faites-vous du sport ? / Tu fais du sport ? | Do you train/observe a sport? | formal / casual |
| Avez-vous un passe-temps ? / Tu as un passe-temps ? | Do you’ve gotten a passion? | formal / casual |
Once you really feel such as you’ve gotten to know an acquaintance properly sufficient, you’ll be able to at all times pose the query On se tutoie ? (mainly, “Let’s say ‘tu’ to one another?”). If it’s an emphatic “no,” keep the course with vous. However in case you’re each in settlement, then proceed with the extra informal tu statements.
Straightforward dialog starters in French
One of the simplest ways to briser la glace (break the ice) in French is to ask somebody about their tastes:
- Vous aimez… ? / Tu aimes… ? = Do you want … ?
- Vous aimez / Tu aimes l’artwork ? = Do you want artwork?
You’ll be able to remark in regards to the climate:
- Qu’est-ce qu’il fait chaud / froid aujourd’hui ! = It’s so sizzling / chilly in the present day!
You’ll be able to ask somebody about their opinion:
- Que pensez-vous de… ? / Que penses-tu de… ? = What’s your opinion on … ?
Asking for suggestions in French could be one other strategy to break the ice. You could possibly ask an individual to suggest one thing to do within the metropolis you’re visiting or a restaurant you would dine at:
- Quel musée me recommandez-vous / recommandes-tu ? = What museum do you suggest?
- Quel restaurant me recommandez-vous / recommandes-tu ? = What restaurant do you suggest?
French phrases for meals and eating
The French take their meals severely, and you may, too, by studying French meals phrases. Take this checklist of French idioms, for instance—it has 37 food-based phrases, and that’s barely scratching the floor!
Should you’re visiting France or eating with a French native, you’ll discover it useful to brush up on how you can order meals in French. There may be one essential factor to remember in case you’re eating in a restaurant: You’ll solely handle your server or any workers member with vous.
French phrases to make use of at eating places
When arriving at a restaurant, you’ll be able to ask:
- Bonjour / Bonsoir, une desk pour deux personnes, s’il vous plaît. = Whats up / Good night, a desk for 2, please.
- Est-il attainable d’avoir une desk en terrasse ? = Wouldn’t it be attainable to be seated exterior?
- Je voudrais le menu/la carte, s’il vous plaît. = I would love the menu, please.
- Le menu / La carte, s’il vous plaît. = Menu, please.
- Que me recommandez-vous/conseillez-vous ? = What would you suggest?
Tip: When asking or answering in a minimal manner, so long as you say merci (“thanks”) and / or s’il vous / te plaît (“please”), folks won’t discover it disrespectful in any respect.
French phrases on menus
Meals generally begin with a drink and hors d’oeuvres (appetizers), that are referred to as apéritif. Your server might give you un apéritif utilizing the phrase, Vous souhaitez un apéritif ? (“Would you want a drink and appetizer?”)
Listed below are a number of frequent French phrases you’ll discover on a menu in France:
- l’entrée = an appetizer, a dish to begin your meal like une soupe (a soup) or une salade (a salad)
- le plat (principal) = the entrée, or most important dish
- le dessert = the dessert
Be taught extra French phrases and phrases with Rosetta Stone
These fundamental French phrases and phrases can assist you get by in any dialog. To deepen your understanding and increase your connections, Rosetta Stone can assist take your studying to the subsequent stage and get you conversation-ready very quickly.
With Rosetta Stone, you’ll by no means should memorize a vocabulary checklist. As a substitute, you’ll be taught French such as you would in case you lived overseas—with pictures that will help you contextualize phrases utilizing our Dynamic Immersion methodology.
