Planning a trip to France? How about Belgium, Madagascar, or Senegal? With over 70 French-speaking countries around the world, knowing basic French words and phrases can help you see the sites, navigate transportation, and—most importantly—spark meaningful conversations with the people you meet! Plus, you’ll be able to connect with French speakers in your community long after your trip has ended.
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French words and phrases for greeting others
First impressions matter! French speakers have clear boundaries between formal and informal speech based on how familiar they are with the person they’re speaking to. Bonjour is the most common and basic way to say “Hello” in French and can be used with any person you meet. Salut means “Hi,” but be careful, people only use it with those they know well. The same rule applies to Coucou (“Hey”).
After noon, you can say Bon après-midi (“Good afternoon”). Come 6 pm, you should greet people with Bonsoir (“Good evening”). Practice using the appropriate greetings in Rosetta Stone Tutoring sessions with expert French speakers.
| French | English | Use |
| Bonjour. | Hello. | any time |
| Salut. | Hi. | informal |
| Coucou. | Hey. | informal |
| Allô ? | Hello? | answering the phone |
| Bon après-midi. | Good afternoon. | after noon and before 6 pm |
| Bonsoir. | Good evening. | after 6 pm |
| Enchanté. (masculine) Enchantée. (feminine) |
Nice to meet you. | any time |
| Comment allez-vous ? | How are you? | formal |
| Comment ça va ? | How are you? | semi-formal |
| Comment vas-tu ? | How are you? | informal |
| Ça roule ? | How’s it going? | slang |
| Quoi de neuf ? | What’s new? | slang |
Tip: Keep in mind that French has two forms of “you.” One is tu (informal), which can only be used when addressing someone you know really well, like a friend, a family member, or a coworker. Vous (formal) is used when addressing a stranger or someone you don’t know well.
French phrases for saying goodbye
Au revoir means “Goodbye.” If you say goodbye in French to someone you are close with, you can say À plus ! (“Later!”)
When leaving a store, it is very common for people to say, Merci et bonne journée (“Thank you, and have a nice day”). Come 6 pm, they say Merci et bonne soirée (“Thank you, and have a nice evening”).
| French | English | Use |
| Au revoir. | Goodbye. | any time |
| À plus ! | Later! | informal |
| Merci et bonne journée. | Thank you, and have a nice day. | any time |
| Merci et bonne soirée. | Thank you, and have a nice evening. | after 6 pm |
French words and phrases for getting around
Travelers, this section is for you! Knowing basic French words and phrases for travel ensures that you safely make it to your destination. Plus, it boosts your chances of discovering off-the-beaten-path locales.
| French | English |
| en voiture | by car |
| en train | by train |
| en bus | by bus |
| en avion | by plane |
| en ferry | by ferry |
| à pied | by walk |
| Excusez-moi. | Excuse me. |
| Savez où est le musée ? | Do you know where the museum is? |
| Où est le musée ? | Where is the museum? |
| Y a-t-il une pharmacie près d’ici ? | Is there a pharmacy near here? |
| à côté de | next to |
| en face de | across from |
| à droite | to the right |
| à gauche | to the left |
| derrière | behind |
| devant | in front of |
| Traversez la rue. | Cross the street. |
| Prenez à gauche. | Take a left. |
| Tournez à droite. | Turn right. |
| Continuez tout droit. | Keep going straight. |
| Suivez la Seine. | Follow the Seine (River). |
| Traversez la rue Victor Hugo, puis continuez tout droit. | Cross Victor Hugo Street, then keep going straight. |
French phrases to ask for directions
If you are lost, don’t hesitate to ask for directions in French. To be polite, always start your sentence with Excusez-moi (“Excuse me”)
Let’s say you want to go to the museum. You can say, Excusez-moi, savez où est le musée ? (“Excuse me, do you know where the museum is?”). Or, you can ask in a more direct way: Excusez-moi, où est le musée ? (“Excuse me, where is the museum?”)
If you want to find a place or visit a place near you, you can ask, Y a-t-il une pharmacie près d’ici ? (“Is there a pharmacy near here?”) If you want to make sure that the place you are looking for is not too far, you can ask, Est-ce que c’est près d’ici ? (“Is it near here?”)
French phrases to use when asking for clarification
It’s easy to mishear words or phrases in French. Whether you’re receiving directions or chatting about the Tour de France, these French phrases can help you find clarity.
| French | English |
| Excusez-moi, je n’ai pas compris. | Excuse me, I did not understand. |
| Pouvez-vous répéter s’il vous plaît ? | Can you repeat, please? |
| Qu’est-ce que vous avez dit ? | What did you say? |
| Pardon ? | Sorry? |
| Comment ? | Come again? |
| Quoi ? | What? |
| Hein ? | What? Eh? |
You may hear people say Quoi ? (“What?”) or Hein ? (“What” / ”Eh?”) or even Hein ? Quoi ? (“Eh? What?”) These phrases imply a deep sense of familiarity and should only be used among friends and people you are very close to.
French phrases for getting to know others
Learning French isn’t just about saying “hello” and catching the right train. To really engage with the culture and language, you’ll want to know more about the people you meet! Remember the difference between vous and tu? Here, you’ll find French words that help you learn the basics and cross the bridge from a formal (vous) to a casual (tu).
| French | English | Use |
| Comment tu t’appelles ? | What is your name? | informal |
| Comment vous appelez-vous ? | What is your name? | formal |
| Où habitez-vous ? / Où tu habites ? | Where do you live? | formal / informal |
| Quel est votre travail ? / Quel est ton travail ? | What is your job? | formal / informal |
| Qu’est-ce que vous faites dans la vie ? | What do you do for a living? (formal) | formal |
| Faites-vous du sport ? / Tu fais du sport ? | Do you exercise/practice a sport? | formal / informal |
| Avez-vous un passe-temps ? / Tu as un passe-temps ? | Do you have a hobby? | formal / informal |
When you feel like you’ve gotten to know an acquaintance well enough, you can always pose the question On se tutoie ? (basically, “Shall we say ‘tu’ to each other?”). If it’s an emphatic “no,” stay the course with vous. But if you’re both in agreement, then proceed with the more casual tu statements.
Easy conversation starters in French
The best way to briser la glace (break the ice) in French is to ask someone about their tastes:
- Vous aimez… ? / Tu aimes… ? = Do you like … ?
- Vous aimez / Tu aimes l’art ? = Do you like art?
You can comment about the weather:
- Qu’est-ce qu’il fait chaud / froid aujourd’hui ! = It’s so hot / cold today!
You can ask someone about their opinion:
- Que pensez-vous de… ? / Que penses-tu de… ? = What’s your opinion on … ?
Asking for recommendations in French can be another way to break the ice. You could ask a person to recommend something to do in the city you are visiting or a restaurant you could dine at:
- Quel musée me recommandez-vous / recommandes-tu ? = What museum do you recommend?
- Quel restaurant me recommandez-vous / recommandes-tu ? = What restaurant do you recommend?
French words for food and dining
The French take their food seriously, and you can, too, by learning French food words. Take this list of French idioms, for example—it has 37 food-based phrases, and that’s barely scratching the surface!
If you’re visiting France or dining with a French native, you’ll find it beneficial to brush up on how to order food in French. There is one important thing to keep in mind if you’re dining in a restaurant: You will only address your server or any staff member with vous.
French phrases to use at restaurants
When arriving at a restaurant, you can ask:
- Bonjour / Bonsoir, une table pour deux personnes, s’il vous plaît. = Hello / Good evening, a table for two, please.
- Est-il possible d’avoir une table en terrasse ? = Would it be possible to be seated outside?
- Je voudrais le menu/la carte, s’il vous plaît. = I would like the menu, please.
- Le menu / La carte, s’il vous plaît. = Menu, please.
- Que me recommandez-vous/conseillez-vous ? = What would you recommend?
Tip: When asking or answering in a minimal way, as long as you say merci (“thank you”) and / or s’il vous / te plaît (“please”), people will not find it disrespectful at all.
French words on menus
Meals sometimes start with a drink and hors d’oeuvres (appetizers), which are called apéritif. Your server may offer you un apéritif using the phrase, Vous souhaitez un apéritif ? (“Would you like a drink and appetizer?”)
Here are several common French phrases you’ll find on a menu in France:
- l’entrée = an appetizer, a dish to start your meal like une soupe (a soup) or une salade (a salad)
- le plat (principal) = the entrée, or main dish
- le dessert = the dessert
Learn more French words and phrases with Rosetta Stone
These basic French words and phrases can help you get by in any conversation. To deepen your understanding and expand your connections, Rosetta Stone can help take your learning to the next level and get you conversation-ready in no time.
With Rosetta Stone, you’ll never have to memorize a vocabulary list. Instead, you’ll learn French like you would if you lived abroad—with images to help you contextualize words using our Dynamic Immersion method.
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