35 Useful French Phrases for Beginners to Know Basic Greetings and Introductions in French 1. Bienvenue (bee-ehn veh-noo) – Welcome 2. Au revoir (oh reh-vwah)- Goodbye 3. à bientot (ah bee-ehn-toe) – See you soon 4. De rien (deh-ree-en) – You’re welcome 5. Merci (mehr-see) – Thank you 6. Enchanté (ahn-shant-ay) – Nice to meet you 7. Sante (sahn-tay) – Cheers 8. Tant pis (tahn-pee) – Never mind 9. Comment) ça va? – How are you? 10. Comment vous appellez-vous? – What’s your name? Most Useful French Phrases for Getting Around 11. Excuse me – Pardon, excusez-moi 12. Parlez-vous anglais? – Do you speak English? 13. Je cherche le bus/train/métro. Où est l’arrêt le plus près? – I am looking for the bus/train/subway. Where is the nearest stop? 14. Où sont les toilettes? – Where is the restroom? 15. J’ai besoin d’aide – I need help 16. Où sommes-nous? – Where are we? 17. Est-ce que c’est loin/proche? – Is it far/close? 18. Allons-y! – Let’s go! French Phrases for Shopping 19. Combien ça coûte? (How much does it cost?) 20. Non, merci. Je regarde pour l’instant. (No thank you. I’m just looking for now.) 21. Est-ce que je peux payer avec une carte de crédit? (Can I pay with a credit card?) 22. C’est trop cher! (It’s too expensive!) 23. Je cherche un sac/une carte postale/un livre. (I am searching for a bag/a postcard/a book.) 24. À quelle heure est-ce que s’est fermé? (At what time is it closed?) Useful French Phrases For Dining 25. Je vais prendre… – I’m going to take… Drinks Le vin (wine) La bière (beer) L’apéritif / l’apéro (cocktail, pre-meal drink) Le jus (juice) Le café (coffee) Le thé (tea) Meal La salade – salad La soupe – soup L’œuf – egg Le bœuf – beef L’agneau – lamb Les escargots – snails Le poulet (chicken) Le porc (pork) Le poisson (fish) Le légume (vegetable) Les pâtes (pasta) Desert Le fruit – fruit Le gâteau – cake La tarte (pie) La glace (ice cream, ice) 26. L’addition, s’il vous plaît. – The bill, please. 27. On est trois. / Nous sommes trois/deux. – We are three/two 28. Qu’est-ce que vous voulez commander? – What would you like to order? 29. Un moment, s’il vous plaît. – One moment, please. 30. Quel est le spécial du jour? – What is the daily special? 31. Qu’est ce que vous recommandez? – What can you recommend? Bonus: Informal French Phrases to Sound Like a Native Speaker 32. Salut! – Bye-bye!/Hello! 33. Quoi de neuf? – What’s up ? 34. Coucou! – Hey there! 35. A plus tard – See you soon!
SOME COMMON FRENCH WORDS.... C'est - It is Qu'est-ce que c'est - what is it Est-ce - Is it Oui - yes Non - no C'est a stylo - It is a pen non ce n'est pas un stylo - no it is not a pen Qu'es ce que c'est - What is it that est-ce un banc - is it a bench
French word pronunciation list The following examples show you how to pronounce French letter combinations. The italic examples are the English equivalents. French Letter English Sound a ah ai eh au oh eau oh e ee eu uh ei eh i ee in eh ien yeh o oh ou oo on aw om aw oi wah u uu un eh
1. Allowance – from the Old French word alouance (payment) 2. Apostrophe – from the French word apostrophe 3. Attaché – from the French word attaché (attached) 4. Apéritif – from the French word apéritif 5. Avant-garde – from the French word avant-garde 6. Aviation – from the French word aviation 7. Bachelor – from the Anglo-Norman word bacheler (bachelier in modern French) 8. Baguette – from the French word baguette (stick) 9. Ballet – from the French word ballet 10. Beret – from the French word béret 11. Bon voyage – from the French phrase bon voyage (have a good journey) 12. Brunette – from the French word brunette 13. Bureau – from the French word bureau (desk, office) 14. Cabaret – from the French word cabaret 15. Cadet – from the French word cadet 16. Champagne – from the French word champagne 17. Chauffeur – from the French word chauffeur 18. Chic – from the French word chic (elegant) 19. Cliché – from the French word cliché 20. Connoisseur – from the French word connoisseur 21. Cul-de-sac – from the French word cul-de-sac (bottom of the bag/sack) 22. Debris – from the French word débris (broken, crumbled) 23. Déjà vu – from the French words déjà (already) and vu (seen – past participle of ‘voir’) 24. Delegate – from the Old French word delegat 25. Detour – from the French word détour (from détourner) 26. Dossier – from the French word dossier 27. Eau de toilette – from the French word eau de toilette 28. Elite – from the Old French word elit (chosen) 29. Energy – from the Middle French word énergie 30. En route – from the French en route 31. Envisage – from the French word envisager 32. Expatriate – from the French word expatrier 33. Facade – from the French word façade 34. Faux, as in faux fur – from the French word faux (false) 35. Faux-pas – from the French word faux pas 36. Fiancé – from the French word fiancé 37. Film noir – from the French word film noir (a film genre) 38. Gallery – from the Old French word galerie 39. Gastronomy – from the French word gastronomie 40. Gateau – from the French word gâteau 41. Gazette – from the French word gazette 42. Heritage – from the Old French word eritage (héritage in modern French) 43. Homage – from the Old French word homage 44. Hotel – from the French word hôtel 45. Identity – from the Middle French word identité 46. Illusion – from the Old French word illusion 47. Insult – from the Middle French words insult (noun) and insulter (verb) 48. Irony – from the Middle French word ironie 49. Jubilee – from the Middle French word jubile (modern French jubilé) 50. Kilogram – from the French word kilogramme 51. Lacrosse – from the Canadian French word la crosse (the stick) 52. Laissez-faire – from the French word laissez-faire (leave things to take their course) 53. Liaison – from the French word liaison 54. Literature – from the Old French word littérature 55. Machine – from the Middle French word machine 56. Magnificent – from the Middle French word magnificent 57. Maisonette – from the French word maisonette 58. Massage – from the French word massage 59. Menu – from the French word menu 60. Metabolism – from the French word métabolisme 61. Metro – from the French word métro 62. Musketeer – from the French word mousquetaire 63. Navy – from the Old French word navie 64. Neutral – from the Middle French word neutral 65. Nocturnal – from the Middle French word nocturnal 66. Novel – from the Old French word novel 67. Occasion – from the Middle French word occasion 68. Omelette – from the French word omelette 69. Optimism – from the French word optimisme 70. Papier-mâché – from the French word papier-mâché 71. Parasol – from the French word parasol 72. Poetic – from the Middle French word poétique 73. Premiere – from the French word première 74. Purify – from the Old French word purifier 75. Recipient – from the Middle French word récipient 76. Rendez-vous – from the French word rendez-vous (appointment) 77. Reservoir – from the French word ‘réservoir’ (collection place) 78. Restaurant – from the French word restaurant 79. Ricochet – from the French word ricochet 80. Rich – from the French word riche 81. Ridicule – from the French word ridicule 82. Risqué – from the French word risqué 83. Sabotage – from the French word sabotage 84. Salad – from the French word salade 85. Sentiment – from the Old French word sentement 86. Silhouette – from the French word silhouette 87. Solicitor – from the Middle French word soliciteur 88. Souvenir – from the French word souvenir (memory) 89. Soufflé – from the French word soufflé 90. Soup – from the French word soupe 91. Technique – from the French word technique 92. Television – from the French word télévision 93. Tournament – from the Old French word tornoiement (tournoiement in modern French) 94. Uniform – from the Middle French word uniforme 95. Utensil – from the Old French word utensile 96. Valid – from the Middle French word valide 97. Variety – from the Middle French word varieté 98. Vinaigrette – from the French word vinaigrette 99. Zest – from the French word zeste
