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Explore France: French Language Tips for Travelers

By Justine Even-Jones

Planning a trip to France? What better time to learn a few words that could be useful during your travels. Mastering a few French phrases will allow you to connect with the locals and dive into the French art de vivre. While you might find that some people speak English, they will certainly appreciate your attempt to learn a few words of French.

A few basics

Let’s start with some greetings and polite words.

  • Hello / Good morning / Good day - Bonjour (bon-joor)
  • Yes - Oui (wee)
  • No - Non (noh)
  • Please - S'il vous plaît (seel-voo-play)
  • Thank you (very much) - Merci (beaucoup) (mer-see bow-coo)
  • You’re welcome - De rien (der-ree-ahn)
  • Good evening - Bonsoir (bon-swah)
  • Good night - Bonne nuit (bon-nwee)
  • Goodbye - Au revoir (or-ri-vwah)
  • Excuse me - Excusez moi (ex-cue-zay-mwah)
  • Pardon? - Pardon? (par-dohn)
  • Have a good day - Bonne journée (bon-joor-nay)
  • Have a good evening - Bonne soirée (bon-swah-ray)

Some essentials

Now let’s have a look at some key sentences you might need during your trip.

  • Where is the bathroom? - Où sont les toilettes? (oo son lay twah-let)
  • Do you speak English? - Parlez vous anglais? (par-lay voo onglay)
  • I’m sorry, I don’t understand - Je suis désolé(e), je ne comprends pas (jeuh swee dezolay, jeuh neuh comm-prond pah)
  • I don’t speak French - Je ne parle pas français (jeuh neuh parl pah fron-say)
    Where is … ? - Où est … ? / Où sont … ? (oo ay / oo son)

This is a useful sentence to ask for a location / some directions. You can use Où est for singular objects / places, for example Où est la banque? (where is the bank? Oo ay lah bonk) or Où est la gare? (where is the station? Oo ay lah garr).

When the object is plural, we use Où sont. For example, Où sont les toilettes?

  • I would like … - Je voudrais … (jeuh voo-dray)

Je voudrais un verre de vin, s’il vous plaît (I would like a glass of wine please - jeuh voo-dray uhn vair duh van, sill-voo-play)

  • With / Without - Avec / Sans

Two useful words when ordering food at a restaurant.
Sans fromage (without cheese - sonn fro-marge)
Avec frites (with french fries - ah-vekk freet)

  • How much is it? - Combien ça coûte? (comm-bee-ann sah coot)

At the hotel

Here is a list of words to get you started at the hotel.

  • The hotel - l’hôtel (lottel)
  • The reservation - la réservation (lah rez-er-vah-sion)
  • The key - la clé (lah clay)
  • Luggage - les bagages (lay bagg-ahge)
  • The room - la chambre (lah shomb)
  • Breakfast - le petit-déjeuner (leuh peh-tee deh-jeu-nay)
  • At what time is checkout? - A quelle heure est le check-out? (ah kell err ay leuh check out)

 

France cafe

At the restaurant

Now let’s prepare for a delicious French meal!

  • A table for two, please - Une table pour deux, s’il vous plaît (oon tabb-leh porr duhr, sill-voo-play)

If you have any dietary restrictions or allergies you may find these sentences useful:

  • I am allergic to nuts - Je suis allergique aux noix (jeuh swee all-er-jick o nwah)
  • I am vegetarian - Je suis végétarien(ne) (jeuh swee vegetary-uhn / jeuh swee vegetary-enn)
  • I am vegan - Je suis vegan (jeuh swee vegann)
  • I am gluten intolerant - Je suis intolérant(e) au gluten (jeuh swee uhn-tolly-honn o gluten / jeu swee uhn-tolly-honnt o gluten)
  • I am lactose intolerant - Je suis intolérant(e) au lactose (jeuh swee uhn-tolly-honn o lack-toze / jeuh swee uhn-tolly-honnt o lack-toze)

Here are a few word you might find on the menu:

  • Starters - Entrées (onn-tray)
  • The main dish - le plat principal (leuh plah pran-see-pall)
  • Meat - la viande (lah vee-ond)
  • Fish - le poisson (leuh pwah-sonn)
  • Dessert - dessert (dess-err)

Some key phrases to order your meal:

  • A glass of white / red wine - un verre de vin blanc / rouge (uhn vair duh van blonn / rooje)
  • Mineral water - eau minérale (oh minn-err-all)
    Sparkling water - eau gazeuse / eau pétillante (oh gazz-ooz / oh pett-ee-ont)

One thing the French are very peculiar about is la cuisson (lah cwee-sonn) of the meat, here are some words to help you:

  • Very rare - bleu (blurr)
  • Rare - saignant (for beef) / rosé (for duck or lamb) (senn-yonn / ro-zay)
  • Medium rare - à point (ah pwah)
  • Medium - medium
  • Well done - bien cuit (bee-ann kwee)

Important warning - requests for un steak bien cuit may come with a look of disapproval.

  • Now that the drinks have arrived, we toast and say Santé! (Cheers - sonn-tay)
  • Once the food is on the table, it’s time to say Bon appetit! (bonn app-eh-tee)

At the end of the meal, you can ask for the bill - l’addition, s’il vous plaît (lah-dee-see-onn, sill-voo-play). Check the bill for the mention Service compris (service / tip included). If you are paying cash and decide to round up the amount, you can tell the waiter to gardez la monnaie (keep the change - garr-day lah monn-ay).

Why not test your newly learnt French vocabulary on one of our Experi food and wine journey to France?

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