40 Essential French Phrases to Master Before You Head Off to France
Traveling to France? Here is a list of all the essential French travel phrases you need to get by on your holiday in France.
Travelling to France soon? Whether you’ll be staying in France for just a few days or for several weeks, you’ll need to brush up on some essential French travel phrases or general French phrases. Trust me: it makes a huge difference to how much you’re going to enjoy your trip.
Before anything else
Before anything else, let’s just do a quick rundown of the things you need to take care of before your trip.
- Pack the right clothes. Make sure you pack the essentials! This guide will help you figure out what to bring.
- Find out the things to do and not do as a tourist in France. You can get that here.
- Research some unusual customs or French habits you should know before your visit.
- Plan your activities. Whether you’re going there in summer or autumn, on a romantic getaway or with kids, in a small town or in the heart of Paris, there are plenty of articles you can find here on this website to help you out.
Finally, let’s proceed to the list of travel phrases in French which is what you came here for.
Essential French Travel Phrases
| 1 | Yes | Oui |
| 2 | No | Non |
| 3 | Hello | Bonjour |
| 4 | Goodbye | Au revoir |
| 5 | See you soon | À bientôt |
| 6 | Good evening | Bonsoir |
| 7 | Excuse me | Pardon |
| 8 | Thank you | Merci |
| 9 | Thank you very much | Merci beaucoup |
| 10 | Please | S’il vous plaît |
| 11 | Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| 12 | Sir | Monsieur |
| 13 | Madam | Madame |
| 14 | You’re welcome | De rien / Je vous en prie. |
| 15 | OK | D’accord |
| 16 | My name is… | Je m’appelle… |
| 17 | I am… | Je suis… |
| …American | …américain / américaine | |
| …British | …britannique | |
| …Brazilian | …brésilien / brésilienne | |
| …Japanese | …japonais / japonaise | |
| …Korean | …coréen / coréenne | |
| …Chinese | …chinois / chinoise | |
| …Russian | …russe | |
| …Canadian | …canadien / canadienne | |
| 18 | I’m from… | Je viens… |
| …Australia | …d’Australie | |
| …Canada | …du Canada | |
| …England | …d’Angleterre | |
| …USA | …des États-Unis | |
| 19 | I am here on holiday. | Je suis ici en vacances. |
| 20 | I am here on a business trip. | Je suis ici en voyage d’affaires. |
| Speaking Difficulties | ||
| 21 | Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais? |
| 22 | I only speak English. | Je ne parle que l’anglais. |
| 23 | I speak a little French. | Je parle un peu français. |
| 24 | I understand. | Je comprends. |
| 25 | I don’t understand. | Je ne comprends pas. |
| 26 | What? | Comment? |
| 27 | Repeat it, please. | Veuillez répéter, s’il vous plaît. |
| 28 | Speak a little slower, please. | Parlez plus lentement, s’il vous plaît. |
| 29 | More slowly | Plus lentement |
| 30 | One more time | Encore une fois |
| 31 | Write it down, please. | Écrivez-le, s’il vous plaît. |
| 32 | How do you say ___ in French? | Comment dit-on ___ en français? |
| 33 | What does ___ mean? | Que veut dire ___ ? |
| 34 | I don’t know. | Je ne sais pas. |
| Asking For Help | ||
| 35 | Can you help me? | Pouvez-vous m’aider? |
| 36 | I have a problem. | J’ai un problème. |
| 37 | I have a question. | J’ai une question. |
| 38 | Could you… | Pourriez-vous… ? |
| Finding Your Way | ||
| 39 | Where is…? | Où est … ? |
| …the hotel? | …l’hôtel ? | |
| …the bank? | …la banque ? | |
| …the airport? | …l’aéroport ? | |
| …the beach? | …la plage ? | |
| 40 | I’m looking for… | Je cherche… |
| …a bus | …un bus | |
| …a taxi | …un taxi | |
| …the train station | …la gare | |
| …the toilets | …les toilettes | |
| …the hospital | …l’hôpital |
Eating out is a huge part of your trip to France, so you’ll definitely need more phrases for that. For starters, the most important phrase you need to remember when ordering is “Je voudrais” “I’d like…” You can also check out this article for more phrases in French for ordering.
Conclusion
The French phrases listed in this article are just some of the very basic ones that you need to know.
Travel Phrase Recap
- BonjourHello
- Au revoirGoodbye
- Je m’appelle…My name is…
- Je viens de…I’m from…
- Je suis ici en vacances.I am here on holiday.
- Je suis ici en voyage d’affaires.I am here on a business trip.
- Parlez-vous anglais ?Do you speak English?
- Je ne comprends pas.I don’t understand.
- Pouvez-vous m’aider ?Can you help me?
- Où est… ?Where is…?
