40 Essential French Phrases to Master Before You Head Off to France

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Last Updated: June 6, 2023

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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 on how much you’re going to enjoy your trip

French Travel Phrases

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.

Finally, let’s proceed to the list of travel phrases in French which is what you came here for.

Essential French Travel Phrases

1YesOui
2NoNon
3HelloBonjour
4GoodbyeAu revoir
5See you soonÀ bientôt
6Good eveningBonsoir
7Excuse mePardon
8Thank youMerci
9Thank you very muchMerci beaucoup
10PleaseS’il vous plaît
11Excuse meExcusez-moi
12SirMonsieur
13MadamMadame
14You're welcomeDe rien / Je vous en prie.
15OKd'accord
16My name is...Je m’appelle...
17I am...Je suis...
....American... Américain
...British...Anglais
...Brazilian...Brésilien
....Japanese...Japonais
....Korean....Coréen
....Chinese...Chinois
....Russian....Russe
...Canadian...Canadien
18I'm from...Je viens …
...Australia....d’Australie
...Canada...du Canada
...England...d’angleterre
...USA...des USA
19I am here on holiday.Je suis ici en vacances.
20I am here on a business trip.Je suis ici en voyage d’affaires.
Speaking Difficulties
21Do you speak English?Parlez-vous anglais?
22I only speak English.Je ne parle que l’anglais.
23I speak a little French.Je parle un peu de français
24I understand.Je comprends.
25I don't understand.Je ne comprends pas.
26What?Comment?
27Repeat it, please.Veuillez répéter, s’il vous plaît.
28Speak a little slower, please.Parlez plus lentement, s’il vous plaît
29More slowlyPlus lentement
30One more timeEncore une fois
31Write it down, please.Écrivez-le, s’il vous plaît.
32How do you say ___ in French?Comment dit-on ___ en français?
33What does ___ mean?Que veut dire ___ ?
34I don't know.Je ne sais pas.
Asking For Help
35Can you help me?Pouvez-vous m’aider?
36I have a problem.J'ai un problème.
37I have a questionJ'ai une question.
38Could you...Pourriez-vous …,
Finding Your Way
39Where is...?Où est … ?
...the hotel?...l’hôtel ?
...the bank?…la banque ?
...the airport?…l’aéroport ?
...the beach?…la plage ?
40I'm looking for...Je cherche...
...a bus...le 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 that you need to know. If you want to learn more, you’ll need a complete French phrasebook that won’t only show you the words to say, but will also tell you how to say it.

Such as this one which you can get in the Talk in French Store. It comes with audio for you to practice listening and pronunciation--anytime, anywhere. It also covers 23 topics and 2,000+ words with phonetic pronunciation guide, plus a cultural guide and a two-way dictionary.

Check it out below! 🙂

 

FRENCH PHRASEBOOK FOR TRAVELERS AND NEWBIE LEARNERS

  • Practice 1,400 useful French phrases for every situation
  • Learn how to order any dish from a French menu with 600+ French dishes in the Menu Reader
  • Easy phonetic guide to help with pronunciation
  • Boost your pronunciation and listening skills with the audio

Are there any French phrases you want to know? Let me know in the comments and I will try my best to answer!

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French travel phrases

About the author 

Frederic Bibard is the founder of Talk in French, a company that helps french learners to practice and improve their french. Macaron addict. Jacques Audiard fan. You can contact him on Instagram

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