Basic French Words, Useful Phrases In French
Learning a few basic french words will go a long way if you’re planning a holiday in France.
While it’s fairly easy to get around in most cities without speaking french, once you hit the smaller towns and out of the way places, knowing a few useful phrases in french becomes more important.
We’ve put together a list of french vocabulary and basic french phrases that you will hear often and may need (or like) to try yourself.
You might also be interested in this online french course, which will really help you improve your conversational french, whether you’re a beginner or more advanced.
If you’d like to listen as you read, click on the blue arrow button below to hear how the words sound.
| À tout à l’heure / À plus tard | See you later |
| À bientôt | See you soon |
| Au revoir | Goodbye |
| Bien sûr | Of course |
| Bien merci et vous? | Fine thanks and you? |
| Bonjour | Good morning/hello |
| Bonsoir | Good evening |
| Combien? | How much? |
| Comment? | How? What? |
| Comment allez-vous? | How are you? |
| Comment vous appellez-vous? | What is your name? |
| D’accord | Ok |
| De rien | That’s ok/you’re welcome |
| Désolé | I’m sorry |
| Enchanté | Pleased to meet you |
| Est-ce que vous pouvez m’aider? | Can you help me? |
| Excusez-moi | Excuse me/sorry |
| Je m’appelle | My name is |
| Je voudrais | I would like |
| Je ne comprends pas | I don’t understand |
| Je ne parle pas [bien] français | I can’t speak french well |
| Je vous en prie | You’re welcome |
| Non merci | No thankyou |
| Oui s’il vous plaît | Yes please |
| Où? | Where? |
| Pardon | Pardon me |
| Parlez-vous anglais? | Do you speak English? |
| Pourquoi? | Why? |
| Quand? | When? |
| Qui? | Who? |
| Salut | Hello (informal) |
| Très bien | Very well |
More Basic French Words and Phrases…
Here are a few more basic french phrases and common french words to help you get by if you’re having difficulty understanding:
| Cela se prononce comment? | How is that pronounced? |
| Comment dit-on cela en français/anglais? | How do you say that in French/English? |
| J’ai oublié le mot pour… | I have forgotten the word for… |
| Parlez lentement s’il vous plait | Please speak slowly |
| Pouvez-vous expliquer cela s’il vous plaît | Could you explain that please |
| Qu’est-ce que cela veut dire? | What does that mean? |
| Voulez-vous m’écrire cela, s’il vous plaît | Could you write that down for me, please |
| Voulez-vous répéter cela, s’il vous plaît | Can you repeat that please |