Learn Everyday French Words
If you’re traveling to a French-speaking country and you don’t know much French, it’s important to get a grasp of the basic everyday words that you will encounter. Most of the language will fly over your head, but if learn some of these everyday words, you will be able to start communicating with others and you will also get the gist of what’s being said to you.
These are all commons words (and basic phrases) that you will need in various situations throughout the day. If you learn these French words and make an effort to use them, French people will recognize that you are trying your best and will often make a great effort to bridge the language barrier.
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We’ll start off by learning some words that are good to know when you are greeting someone, starting a conversation, and saying goodbye to someone. You can use these everyday words and phrases in both informal and formal settings. For instance, you will use these phrases when you meet someone new, when you are entering or leaving a shop or a bank, etc.
| English | French |
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Hi | Salut |
| How are you? | Ça va? |
| I am well. | Je vais bien. |
| My name is… | Je m’appelle… |
| Nice to meet you. | Enchanté. |
| Good afternoon | Bon après-midi |
| Good evening | Bonsoir |
| Good night | Bonne nuit |
| Good bye | Au revoir |
| See you tomorrow | À demain |
| See you soon | À bientôt |
Polish up your speech by learning how to be polite in French! Here are some words that will help demonstrate your good manners. Be sure to use these words when you are dealing with strangers:
| English | French |
| Thank You | Merci |
| Thank you very much | Merci beaucoup |
| You’re welcome | De rien or Je vous en prie |
| Please | S’il vous plaît |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Sorry | Pardon |
| Sir | Monsieur |
| Ma’am | Madame |
At some point throughout the day, you will probably need to ask a question (if not several questions!). When you need to ask something in French, learning the following French words will help you to start your question:
| English | French |
| Who? Who is…? |
Qui? Qui est? |
| What? What is it/that? |
Quoi? Qu’est-ce que c’est? |
| When? When is…? |
Quand? Quand est…? |
| Where? Where is…? |
Où? Où est…? |
| Why? Why is…? |
Pourquoi? Pouquoi est…? |
| How? How is…? |
Comment? Comment est…? |
| How much? | Combien? |
When someone asks you a question, here are some simple answers that you can give when appropriate:
| English | French |
| Okay | D’accord |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Maybe | Peut-être |
| Not bad | Pas mal |
| I think so. | Je pense que oui. |
| I don’t think so. | Je pense que non. |
| I am not sure. | Je ne suis pas sûr. |
Here are several basic French words that are very important to know, because you will most likely need to use them on a daily basis for some reason:
| English | French |
| Me | Moi |
| You (informal) | Tu or Toi |
| You (formal) | Vous |
| And | Et |
| Or | Ou |
| Also | Aussi |
| With | Avec |
| Without | Sans |
| Now | Maintenant |
| Later | Plus tard |
* An important note about tu versus vous: when you are speaking with someone who you do not know, or someone you don’t know very well, always use the “vous” form. This is a sign of respect. To address someone as “tu” when they expect to be addressed as “vous” can actually be taken as an insult!
Lastly, here are some important everyday words that you should know in case of an emergency:
| English | French |
| Help me! | M’aidez! |
| Watch out! | Attention! |
Be sure to learn all of these important everyday French words before you head over to France. If you can commit these everyday French words to memory, you can use them (along with gestures) to understand others and to help others understand you!
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