French is the official language of France and learning even a few phrases transforms your experience. The French deeply appreciate effort — a halting Bonjour, parlez-vous anglais ? (Hello, do you speak English?) will receive a warmer response than launching into English without greeting. This isn't about fluency. It's about respect.
Essential Phrases
Greetings and Politeness
- Bonjour [bon-ZHOOR] (Hello / Good day)
- Bonsoir [bon-SWAHR] (Good evening)
- Au revoir [oh ruh-VWAHR] (Goodbye)
- S'il vous plaît [seel voo PLEH] (Please)
- Merci [mair-SEE] (Thank you)
- Merci beaucoup [mair-SEE boh-KOO] (Thank you very much)
- Excusez-moi [ex-koo-ZAY mwah] (Excuse me)
- Pardon [par-DON] (Sorry / Excuse me)
- Oui [WEE] (Yes)
- Non [NON] (No)
Getting By
- Parlez-vous anglais ? [par-LAY voo on-GLEH?] (Do you speak English?)
- Je ne parle pas français [zhuh nuh PARL pah fron-SAY] (I don't speak French)
- Je ne comprends pas [zhuh nuh kom-PRON pah] (I don't understand)
- Pouvez-vous m'aider ? [poo-VAY voo MAY-day?] (Can you help me?)
- Combien ça coûte ? [kom-BYAN sah KOOT?] (How much does it cost?)
- Où est... ? [OO EH...?] (Where is...?)
- C'est combien ? [say kom-BYAN?] (How much is it?)
Food and Drink
- L'addition, s'il vous plaît [lah-dee-SYON seel voo PLEH] (The bill, please)
- Un café, s'il vous plaît [uhn kah-FAY seel voo PLEH] (A coffee, please)
- Une carafe d'eau [oon kah-RAF DOH] (A carafe of tap water)
- Le menu / la carte (The set menu / the à la carte menu)
- Le plat du jour (The dish of the day)
- Je suis allergique à... [zhuh swee ah-lair-ZHEEK ah] (I'm allergic to...)
- C'est délicieux [say day-lee-SYUH] (It's delicious)
Transport
- Un billet pour... [uhn bee-YAY poor] (A ticket to...)
- Aller simple [ah-LAY SAM-pluh] (One-way ticket)
- Aller-retour [ah-LAY ruh-TOOR] (Return ticket)
- La gare [lah GAHR] (The train station)
- Où est la station de métro ? (Where is the metro station?)
Emergencies
- Au secours ! [oh suh-KOOR] (Help!)
- Appelez la police [ah-play lah po-LEES] (Call the police)
- J'ai besoin d'un médecin [zhay buh-ZWAN duhn may-DSAN] (I need a doctor)
- L'hôpital [loh-pee-TAL] (The hospital)
Cultural Language Tips
- Always greet first. Bonjour is not optional — it's the key that unlocks French courtesy.
- Use vous (you (formal)), not tu (you (informal)), with strangers, service staff, and anyone older than you.
- Try French first. Even if your accent is terrible, the attempt matters. Most French people will switch to English if needed — but they appreciate the effort.
- Say goodbye. Au revoir (goodbye) or Bonne journée (have a nice day) when leaving a shop — even if you didn't buy anything.
- Regional languages exist — Breton, Occitan, Alsatian, Basque, Corsican. Locals are proud of them, though everyone speaks French.
On the ground
| Pin | Working note |
|---|---|
| Page | Language Survival Guide for France |
| Desk | La Porte |
| First use | Read the pins, then one related page — not five |
| Confirm | Official site or ticket desk the week you go |
Hours, fares, and festival weeks move. A 2024 caption is not a 2026 desk. Language Survival Guide for France sits in a country that is easy to over-plan and easy to under-prepare. The practical layer is where visitors collect names. This page is the opposite: what to do first, what to skip, and which sibling guide holds the rest.
France rewards a slow unit. One arrondissement, one valley, one appellation, one park trail. The photograph of five landmarks in five days is a real holiday, and it is also a queue with a passport. If you only have three nights, spend two of them in the same bed. The third night is for a train, not a third hotel.
Working a visit
Practical France is sockets (Type E/F, 230 V), tap water that is safe, pharmacies that are the real clinic for minor trouble, and a lunch hour that still closes a village. Cards work in cities. Cash still opens some park kiosks, some island boats, and some market stalls that have never seen contactless. A lightweight adapter belongs in the personal item, not the hold.
We will not write as if every reader is on a gap year, or as if every reader is in a palace hotel. We will not flatten 'the south' into one climate. We will not treat a strike day, a jour férié, or a Tuesday museum closure as a personality quirk of the French. They are calendars. Check them. Then use Language Survival Guide for France as a pin, not as scripture.
Cross the five guides instead of cloning them. La Porte holds trains and the first week. La Terre holds weather and park gates. L'Esprit holds museum Tuesdays and the Revolution. La Table holds the market morning and the wine list. Le Moteur holds the Tour, the working week, and why August is empty in Paris and full on the coast.