![]() For example, if you're trying to exit a crowded train, a soft “ excusez-moi” should (hopefully) be enough to make people step aside. This is also the polite way to ask someone to get out of your way. To get someone's attention, whether they're a waiter in a restaurant or a stranger on the street, say “ excusez-moi”, “excuse me”. If someone asks you “ ça va?”, you can respond with a simple “ ça va bien” – “it's going well”. Note the use of the polite vous rather than the informal tu.Īnother, more informal way to say “how are you?” is ça va? This phrase is extremely common – when in France you'll likely hear it several times per day. This is the polite way of saying “how are you?” in French. ![]() Si is one of many linguistic features that I sorely miss when I speak English. In the above example, if you say si, it clearly conveys that you have, in fact, been to Paris. It means “yes”, but more specifically it contradicts the assertion in the question. Do you mean “yes, I have been to Paris – contrary to your assertion” or “yes, you're correct: I haven't been to Paris”?įrench avoids this confusion with the word si. If you reply “yes”, it's not exactly clear what you're saying. To illustrate what I mean, imagine that someone asks you, in English, “haven't you been to Paris?” Use it to say “yes” when someone asks you a negatively phrased question. This is a handy little word that has no direct equivalent in English. Informally, it's also common to say ouais or ouaip instead of oui – like saying “yeah” or “yep” in English. Two essential words to learn in any language are “yes” and “no”. If you're on the receiving end of this question, answer with “ Je m'appelle…” (“my name is”, literally “I call myself”) or a simple “ Je suis…” (“I am…”). You could also ask “ c'est quoi ton nom?” – which is a more literal translation of “what's your name?” Literally, these questions mean “what do you call yourself?”. In French, you can find it out by asking “ Comment vous appelez-vous?” (formal) or “ Comment t'appelles-tu?” (informal). When meeting anyone, one of the first things you'll want to know is their name. Comment vous appelez-vous? / Comment t'appelles-tu? – “What’s your name?” S'il vous plaît…” It literally means “Hello, please…”, which would sound a bit strange in English, but it's the normal way to start a polite request in French. asking a stranger for directions or asking to see a menu in a restaurant, you should start with “ Bonjour. In fact, when asking for something in French – e.g. Just learn the phrase as a whole for now, and things will become clear later.) (Why is it s'il te plait and not s'il tu plait? It's a grammatical thing that you don't need to worry about as a beginner. So s'il vous plaît and s'il te plaît both mean “please” (literally, “if it pleases you”), but s'il vous plait is the more polite version. ( Vous is also what you should use when addressing a group of people in any situation, similar to saying “you guys” or “you all” in English). Vous is a more polite and formal version, best used when talking to a stranger or older person. Tu is what you'd use when addressing a friend. In French there are two ways of saying “you”. What's the difference? It's all about “you”: So when in France, remember what your mother taught you, and say s'il vous plaît (“please”) when making a request. S'il vous plaît / s'il te plaît – “Please”Īs a tourist, the last thing you want to be is rude. ![]() A more casual way to greet people is salut, which can mean either “hi!” or “bye!”. In the evening, you could also say bonsoir (“good evening”). It's universally polite and friendly, whether the situation is formal or informal.īonjour is a combination of the words bon (“good”) and jour (“day”). There are many ways in French to say “hello”, but bonjour is undoubtedly the most well-known. French Greetings and Polite Phrases Bonjour – “Hello” Here's a quick “French phrases” video I made that will help you with pronunciation for most of the phrases in this article:īefore we get started, if you’re looking for an online French course, here’s the course I recommend: French Uncovered – Learn French Through the Power of Story, a course with a fascinating new method by my friend Olly. So whether you're planning to travel to Paris for a week or move to Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! for the rest of your life, here are the most important and useful French phrases that you should learn A.S.A.P. How do you expect to communicate with anybody if the only thing you've learned so far is a verb table? I've long advocated that set phrases are the best thing for beginners to learn when starting out.Īfter all, isn't the goal of language learning to communicate? À quelle heure est-ce qu’il faut régler la note? Où se trouve la station de métro la plus proche?
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