Your first words
Before diving into grammar, let's build a foundation of essential vocabulary. These words and phrases will let you start communicating immediately.
Greetings
| French | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Bonjour | Hello / Good day | Until evening, standard greeting |
| Bonsoir | Good evening | From late afternoon |
| Bonne nuit | Good night | When going to bed |
| Salut | Hi / Bye | Informal only |
| Au revoir | Goodbye | Standard farewell |
| À bientôt | See you soon | — |
| À demain | See you tomorrow | — |
| À plus tard | See you later | — |
| Ciao | Bye | Informal |
Polite essentials
| French | English |
|---|---|
| S'il vous plaît | Please (formal) |
| S'il te plaît | Please (informal) |
| Merci | Thank you |
| Merci beaucoup | Thank you very much |
| De rien | You're welcome |
| Je vous en prie | You're welcome (formal) |
| Pardon | Sorry / Excuse me |
| Excusez-moi | Excuse me (formal) |
| Je suis désolé(e) | I'm sorry |
Yes, no, and maybe
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Oui | Yes |
| Non | No |
| Peut-être | Maybe / Perhaps |
| Bien sûr | Of course |
| D'accord | OK / Agreed |
| Exactement | Exactly |
| C'est ça | That's it / That's right |
Asking for help
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Parlez-vous anglais ? | Do you speak English? (formal) |
| Tu parles anglais ? | Do you speak English? (informal) |
| Je ne comprends pas | I don't understand |
| Pouvez-vous répéter ? | Can you repeat? (formal) |
| Plus lentement, s'il vous plaît | Slower, please |
| Comment dit-on... ? | How do you say...? |
| Qu'est-ce que ça veut dire ? | What does that mean? |
| Pouvez-vous m'aider ? | Can you help me? |
Introducing yourself
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je m'appelle... | My name is... |
| Je suis... | I am... |
| Enchanté(e) | Pleased to meet you |
| Comment vous appelez-vous ? | What is your name? (formal) |
| Tu t'appelles comment ? | What's your name? (informal) |
| D'où venez-vous ? | Where are you from? (formal) |
| D'où viens-tu ? | Where are you from? (informal) |
| Je viens de... | I come from... |
| J'habite à... | I live in... |
Countries and nationalities
| Country | French name | Nationality (m/f) |
|---|---|---|
| England | l'Angleterre | anglais / anglaise |
| USA | les États-Unis | américain / américaine |
| Australia | l'Australie | australien / australienne |
| Canada | le Canada | canadien / canadienne |
| Ireland | l'Irlande | irlandais / irlandaise |
| France | la France | français / française |
Survival vocabulary
Places
| French | English |
|---|---|
| la gare | train station |
| l'aéroport | airport |
| l'hôtel | hotel |
| le restaurant | restaurant |
| le café | café |
| les toilettes | toilet |
| la pharmacie | pharmacy |
| l'hôpital | hospital |
| la banque | bank |
| le supermarché | supermarket |
Getting around
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Où est... ? | Where is...? |
| à gauche | to the left |
| à droite | to the right |
| tout droit | straight ahead |
| ici | here |
| là-bas | over there |
| près de | near |
| loin de | far from |
| le métro | metro |
| le bus | bus |
Eating and drinking
| French | English |
|---|---|
| l'eau | water |
| la bière | beer |
| le vin | wine |
| le café | coffee |
| le thé | tea |
| le pain | bread |
| la viande | meat |
| le poisson | fish |
| les légumes | vegetables |
| les fruits | fruit |
| l'addition | the bill |
Useful adjectives
| French | English | Opposite |
|---|---|---|
| bon(ne) | good | mauvais(e) (bad) |
| grand(e) | big | petit(e) (small) |
| chaud(e) | hot | froid(e) (cold) |
| nouveau/nouvelle | new | vieux/vieille (old) |
| rapide | fast | lent(e) (slow) |
| cher/chère | expensive | bon marché (cheap) |
| beau/belle | beautiful | laid(e) (ugly) |
| facile | easy | difficile (difficult) |
Common expressions
| French | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ça va ? | How are you? / Is it OK? |
| Ça va bien | I'm fine / It's fine |
| Comme ci, comme ça | So-so |
| C'est super ! | That's great! |
| C'est dommage | That's a shame |
| Ce n'est pas grave | It's not a big deal |
| Santé ! | Cheers! |
| Bon appétit ! | Enjoy your meal! |
| À vos souhaits ! | Bless you! (after sneeze) |
Numbers 1–20
| Number | French | Number | French |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | zéro | 11 | onze |
| 1 | un | 12 | douze |
| 2 | deux | 13 | treize |
| 3 | trois | 14 | quatorze |
| 4 | quatre | 15 | quinze |
| 5 | cinq | 16 | seize |
| 6 | six | 17 | dix-sept |
| 7 | sept | 18 | dix-huit |
| 8 | huit | 19 | dix-neuf |
| 9 | neuf | 20 | vingt |
| 10 | dix |