138 phrases in 9 topics
Thank You in French, Please, Yes and No
- Words
- 14
- Where
- Everywhere
- Level
- Easy
How do you say thank you in French? Merci (mair-SEE). Thank you very much is merci beaucoup (mair-SEE boh-KOO), and you're welcome is de rien (duh ree-AN). Please is s'il vous plaît (seel voo PLEH); add it to the end of any request.
In France it is polite to say Bonjour when you walk into a shop, bakery or market stall; asking for something without a greeting comes across as rude. On the way out, say Merci, au revoir.
Hello in French, Good Morning, How Are You and Goodbye
- Words
- 13
- Where
- Everywhere
- Level
- Easy
How do you say hello in French? The all-day greeting is bonjour (bon-ZHOOR); it covers hello, good morning and good day. There is no separate word for good morning in French: in the morning you also say bonjour. From late afternoon, switch to bonsoir (bon-SWAHR, good evening); bonne nuit (bun NWEE) is good night, used when going to bed or leaving late.
How to say how are you in French depends on who you are talking to. The informal how are you in French is Ça va ? (sah VAH), for people you know; with strangers, Comment allez-vous ? (ko-mahn tah-lay VOO). Friends say salut (sa-LOO) for both hi and bye. The formal goodbye in French is au revoir (oh ruh-VWAHR). I love you in French is je t'aime (zhuh TEM).
French Numbers: Counting to 100, the 70, 80, 90 Rule and Pronunciation
- Words
- 31
- Where
- Everywhere
- Level
- Medium
French numbers are memorised up to 16, then follow a pattern. One to ten: un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix. Eleven to sixteen have their own names (onze, douze, treize, quatorze, quinze, seize), while 17, 18 and 19 are built like "ten-seven": dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf.
The numbers that catch most visitors out are 70, 80 and 90. In France, 70 is "sixty-ten" (soixante-dix), 80 is "four twenties" (quatre-vingts) and 90 is "four twenties and ten" (quatre-vingt-dix). In Belgium and Switzerland you will also hear septante for 70 and nonante for 90; in France nobody uses them.
Prices at market stalls are said quickly. If you miss one, ask Vous pouvez l'écrire ? (voo poo-vay lay-KREER, can you write it down?); most stalls show the price on a label anyway.
Days of the Week, Months and Time in French
- Words
- 23
- Where
- Calendars, bookings
- Level
- Easy
The names of the days in French are written in lower case, and all but one end in -di (dimanche starts with it instead). On Sundays most shops in Alsace are closed, but the Christmas markets stay open. Months are lower case too: janvier, février, mars and so on; December is décembre (day-SAHM-bruh).
To ask the time, say Quelle heure est-il ? (kel ur ay-TEEL). Signs and train timetables use the 24-hour clock: 18 h 30 means 6.30 pm.
Merry Christmas in French and Words for the Christmas Markets
- Words
- 8
- Where
- Christmas markets
- Level
- Easy
In December the phrase you will hear most in Alsace is Joyeux Noël (zhwa-YUH no-EL), which is how to say Merry Christmas in French. A Christmas market is a marché de Noël; Strasbourg's oldest market is still called by its Alsatian name, Christkindelsmärik.
Alsace sits where French and German meet, so you will see German traces in signs and in the names of sweets (bredele, kougelhopf, männele).
Market dates, opening hours and what to find on each square are in our city guides: Strasbourg , Colmar , Kaysersberg , Riquewihr and Obernai .
French Phrases for Restaurants and Cafés: Ordering, the Bill and Pork on the Menu
- Words
- 16
- Where
- Restaurants, cafés
- Level
- Medium
When you ask for a table, say how many you are: Une table pour deux, s'il vous plaît. To get the waiter's attention, eye contact and s'il vous plaît work better than waving.
The bill never arrives on its own; ask for it with L'addition, s'il vous plaît (la-dee-SYOH seel voo PLEH). Water in French is l'eau (LOH), and tap water is free: ask for une carafe d'eau.
Pork is common in Alsatian cooking. Tarte flambée (flammekueche) usually comes with lardons, small cubes of bacon; you can ask for it sans lardons (sahn lar-DOH). If you don't eat pork, look out for porc, jambon (ham) and choucroute (sauerkraut served with pork) on the menu.
When we visited Strasbourg at Christmas, the restaurants around the cathedral were incredibly crowded; finding a table without a booking was very hard, and we wandered for a while before we got one. If you are going in December, book ahead and simply say J’ai une réservation when you arrive.
French Words for Trains and Trams: Station, Platform, Ticket
- Words
- 14
- Where
- Trains, trams
- Level
- Easy
Regional trains link Strasbourg, Colmar and Obernai. The station is la gare, the platform le quai and a ticket un billet. At the counter or ticket machine you choose aller simple (one way) or aller-retour (return). In Strasbourg the city runs on trams; buy your ticket from the machine at the stop and validate it before you board.
In Strasbourg we decided to take a canal boat, assuming we could buy tickets on the spot; every departure was full until the start of the next month. The boats leave from just beside the cathedral, so if you visit at Christmas, book online in advance.
French for Hotels and Shopping: Reservation, Breakfast, How Much
- Words
- 11
- Where
- Hotels, shops, markets
- Level
- Easy
At hotel reception, J'ai une réservation (zhay ewn ray-zair-va-SYOH) is all you need; breakfast is le petit-déjeuner. To ask a price at a Christmas market stall, say C'est combien ? (say kom-BYAN). On signs, ouvert means open and fermé closed.
French for Emergencies: Help, Doctor, Pharmacy, Police
- Words
- 8
- Where
- Emergencies
- Level
- Easy
Emergency numbers in France: 15 for medical help (SAMU), 17 for the police, 18 for the fire service; the European number 112 also works, and 114 is the text and video line for deaf and hard-of-hearing callers (service-public.gouv.fr). Pharmacies are marked with a green cross; the out-of-hours one is the pharmacie de garde.
French Phrases: Quick Answers for Travellers
How do you say hello in French?
Bonjour (bon-ZHOOR) is the standard greeting during the day. In the evening it becomes bonsoir (bon-SWAHR); with friends, salut (sa-LOO).
How do you say good morning in French?
There is no separate phrase: the French say bonjour in the morning too. Word for word it means "good day".
How do you say goodbye in French?
The polite goodbye is au revoir (oh ruh-VWAHR). À bientôt means see you soon, and salut works as an informal bye between friends.
What does je t'aime mean?
Je t'aime (zhuh TEM) means I love you. Adding beaucoup softens it to "I like you a lot", so the plain phrase is the stronger one.
How do you say 70, 80 and 90 in French?
70 is soixante-dix (60 + 10), 80 is quatre-vingts (4 × 20) and 90 is quatre-vingt-dix (4 × 20 + 10). Belgium and Switzerland also use septante for 70 and nonante for 90.
What do you say when someone says merci?
Reply with de rien (duh ree-AN) or the more formal je vous en prie (zhuh voo zahn PREE).
Pronunciations are approximate English respellings. Play the audio in each section to hear every phrase.
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