French is a wonderful language. If all of a sudden you are traveling to France, you should know a few things first-hand. Especially, as the French are really proud of their language. Before you travel, you should certainly learn the most basic French words and phrases to get by. You will navigate easier and receive better customer service if you speak a little bit of French. Fortunately, it does not take long to learn at all. Use this much-needed vocabulary list to learn the most common French words, and begin your journey to fluency.

Common French Words

Let us start with some of the most common French words that could be really handy.

• Bonjour: A general greeting meaning “hello” or “good morning”
• Au revoir: Goodbye
• Oui: Yes
• Non: No
• Merci: Thank you
• Merci beaucoup: Thank you very much
• Fille: Girl
• Garçon: Boy
• Femme: Woman
• Homme: Man
• Amour: Love
• Bonsoir: Good evening
• Bonne nuit: Good night
• Excusez-moi: Excuse me
• De rien: A casual manner of saying “you’re welcome”
• Je vous en prie: A formal manner to say “you’re welcome”
• Temps: Time
• Français: French
• S’il vous plaît: Please (literally, “if you please”)
• Jour: Day
• Monde: World
• Monsieur: Mister or gentleman
• Raison: Reason
• Mademoiselle: Miss, referring to an unmarried woman
• Madame: A married or older woman
• Beau: Handsome
• Belle: Beautiful
• Chat: Cat
• Chien: Dog
• Fort: Strong

French Phrases

Now that you have looked at some common French words, now learn some frequent phrases. These will be often helpful to know as you begin forming full sentences, especially, if you plan to travel and talk with native French speakers.

• Je suis désolé(e): I’am sorry
• Comment vous appelez-vous? What is your name?
• Comment allez-vous? How are you doing?
• Quelle heure est-il?What time is it?
• Parlez-vous anglais? Do you speak English?
• Je m’appelle: My name is
• Pouvez-vous m’aider? Can you help me?
• Combien ça coûte? How much is this?
• Je t’aime: I love you
• À tout à l’heure!: See you later!

Important French Phrases for Travelers

Now that you have looked at some common everyday words and phrases. Here are some specific phrases that could be useful if you need to get information in French-speaking localities or places.

• Je ne comprends pas: I do not understand
• Parlez lentement, s’il vous plaît: Speak slowly, please
• Répétez, s’il vous plaît: Repeat, please
• Je cherche le gare/le métro/l’aéroport: I am searching for the train station/the metro/airport
• Où sont les toilettes? Where are the toilets?
• Où est un bon restaurant/un bon café? Where is a good restaurant/cafe?

• Où est la plage/le centre-ville? Where is the beach/city center?
• Je cherche l’hôtel/l’hôpital/la banque: I am looking for the hotel/hospital/bank
• Pourriez-vous me/nous prendre en photo? Are you able to take my photo/our photo?

Knowing these French words and phrases could be extremely useful while you travel there. But of course, there is a lot more than these words in French. And this is where the French Language Learning App from Hello Hello Language on the Go can be your guide in this journey of learning.