Learn a few Simple French Phrases!

Going on vacation to France? Load up on these quick French phrases and you’ll be good to go!

Je ne parle pas francais- pronounced Jeh neh parl pah franceh. It means I don’t speak French. Very useful! Make sure you say it with a bad accent, otherwise people would think you’re lying (and I say from experience, when Montreal cops think you’re lying, it’s not a good thing).

Comment?- prounced commeh. It means what? Pardon me? If you don’t speak French, say this often enough and people will realize you don’t understand them and walk away.

Bonjour- it just means hello. It’s a word you can feel free to overuse as you like.

Au revoir- pronounce Oh revu-ah (at least I pronounce it that way). It means bye. Again, overuse it, it’s a word everybody who doesn’t speak French seems to know.

Pardon- it means excuse me. If you’re trying to push somebody out of the way on the street, or want to get into your sit in some French show, make sure to say pardon- it’s good manners.

Ca va- pronounced Sah vah. It basically means what’s up, how are you. Use it only informally to people who know you, otherwise somebody may think you actually know French and respond, and you won’t have any idea what they’re saying. Unless you’re trying to pick up a guy/girl, in that case say this and just nod at whatever they say. Hey, it may work.

Oui- pronounced Wii. When you hear this, the French people aren’t talking about the Nintendo gaming system (most likely), they’re just saying yes.

No- no means no. See, French isn’t so bad.

Merci (beaucoup)- pronounced merci, and you can add the bocoo if you want. It means thanks, or thanks very much. Say this to a waiter after he brings you some food, or at situations like that.

S’il vous plait- pronounced sil voo pleh. It means please, another good think to ask waiters after you ask them to bring you something.

Je m’appelle Claud- my name is Claud. Claud is a good name if you want to pretend you’re French, but you can also use the cooler Jean-Paul or whatever French name you like. This will help if you’re a secret spy who wants to be disguised as somebody else.

Parlez-vous anglais?- pronounced parl voo anglay. You’re asking- do you speak English? A very important phrase. Chances are you’ll need to find somebody who speaks English sooner or later (and a lot sooner than later).

Comment dit-on _ au francias? This is a useless phrase, but it’s funny. You’re asking how do you say something (fill in the blank) in French. Of course, if you can say this sentence, people will think you’re joking since you already speak some French, so it’ll be funny. Try it at least once.

Est-ce que tu me comprends?- ask this to your friends. It means “do you understand me?”, which is a good way to test your semi-French accent.

And of course, the most useful phrase in French- Pourquoi est-ce que les cheminots sont en grève?, meaning why are the rail workers on strike?

Photo Credits:
Paris Vacation day 8, by glindsay65
A beautiful fall day in Paris, by NCBrian
Paris078, by nsnach
Paris, by priscillajp