About-France.com

Vital French for visitors....


About-France.com  A thematic guide to France    
Paris and the river Seine
About- France for mobiles Home page for full-screens Vital french words and phrases French travel and tourism guide
logo

Vital French for visitors - with audio

  The About-France.com thematic guide to France   - French life, institutions, society, travel and tourism.

Simple French words and phrases, with audio


If you don't speak any French, be reassured; here's the good news! Lots of people in France speak English, specially young people, and people working in tourism in Paris and the main holiday regions.  Now for the bad news there are also lots who do not - even working in the travel and hospitality business.  
Here therefore are twenty-five of the most important French words to learn, and twenty-five simple French phrases that  could well come in useful during a trip to France. Rather than a complicated phrasebook, just print out this page (click for printer-friendly version) or save it to your mobile-phone before you go.


Survive in France...

25 vital French words and simple expressions to learn before travelling


(The pronunciation of each word is indicated in brackets).
The sound represented  below as "eu" is the "er" sound in the English word her, or the "ur" of fur.  So French Je more or less rhymes with English her, or with the word the before a consonant (as in What's the matter?).   To listen to each word or phrase, just click the symbol

Audio provided by http://www.frenchlearner.com - video and podcast
lessons for French phrases, grammar and vocabulary

  1. S’il vous plaît (see-voo-play) - please   Listen
  2. Je suis  (zheu swee) I am    Listen
  3. Je cherche (zheu share-sh) I’m looking for   Listen
  4. Je veux (zheu veu) – I want   Listen
  5. Un hôtel (ern otell)A hotel   Listen
  6. Une chambre (une shombre)  - A room   Listen
  7. Manger (mon-zhay)  - To eat    Listen
  8. Boire (bwar)to drink   Listen
  9. Payer (pay-yeh) to pay   Listen
  10. Acheter (ash-tay)to buy     Listen
  11. Petit-déjeuner (peuti – dayzheurnay) - Breakfast     Listen
  12. Diner (dee-nay) - Dinner   Listen
  13. Un demi (ern deu-mee)A half pint of draught beer   Listen
  14. Un verre (ern vair)  - a glass    Listen
  15. De l’eau (deu-lo)  - some water   Listen
  16. Un thé (au lait)(ern tay olay)  - a tea (with milk)     Listen
  17. La toilette (lar twa-lette)  - the washroom, toilet.    Listen
  18. Prix (pree) - price     Listen
  19. Carte de crédit (kart deu cray-dee)  - Credit card     Listen
  20. Une banque (une bonk) – A bank   Listen
  21. Des magasins (day magga-zan) - Shops   Listen
  22. Un supermarché (ern supair-mar-shay) – A supermarket    
  23. La gare (lar gar)The train station   Listen
  24. L’aeroport(l’aero-por) the airport   Listen
  25. Une voiture (une vwa-tiure) a car.    Listen

And 25 most useful French phrases

(Sometimes incorporating essential words from the list above)
  1. Bonjour. (bon-zhour) Hello   Listen
  2. Merci.  (mair-see) Thankyou    Listen
  3. Au revoir. (oh-reu-vwar) Goodbye    Listen
  4. Je ne comprends pas. (zheu neu kompron par I don’t understand 
     
      Listen
  5. Je ne parle pas français. (zheu neu parl par fron-say )  
    I don’t speak French    Listen
  6. Pouvez vous parler plus lentement, s’il vous plait
    (poo-vay-voo par-lay ploo lontermon)
    Could you speak more slowly, please.    Listen
  7. Pouvez-vous répéter, s’il vous plaît.
    (poo-vay-voo ray-pay-tay, see-voo-play)
     Could you repeat that please.     Listen
  8. S’il vous plaît, je cherche…… 
    (see-voo-play, zheu share-sh
    ......) Please, I’m looking for (whatever you are looking for).   Listen
  9. Avez-vous…. (avay -voo)   Do you have…. ?     Listen
  10. Avez-vous une chambre pour deux personnes?
    (avay -voo une shombre poor deuh pair-sonn)
    Do you have a room for two ?    Listen
  11. A quelle heure est-ce que cela ferme ?
     (a kel eure esk slar fairme)
    When does it shut ?    Listen
  12. Combien ça coûte ?
    (kom-bjanne sar coot)
    How much is it ?    Listen
  13. Ou sont les toilettes, s’il vous plaît ?
    ( oo son lay twar-let, see-voo-play
    Where is the toilet / washroom, please ?    Listen
  14. Ou est-ce qu’on peut trouver des restaurants, s’il vous plaît?
    ( oo esk on peu troo-vay day resto-ron, see-voo-play)
    Where are there some restaurants, please ?  
  15. Un café et un café au lait, s’il vous plaît.
    (ern caffay ay ern caffay olay, see-voo-play)
    One black coffee, and one white coffee please.    Listen
  16. L’addition, s’il vous plaît. 
    (lad-eesi-onsee-voo-play)
    Could I have the bill please.   Listen
  17. A l’aeroport, s’il vous plaît.  (ar l'aeropor see-voo-play)
    To the airport, please.   Listen
  18. Une table pour deux / quatre personnes. 
    (oon tarbleu poor deuh /cat-r pair-son)
    A table for two / for four.    Listen
  19.  Je ne me sens pas bien.(zheu neu meu son par bjanne)
      I’m not feeling very well.   Listen
  20. Nous sommes perdus.(noo som pair-dju)
    We’re lost.  Listen
  21. Nous voulons aller à …….  (noo voolon allay are...)
    We want to go to (wherever you want to go).   Listen
  22. Je cherche un distributeur de billets.
    (zheu share-sh ern dee-stree-beaut-eur deu bee-ay)
    I’m looking for an ATM / cash dispenser.  Listen
  23. Pouvez-vous m’appeler un taxi, s’il vous plaît ; 
    (poovay voo maplay ern taxi see-voo-play)
    Could you please call me a cab.   >Listen
  24. Nous sommes très pressés / en retard. 
    (noo som tray pressay / on retar)
    We’re in a great hurry / late.    Listen
  25. Quel temps va-t-il faire aujourd’hui?
    (kel tom vartil fair oh-zhour-dwee)
    What’s the weather going to be like today ?    Listen

More French language pages:

About-France.com  Online French Grammar :  Copyright © About-France.com 2010-2015


Contact:   info "at" about-france.com 

Bookmark this page
Bookmark and Share



Overnight stopover?
Click for Bed and Breakfast directory


Cheap car hire in France

compare best rates from a range of suppliers

For best hotel rates,
Accor Hotels - Europe's leading hotel chain

from five-star luxury to low-cost budget accommodation.







 


Map of France

►► Site guide
About-France.com – home page
Search About-France.com
Accueil en français
Full site index
►►  Most popular pages :
The regions of France
France facts and figures
Climate and weather
►► More hotel map pages
Hotels in Paris
Hotels beside routes to SW France
Hotels beside A26 route to the Alps
►► Main travel pages
Preparing a trip
Weekly holiday planner
Driving in France - road travel
Avoiding Paris - routes from Calais
Hotels between Calais & the Alps
French rail travel
Flights to the French Alps
Visiting Paris
Selected Paris hotel map
Winter sports in France
►►Leisure and tourism
Tourist attractions in France
Wild France - France's "great outdoors"
Food & eating in France
Top tourist attractions in France
Best art galleries in France
The French seaside and coasts
►►Living in France
Living in France
Moving to France
Sundays and holidays
Guide to French hotels
Camping in France
Doctors and emergencies
Full site index
► More accommodation in France
Gites 
Bed and breakfast in France