{"id":21116,"date":"2024-11-23T20:39:03","date_gmt":"2024-11-23T20:39:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/?p=21116"},"modified":"2024-11-27T15:26:17","modified_gmt":"2024-11-27T15:26:17","slug":"essential-french-words-and-phrases-for-travelers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/essential-french-words-and-phrases-for-travelers\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Essential French Words and Phrases for Travelers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a major tourist city like Paris, you’ll find many people speak English. Servers at restaurants, shop attendants, front desk staff at hotels, and many others, especially those in the hospitality industry familiar with tourists, often know a little bit \u2014 or a lot \u2014 of English. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you visit Paris without knowing a lick of French? Certainly, you can. Plenty of people have done it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But although many of the people you’ll come across in your travels will have some level of understanding of English, you will find locals appreciate it when you make an effort to speak a few works in their language. It can also make it a lot easier to communicate when you find yourself somewhere without an English-speaking local nearby. Head off the beaten path in a charming neighborhood like Saint-Germain-des-Pr\u00e9s<\/a>, much less dense with tourists, and this could easily happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, if you have your phone or a trusty translation tool, you can look up French phrases on the go. But it’s so much more fun to practice them before your visit \u2014 and casually drop them into conversations when you return from your Parisian adventure \u2014 so why not start now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning a few basic French phrases can make a world of difference when visiting any French-speaking country, France included. In this guide, I’ll share not only the words to know and their translation, but also the context in which to use them as I’ve learned it from living in France (and years of studying the language and culture from native speakers).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Context matters in French. Case in point? The very first word on this list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve also included pronunciation for each of these common French phrases, but you can also find them all over YouTube. I chose phonetic spelling that hopefully makes it easy to understand what to say, but to sound a bit more French, tighten your lips and give it your best French accent. But even pronouncing these phrases simply as they’re written, people will understand you, so don’t stress too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, I’ve included a few bonus phrases related to each word. Want to level up and learn even more French? Dig into these sections and have fun! Want to stick to the basics and keep it simple? Simply skip the bonus sections. You’ll be fine if you learn only these key French phrases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And now, here they are \u2014 the seven essential French words and phrases for travelers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Bonjour <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/strong>Translation<\/strong>: Hello<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pronunciation: <\/strong>bon-zhoor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Undoubtedly the most well-known way of saying hello in French, “bonjour” is acceptable in formal and informal situations. It literally translates to “good day,” so you typically say it only from morning until the evening starts. Around 6 p.m. or so, people will usually switch to saying “bonsoir” (prounounced bon-swar<\/em>), which means “good evening.” The difference in the two isn\u2019t a big deal, however. I’ve heard French speakers say, \u201cbonjour\u201d even at night sometimes, so don\u2019t worry too much about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What most tourists don’t realize is that saying bonjour is expected when you enter a shop or start a conversation with someone. It’s considered polite and friendly. I remember an attendant at a French train station information desk who I approached to ask a question. I began with my polite question in French to ask if he could tell me about a certain train time. He interrupted to say “bonjour,” clearly perturbed that I hadn’t bothered to give him this standard French greeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, shopkeepers expect a greeting when you step into their store \u2014 not if it’s a giant place like Zara, of course, but a small p\u00e2tisserie where it’s just a few patrons and someone behind the counter is the perfect place to trot out your friendly bonjour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bonus: <\/strong>Looking for another casual way of greeting people? Try “salut” (prounounced sah-loo<\/em>). This is much more informal, used for greeting friends or those you know well, but it has the advantage of meaning both “hi” and “bye.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another bonus: <\/strong>Here’s another extra. As you leave a shop or part from someone, you can say “bonne journ\u00e9e” during the day or “bonne soir\u00e9e” at night. This isn’t required. A simple “au revoir” (goodbye) will do, but it’s a pleasant to wish someone a good rest of their day or evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Oui \/ Non<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/strong>Translation<\/strong>: Yes \/ No<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pronunciation: <\/strong>wee \/ nohn<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are words that you probably already know, but we want to put on our list anyway because they certainly qualify as essential. Nearly everyone you encounter in Paris is likely to recognize the English words “yes” and “no,” but it’s so much nicer to say these words in the local tongue. They’re one syllable each and not at all difficult to pronounce, and it can come handy in almost every place you go, such as stores, restaurants, and hotels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The word for no has a slight nasal sound at the end that makes the final “n” consonant almost silent. You could simply say “non” with an anglophone accent while shaking your head slightly, and everyone will understand you, but if you want to get the nuanced pronunciation just right, here’s a video to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n