French is a Romance language spoken fluently by approximately 175 million people worldwide. Although originating in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, today it is spoken in countries all over the world including Algeria, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Haiti, Lebanon, Madagascar, Martinique, Monaco, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Tunisia, Vietnam and officially in a total of 29 countries. It is regarded as one of the most beautiful and romantic languages in the world and as a foreign language is the second most frequently taught language in the world after English. Here's how to say several simple French phrases.
Step 1
Memorize a new phrase or two every day and use them as part of your daily speech. Start by learning the more common and well-known words and phrases, including:
- Bonjour - bon-jshor
- Bonsoir - bon-swah
- Bonne nuit - bun nwee
- Au revoir - ohr-vwah
- Salut - sa-loo
- S'il vous plaît - see voo play
- S'il te plaît - see te play
- Merci (beaucoup) - mair-see (boh-koo)
- Je vous en prie - zhuh voo zawn pree
- De rien - duh ree-ahn
- You're welcome [informal]
Step 2
Learn to continue speaking after you've exchanged greetings in French. Included here are some useful questions. Note that informal phrases are the ones you would use when speaking to friends, family and children, whereas formal phrases would be used when speaking to anyone older than you or anyone that you don't know, such as strangers, teachers, parents of your friends and anyone else you'd wish to speak very politely and respectfully to.
- Comment allez-vous ? - koh-mawn tahl-ay voo
- Ça va ? - sah vah
- (Très) bien - (treh) bee-ahn
- (Pas) mal - (pah) mahl
- Malade - mah-lahd
Step 3
quel age as Tu.
Step 4
how old are you.
Step 5
j'al (how old you are) ans.
Step 6
i am (your age) old
- Comment vous appelez-vous ? - koh-mawn voo zah-play voo
- What is your name? [formal]
- Tu t'appelles comment ? - tew tah-pell koh-mawn
- What's your name? [informal]
- Où habitez-vous ? - ooh ah-bee-tay voo
- Where do you live? [formal]
- Où habites-tu ? - tew ah-beet ooh
- Where do you live? [informal]
- Vous êtes d'où ? - voo zet doo
- Where are you from? [formal]
- Tu es d'où ? - tew ay doo
- Where are you from? [informal]
- Parlez-vous anglais ? - par-lay voo on-glay
- Do you speak English? [formal]
- Tu parles anglais ? - tew parl on-glay
- Do you speak English? [informal]
Step 7
Tell people about yourself! Here are some ways to answer some of the questions you just learned how to ask:
- Je m'appelle ______ - zhuh mah-pell
- J'habite à ______ - zhah-beet ah
- Je suis de ______ - zhuh swee duh
- l'Angleterre - lawn-gluh-tair
- le Canada - kah-nah-dah
- les États-Unis - ay-tah-zew-nee
- l'Allemagne - lahl-mawn-yuh
- Je (ne) parle (pas) ______ - zhuh (nuh) parl (pah)
- français - frahn-say
- anglais - on-glay
Step 8
Practice more everyday. Here are a collection of more questions and phrases that might be helpful should you travel to a French-speaking country.
- Comment? - kohm-mawn
- Comprenez-vous ? - kohm-pren-ay-voo
- Do you understand? [formal]
- Tu comprends ? - tew kohm-prawn
- Do you understand? [informal]
- Je (ne) comprends (pas) - zhuh (nuh) kohm-prawn (pah)
- Comment dit-on _____ en français ? - kohm-mawn dee-tohn _____ on frahn-say
- How do you say ______ in French?
- Je ne sais pas - zhuhn say pah
- Où sont _____ ? - ooh sohn
- Voilà - vwah-lah
- Où est _____ ? - ooh eh
- Voici _____ - vwah-see
- Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça ? - kess kuh seh kuh sah
- Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ? - kess keel-ee-ah
- Je suis malade. - zhuh swee mah-lahd
- Je suis fatigué(e) - zhuh swee fah-tee-gay
- I'm tired (add the 'e' if you are female - but pronounce it the same)
- J'ai soif. - zhay swahf
- J'ai faim. - zhay fawn
- Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? - kess kee suh pahs
- Je n'ai aucune idée. - zhuh neh oh-kewn ee-day
Step 9
Label objects around the house. Try writing the word in french on a flashcard and the pronounciation on the other side and simply tape it to the correct object and flip it over if you wish to remind yourself of the pronouciation without becoming reliant on the "english-ized" spelling of the words. Here's some ideas of objects to label:
- l'étagère - lay-tah-zhehr
- la fenêtre - fuh-neh-truh
- la porte - port
- la chaise - shehzh
- l'ordinateur - lor-dee-nah-tur
- la chaîne hi fi - shen-hi-fi
- la télévision - tay-lay-vee-zee-ohn
- le réfrigérateur - ray-free-zhay-rah-tir
- le congélateur - kon-zhay-lah-tur
- la cuisinière - kwee-zeen-yehr
Tips
- Remember to use formal phrases when speaking to people that you wish to show respect towards, such as strangers, professors, bosses, etc. You would use informal phrases only when speaking to children, friends, or family members or to others when you wish to be rude.
- The French language was designed to be spoken very rapidly. Try renting or buying French films or DVDs with French dubbing so you can get used to hearing and understanding the phrases, even when spoken quickly.
- When asking a question remember to bring up the pitch of your voice with each syllable, that will make it easier for a French person to understand that you're asking a question and they will probably be able to understand you better.
- Read French books such as Le Fantom de l'Opera by Gaston Leroux. They will help you understand the language more.
Warnings
- When traveling abroad it is highly advised that you learn more than these basic phrases. Consider taking a course at a local college or community centre.
