The Around the World phrasebook
Let's learn traveller's French
Not the school kind — the airport, taxi and dinner-table kind. Every phrase with a say-it-out-loud pronunciation.
Nobody expects you to speak fluent French. But ten words in the right places — and the market seller smiles, the driver drops the price, the waiter brings the good stuff. We've gathered 65 phrases that actually work, sorted by the moment you'll need them: the landing, the taxi, check-in, the table. Each with a pronunciation you can read aloud without cringing.
Phrasebook · 1/8
First words
| What you want to say | French | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello (formal) | Bonjour | bon-ZHUR |
| Hello (informal) | Salut | sa-LYU |
| Goodbye | Au revoir | o re-VWAR |
| Thank you | Merci | mer-SI |
| Please | S'il vous plaît | sil vu PLEH |
| Yes | Oui | WEE |
| No | Non | NON |
| Sorry | Pardon | par-DON |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas | zhuh nuh kom-PRON pah |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais? | par-LEH vu an-GLEH |
Phrasebook · 2/8
Courtesy & introductions
| What you want to say | French | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning | Bonjour | bon-ZHOUR |
| Good evening | Bonsoir | bon-SOIR |
| How are you? | Comment ça va? | ko-MAN sa VAH |
| My name is... | Je m'appelle... | zhuh ma-PELL |
| Nice to meet you | Enchanté | an-shan-TEH |
| I am from Israel | Je suis d'Israël | zhuh SWEE dee-zra-EL |
| See you | À bientôt | ah byen-TO |
Phrasebook · 3/8
At the airport & on the flight
| What you want to say | French | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Where is the gate? | Où est la porte? | OO eh la PORT? |
| Is the flight delayed? | Le vol est-il retardé? | Le VOL eh-TEEL reh-TAR-deh? |
| Boarding pass | Carte d'embarquement | KART dom-BAR-keh-MAN |
| My luggage hasn't arrived | Mes bagages ne sont pas arrivés | Me ba-GAZH neh SON pah ah-ree-VEH |
| I have a connecting flight | J'ai un vol de correspondance | ZHEH un VOL deh ko-RES-pon-DANS |
| Window/aisle seat | Siège côté fenêtre/couloir | SYEZH ko-TEH feh-NETR/koo-LOO-ar |
| Where is passport control? | Où est le contrôle des passeports? | OO eh le kon-TROL deh PAS-por? |
Phrasebook · 4/8
Transport & directions
| What you want to say | French | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| To this address, please. | À cette adresse, s'il vous plaît. | ah SET a-DRES, seel voo PLEH |
| How much to the center? | Combien pour le centre? | kom-BYEN poor leh SANT-re |
| One ticket to... | Un billet pour... | en bee-YEH poor |
| Which platform? | Quel quai? | kel KEH |
| Where is the bus stop? | Où est l'arrêt de bus? | oo EH la-REH deh BUS |
| Stop here, please. | Arrêtez ici, s'il vous plaît. | a-reh-TEH ee-SEE, seel voo PLEH |
| Is it far? | C'est loin? | seh LWAN |
| Turn left/right. | Tournez à gauche/droite. | toor-NEH ah GOSH/DROOAT |
| Straight ahead. | Tout droit. | too DROOAH |
Phrasebook · 5/8
Hotel & stay
| What you want to say | French | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| I have a reservation. | J'ai une réservation. | zheh oon re-zair-VA-syon |
| Check-in | Enregistrement | on-reh-zhees-treh-MAN |
| Check-out | Départ | deh-PAR |
| Is breakfast included? | Le petit déjeuner est-il inclus? | leh peh-TEE deh-ZHEH-neh eh-TEEL on-KLOO |
| Room key | Clé de la chambre | kleh deh lah SHOM-br |
| Wi-Fi password | Mot de passe Wi-Fi | moh deh PAS wee-FEE |
| Can I leave my luggage? | Puis-je laisser mes bagages? | pwee-ZHE leh-SEH meh ba-GAZH |
| The air conditioner doesn't work. | La climatisation ne fonctionne pas. | lah klee-mah-tee-ZA-syon neh fohnk-SYON pah |
Phrasebook · 6/8
Restaurant & food
| What you want to say | French | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| A table for two, please. | Une table pour deux, s'il vous plaît. | oon TAB-leh poor DEH, seel voo PLEH. |
| The menu, please. | Le menu, s'il vous plaît. | leh meh-NYU, seel voo PLEH. |
| What do you recommend? | Que recommandez-vous? | keh reh-ko-man-DEH voo? |
| The bill, please. | L'addition, s'il vous plaît. | la-dees-YON, seel voo PLEH. |
| Tap water, please. | De l'eau du robinet, s'il vous plaît. | deh-loh doo ro-bee-NEH, seel voo PLEH. |
| I have a nut allergy. | J'ai une allergie aux noix. | zheh oon ah-ler-ZHEE oh NWAH. |
| No meat, please. | Pas de viande, s'il vous plaît. | pah deh VYAND, seel voo PLEH. |
| It was excellent. | C'était excellent. | seh-TEH ek-seh-LAN. |
| Can I pay by card? | Puis-je payer par carte? | pwee-ZHE peh-YEH par KART? |
Phrasebook · 7/8
Shopping & money
| What you want to say | French | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| How much does it cost? | Combien ça coûte ? | kom-BIEN sah KOOT |
| It's too expensive | C'est trop cher | seh TRO SHER |
| Do you accept credit cards? | Acceptez-vous les cartes de crédit ? | ak-sep-TEH-voo leh KART deh kreh-DEE |
| I'm just looking | Je regarde juste | zhoo roh-GARD zhoost |
| Can I have a receipt? | Puis-je avoir un reçu ? | pwee-zh ah-VWAR ehn reh-SEE |
| Where is an ATM? | Où est un distributeur automatique ? | oo EH ehn dees-tree-boo-TER oh-toh-mah-TEEK |
| A smaller size | Une taille plus petite | oon TAI ploo peh-TEET |
Phrasebook · 8/8
Emergencies & health
| What you want to say | French | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Help! | Au secours! | oh se-KOUR |
| Call a doctor. | Appelez un médecin. | ap-LEH en med-SAN |
| Call the police. | Appelez la police. | ap-LEH lah po-LEES |
| Where is a pharmacy? | Où est une pharmacie? | oo et en far-ma-SEE |
| I don't feel well. | Je ne me sens pas bien. | zhuh neh meh san pah BYEN |
| I'm lost. | Je suis perdu. | zhuh swee per-DOO |
| I need a hospital. | J'ai besoin d'un hôpital. | zhay be-ZWAN den oh-pee-TAL |
| It hurts here. | Ça fait mal ici. | sah feh mal ee-SEE |
Q&A
Answers to your questions
How do you say "thank you" in French?
"Merci" (mer-SI). It's one of the five words worth knowing by heart before you land.
How much French do I need for a trip?
Not much. Five or six courtesy words (hello, thank you, please, sorry, yes/no) open doors, and another ten to fifteen phrases for fixed situations — a taxi, check-in, the restaurant bill — cover almost any trip. The rest: a camera-translation app.
Can you get by in English where French is spoken?
In city centres, hotels and tourist sites — usually yes, especially with younger people. Outside them — markets, transport, small towns — a few words of the local language make a real difference and are warmly received.
Which countries have French as an official language?
French is a main language in 4 countries: Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Monaco.
What's the difference between the formal and casual greeting?
Most languages have a formal "hello" for strangers, service staff and elders, and an everyday version for friends and peers. As a traveller it's always safer to open with the formal one — nobody is offended by too much politeness.
How do you politely ask someone to speak English?
"Parlez-vous anglais?" (par-LEH vu an-GLEH) — "do you speak English?". Lead with "excuse me" in the local language and it comes across as respectful.
About this page
Written and checked by the Around the World team. We compare prices across the major providers, cross-check official sources, and update when something changes. We have no stake in any one provider — links are affiliate links, and the price is the same for you.
Sources: Phrasebook: the Around the World team · Language-to-country: Around the World data