How to Say I Plan to Learn It Again in French

As a French learner, which would you rather hear?

"Your French is so skillful!"

Or…

"Yous sound then French!"

If you lot're like about people, we're guessing that it's the latter.

To help yous get at that place, we've racked our brains and put together a list of seventy informal, everyday French phrases and expressions.

Contents

• How to Learn French Phrases
• lxx Everyday French Phrases for Sounding Truly French
• • Everyday French Greetings and Introductions
  • Asking for Assistance
  • Everyday French Phrases for Getting Information and Directions
  • Everyday French Phrases for Shopping
  • Common French Eating place Phrases
  • Common Conversational Phrases
  • Natural French Expressions
  • Common, Everyday French Phrases for Proverb Adieu

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How to Acquire French Phrases

Having an enormous, comprehensive list of casual French phrases is a bully starting point. However, if you're non sure about the best ways to actually learn all these phrases, information technology can too be a stumbling block.

Here are a few tips that can assist you go the well-nigh out of this French phrase list. You can employ these tips to any kind of French words or phrases you want to learn.

• Imagine using these phrases in real life. When you wait at a group of French phrases, whether they're simple greetings or terms used for ordering at a eating place, picture yourself using them in some everyday setting. Think about who yous'd be talking to.

  The more vivid you can make your mental picture of the real-world context, the meliorate your chances are of remembering the phrases you're studying.

• Read and repeat each phrase aloud. Exercise this several times, slowly and clearly.

  Ever start slow when y'all're learning. As you become more familiar with these phrases, your rate of speech communication will naturally choice up, until you're at normal conversational speed. For correct now, simply focus on the words and how they sound.

• Try these phrases out for yourself. Write these phrases in a language periodical. Comprise them into elementary sentences. Use them in imaginary dialogues, or endeavor them out with a French-speaking friend or conversation partner.
• Look and listen for these phrases. To really perfect your pronunciation—and to truly understand all the nuances and context of these phrases—yous'll want to expose yourself to plenty of native-speaker audio (such as radio and podcasts) and video.

  Look for courses or programs that focus on using content from native speakers. For case, FluentU uses accurate French videos and speaking exercises to help you lot improve your pronunciation while you lot larn.

  French reading materials, peculiarly more casual ones like magazines or novels, volition also teach how to apply these phrases like a native. (And they'll even assist you learn their proper spelling!)

70 Everyday French Phrases for Sounding Truly French

Without further ado, permit's become to learning all the common French phrases you'll need to navigate life Francophone life, in Paris and beyond—and hands empathise those native French videos!

Everyday French Greetings and Introductions

1. Bonjour — Hullo, Skilful day.

This phrase is a little formal. You lot can utilize it with friends, but they might wonder why yous're existence so proper.

2. Bonsoir — Adept evening.

3. Ravi(east) de faire votre connaissance. — Happy to make your acquaintance.

This is a formal expression you tin utilise when yous're meeting someone for the outset fourth dimension.

Notice the letter e in parentheses here? You lot'll want to add information technology in writing if you're a lady. (Yous won't hear the departure when it's spoken.)

iv. Enchanté(e). — Charmed.

This one's brusk and sweet, and much more breezy than the previous expression. The same notation almost the actress east applies here.

five. Comment allez-vous ? / Comment ça va ? — How are you? (formal / informal)

Both of these basically hateful, "How'south it going?" only the first option is much more formal. Use "Annotate ça va ?" with your friends and peer groups.

6. Je vais bien, merci. — I'm doing well, thanks.

7. Comment vous appelez-vous ? / Comment t'appelles-tu ? — What's your name? (formal / informal)

The breezy version uses tu for "you," instead ofvous. This as well means that the verb will be conjugated differently.

eight. Je m'appelle… — I am chosen… / My proper name is…

9. D'où venez-vous ? / D'où viens-tu ? — Where are you from? (formal / informal)

Asking for Assist

10. J'ai besoin d'aide. — I need help.

11. Pourriez-vous thou'aider ? / Pourrais-tu g'aider ? — Could yous aid me? (formal / informal)

12. Je me sens mal. — I don't feel well.

thirteen. J'ai besoin d'united nations médecin. — I need a dr..

14. Au secours ! — Aid! (urgent)

Everyday French Phrases for Getting Data and Directions

15. Je ne comprends pas. — I don't empathize.

16. Je ne parle pas beaucoup le français. — I don't speak a lot of French.

17. Je ne parle qu'un peu français. — I only speak a little French.

xviii. Comment on appelle ça ?— What is that called?

Only point at what you desire, and ask this to find out its French proper name.Voilà ! (There you go!)

19. Annotate dire _____ en français ? — How practise I say _____ in French?

If you lot're working with someone who speaks English language, or another linguistic communication you lot know well, you can ask them direct for a translation of a word you don't know in French.

20. Plus lentement, southward'il vous plaît. / Plus lentement, s'il te plaît. — Slower, please. (formal / breezy)

21. Où se trouve la banque ? — Where is the depository financial institution?

The important part of this phrase isoù se trouve(where is). Only add the name of whatever you're looking for later that.

For instance, yous can terminate the sentence with le musée (the museum), l'hôtel (the hotel) or la gare (the train station).

22. Pourriez-vous fifty'écrire ? / Pourrais-tu l'écrire ? — Could you write it downwardly? (formal / informal)

Specially when you're just learning French, it can exist difficult to understand what you lot're hearing. Request someone to write down the information you need tin be an enormous help!

Everyday French Phrases for Shopping

23. Je cherche des chaussures. — I'one thousand looking for shoes.

Je cherche(I'm looking for) is the essential part of this phrase. One time you lot take that down, you lot can enquire for anything y'all can proper noun.

For example, if you're shopping for apparel, y'all can supplant des chaussures with whatever other article of habiliment that you're looking for, like un manteau (a coat), une robe (a dress) un pantalon (a pair of pants), etc.

24. Je ne connais pas ma taille. — I don't know my size.

25. Combien ça coûte ? — How much does that cost?

26. Puis-je payer avec une carte du jour de crédit ? — May I pay with a credit card?

27. Puis-je avoir un sac ? — May I accept a pocketbook?

Common French Restaurant Phrases

28. J'aimerais voir le menu. — I would like to run into the carte.

29. Est-ce qu'il y a des plats végétariens ? — Are there vegetarian dishes?

You can substitute in other preferences, such assans gluten (gluten free), afterplats(dishes).

30. Je voudrais de la soupe. — I would similar to have soup.

Just rememberje voudrais (I would similar) and merely plug in anything yous desire off the menu after this phrase! For example, you can inquire for du pain (the bread), un steak (a steak), une tarte (pie) and so on.

You tin also say,je vais prendre… or je prendrai… (I'll have…) in place of je voudrais (I would like).

31. L'add-on, s'il vous plaît. — The bill, delight.

If you happen to be at a restaurant in Québec, where French is a piddling different than in Europe, y'all'll want to inquire for la facture instead ofl'add-on.

Common Conversational Phrases

32.Merci bien. — Thank you a lot.

33. De rien. — You're welcome. / It's nothing.

34. Comment va le travail ? — How'south work going?

You can substitute le boulot forle travail to make this more casual.

35.Tu veux prendre un verre ? — Do you want to get a drink? (informal)

36. Annotate va votre famille ? / Comment va ta famille ? — How'due south your family unit? (formal / informal)

37. Passe-moi united nations coup de fil plus tard.— Give me a call after. (breezy)

38. Tu peux me donner ton numéro ? — Tin you give me your number? (informal)

39. J'aimerais te revoir.— I'd like to meet you once again. (informal)

Natural French Expressions

40. " Ça roule ?" "Comme d'hab !" — "How'due south it going?" "Same equally always!"

This is a very colloquial statement, meaning that everything'south great and life's going well. Therefore, in the grade of a question, it simply means "How'due south life? Good?" It's used in a similar way as Ça va ?

The response to this question is simply an abbreviation of the phrase comme d'habitud e, meaning "every bit usual."

A mutual expression, comme d'hab can be used in identify of the standard comme d'habitude in virtually any breezy setting.

41. N'importe quoi ! — Whatever!

For all those who tend to have a dissenting stance, this casual French phrase is a must. It simply means "any," and is ordinarily used in French when someone is exasperated and wishes to openly display their disagreement in a simple, informal way.

For instance:

"Je te jure ! Je n'ai rien fait ! (I swear, I didn't do anything!)

—North'importe quoi… (Whatever…)

Similarly, in another contexts, n'importe quoi can hateful "anything," like in this example:

J'aurais donné tout et n'importe quoi ! (I would have given anything and everything!)

42. C'est due north'importe quoi ! — That'due south nonsense!

This informal French phrase is similar to northward'importe quoi. Nevertheless, there'south a slight nuance in the pregnant of this particular expression.

Information technology still portrays the idea of exasperation, only it ways "That's nonsense!"

For example:

Le président a bien fait d'augmenter les impôts.(The president was right to increment taxes.)

—C'est n'importe quoi ! (That's nonsense!)

43. Laisse tomber…— Just forget it! / Never mind!

This phrase literally means "drop it," only doesn't take quite the same snappy tone behind it equally "but drop it!" does in English language.

For example:

Et alors? Est-ce que tu as eu ton augmentation de salaire ?(So? Did you become your raise?)

—Laisse tomber… L'entreprise a fait faillite ! (Forget it… The company went bankrupt!)

44. Ça vous dit ? / Ça te dit ? — Are you lot upwardly for it? (formal / informal)

This coincidental French expression is great for suggesting outings with friends or restaurant choices. It can also hateful "Sound skilful?"

Then, whenever yous get a marvelous thought for a Sabbatum afternoon or evening, tack this on at the stop equally a way of politely asking your friends if they're interested.

Use the commencement version (with vous) when addressing several friends, and the latter (Ça te dit ?) when hanging out with simply i friend.

For example:

Il y a un petit resto chinois pas loin de chez moi… ça te dit ?(There's a little Chinese restaurant not far from my identify…sound good?)

45. Tiens-moi au courant ! — Keep me up to appointment!

This is the perfect French phrase to use every bit you're waiting to meet how things play out in a friend's life. Perhaps they just started a new chore, or moved to a new city, and you want to know how things are evolving.

End your emails or conversations with this little phrase to ensure they give y'all all their latest updates.

The response to this phrase would be "Ouais, t'inquiète pas, je te tiens au courant." (Yep, don't worry, I'll proceed you up to date).

46. Allez savoir pourquoi ! / Va savoir pourquoi ! — Your guess is as expert as mine! (formal / informal)

This is a useful little French phrase that perfectly expresses one'south befuddled country of mind.

Notice that it can be used for both the formal and informal version of the word "you," the first being formal or speaking to several people, and the latter informal and to one person.

For instance:

Elle a donné sa démission, et ne répond plus à mes textos ! Va savoir pourquoi !(She quit her task, and isn't responding to my texts anymore! God knows why!)

47. Bref — In short / To make a long story short

Bref is only ever used to summarize something or to give one'southward final impression of something after a lengthy story'south been told.

It's an easy little word to recall, due to the fact that the English language equivalent is virtually the same: in brief. Other synonyms would exist "all in all" or "in short."

For example:

Elle m'a appelé hier et grand'a dit qu'elle n'avait pas les mêmes sentiments pour moi, et qu'au final, elle veut qu'on reste amis. Bref, elle m'a largué.(She chosen me yesterday and told me that she didn't have the same feelings for me, and that in the end, she wants to remain friends. In short, she dumped me.)

48. T'sais ? — Ya know?

This casual French phrase is used so unremarkably in casual settings that it's near impossible to accept a conversation with friends without hearing it.

It just means "Ya know?" and is frequently tacked onto the end of a sentence to emphasize whatsoever the speaker is proverb.

For instance:

Non, mais j'en ai marre, t'sais? (No, but I am sick of it, ya know?)

49. Ouais, enfin… — Yep, well…

Like English, French has its share of filler words, and enfin is commonly used as such. Meaning "well," information technology'due south slightly more refined than "eeuuuh" (uhhhh). Like most filler words, it doesn't necessarily change the significant of the sentence.

Here'southward an example:

Ouais, enfin… faut vivre avec!(Yeah, well…gotta alive with it!)

l. Allez ! — Oh, c'monday!

This interjection is the best way to communicate impatience with someone.

Trying to go out the door merely your friend is holding y'all up, dillydallying with their phone? Let out a little, exasperated allez ! to become your point across.

Note that this is technically the vous (you [formal/plural] conjugation of the verb aller (to go). However, it can also mean, "Allow's go!" And so, when you're getting restless, you can but say,"Allez !"

It's too common to hear this word in the bleachers of a sports event: Allez, allez !(C'mon! Let's go!)

51. C'est naze / c'est nul / c'est pourri ! — That stinks!

These are all lovely little French phrases to use to say "that sucks!" or "that'south stupid!" or "that's terrible!" The full general implication is that any is being discussed is either a full diameter or totally ridiculous.

For case:

Ça, c'est marrant! Par contre, ce cours est nul ! (Now that'south funny! This course, all the same, sucks!)

52. J'ai le cafard… — I'm feeling a little downwards…

This is an informal style of expressing your sadness. Information technology literally means, "I have the cockroach," but to use the verb phrase avoir le cafard only means to be depressed or to feel downwardly.

You tin too say Ça me donne le cafard, which means "that depresses me."

53. Ça te changera les idées… — It'll take your mind off things…

Use this French phrase when consoling a friend who's downwards. Offer to go with them to a movie or to a café to catch a cappuccino. Make your proposition, and then use this argument to go them out of their funk.

For example:

Allez ! Tu ne peux pas rester enfermé dans ta chambre ! Viens avec moi au ciné! Ça te changera les idées !(C'mon! Y'all can't stay cooped up in your room! Come with me to the picture palace! That'll accept your listen off things!)

54. Revenons à nos moutons ! — Allow's become dorsum to the bespeak!

This is a perfect little expression to use after the conversation has strayed from the original topic, and literally means "permit'south get back to our sheep!" It actually means "Let'due south get dorsum to the subject at hand!" or "Let'south become back to the point!"

This little jewel actually derives from French literature, from a tale called la Farce du Maître Pathelin, written by François Rabelais in the 16th century.

Obviously, this little phrase was catchy enough to stick, considering it's still used today.

Next fourth dimension your friend starts rambling about something entirely unrelated, toss out this little phrase, and wow them with your excellent noesis of both French vernacular and literature!

55. Je n'en crois pas mes yeux ! — I tin can't believe my eyes!

Permit this ane loose when you're pleasantly surprised or dumbfounded by something you are witnessing.

The translation is more or less literal on this expression, and you tin do no incorrect in using information technology when dazzled or surprised!

56. Tu t'en sors ? — Are you lot managing okay?

This is a common French phrase to use while observing a friend who appears to exist having difficulty doing something. It's the equivalent of asking "Doing okay at that place? You managing there?"

For case:

Tu t'en sors ? (You lot managing there?)

Pas trop, non. Je ne sais pas comment faire un créneau…(No, not actually. I don't know how to parallel park…)

57. J'en mettrais ma main au feu !— I'd bet my life on it!

The French version of this expression is a bit more than colorful than the English, literally meaning "I'd put my paw in the burn down!" It just expresses that you're certain of something—and information technology'southward usually used to try to convince others that y'all are right.

Believe it or not, this trivial phrase originates from the Middle Ages!

58. Il ne faut pas mettre tout dans le même sac !— You can't merely group it all into the same category!

This is your go-to casual French expression for when one of your friends is generalizing, and it literally means, "you tin't put everything in the aforementioned bag!"

If yous find yourself with a friend who does like to lump everything together, and then remind him or her of this with this simple phrase.

59. Tu fais quoi ? — What are yous up to?

The phrase "Whatcha doin'?" might be the best way to portray the laid-back style of this French phrase.

Without knowing that it's informal, it tin can look like a strange sentence, literally meaning "You're doing what?" Nevertheless it ordinarily replaces "Qu'est-ce que tu fais?" or "Que fais-tu?" in day-to-day situations.

This phrase is highly informal, and not recommended that you apply it with anyone other than family or close friends.

Common, Everyday French Phrases for Saying Goodbye

60. Au revoir — Goodbye (somewhat formal)

61. Salut — Cheerio (informal)

62. Ciao — Goodbye (informal)

Equally in a lot of European countries, France has borrowed the Italian wordciaoto say a casual adieu.

63. À demain — See you tomorrow

64. Bonne journée — Have a squeamish twenty-four hours

65. Bonne soirée — Accept a good evening

66. À ce soir — Come across you tonight

67. À tout à l'heure / À plus tard — See you later

68. À bientôt — See yous soon

69. À la prochaine — Until next fourth dimension

The longer version of this expression is, à la prochaine fois, withfois meaning "time."

70. Adieu — Cheerio (forever)

This essentially means, "until we encounter our maker." So please, unless you're singing a certain song from "The Sound of Music," refrain from using this unless you know y'all'll never be seeing that person again!

So, there you have it, 70 different French phrases for saying hello, cheerio and nearly everything in between.

Utilize the tips nosotros discussed to practice these often. Effort them out in conversation. Use them in your emails. Slip them into your social media posts.

Mind upwards for them in French songs, radio broadcasts, podcasts and videos.

Even as you progress in your French learning journey, you'll detect yourself using these go-to phrases again and again.

Bon apprentissage ! (Happy learning!)

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Michelle Baumgartner is a language nerd who has formally studied seven languages and informally dabbled in several others. In addition to geeking out over slender vowels, interrogative particles, and phonemes, Michelle is an teaching blogger specializing in linguistic communication learning topics. Find out more at StellaWriting.com .

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

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Source: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/french/casual-everyday-french-phrases-expressions/

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