Essential French Phrases
Every phrase in the French tourist deck, free to read and grouped by situation. Each row shows how to say it and what it means. Three play native audio here.
French for Tourists - Essential Travel Phrases
The French phrases travelers to France use most — greetings, getting around, ordering food, shopping, numbers, and emergencies — each with natural French, easy phonetic pronunciation, a usage example, and native-speaker audio.
53 cards with native audio. Read them all free on the deck page.
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Greetings
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonjour | bohn-ZHOOR | Hello / Good morning | |
| Bonsoir | bohn-SWAHR | Good evening | |
| Au revoir | oh ruh-VWAHR | Goodbye | |
| Salut | sah-LEW | Hi / Bye (casual) | |
| Bonne nuit | bun NWEE | Good night | |
| Comment allez-vous ? | koh-mahn tah-lay-VOO | How are you? (formal) | |
| Enchanté | ahn-shahn-TAY | Nice to meet you (said by a man; f. enchantée) |
Basic Phrases
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merci | mehr-SEE | Thank you | |
| Merci beaucoup | mehr-SEE boh-KOO | Thank you very much | |
| S'il vous plaît | seel voo-PLEH | Please (formal / polite) | |
| De rien | duh ree-AHN | You're welcome | |
| Excusez-moi | ehk-skew-zay-MWAH | Excuse me | |
| Pardon | par-DOHN | Sorry / Pardon me | |
| Oui | WEE | Yes | |
| Non | NOHN | No | |
| Je ne comprends pas | zhuh nuh kohn-prahn-PAH | I don't understand | |
| Parlez-vous anglais ? | par-lay-voo ahn-GLEH | Do you speak English? |
Directions
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Où sont les toilettes ? | oo sohn lay twah-LET | Where are the toilets? | |
| à droite | ah DRWAHT | to the right / on the right | |
| à gauche | ah GOHSH | to the left / on the left | |
| tout droit | too DRWAH | straight ahead | |
| Où est l'hôtel ? | oo eh loh-TEL | Where is the hotel? |
Transportation
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| le train | luh TRAN | the train (m.) | |
| le bus | luh BEWS | the bus (m.) | |
| un taxi | uhn tahk-SEE | a taxi (m.) | |
| l'aéroport | lah-ay-roh-POHR | the airport (m.) | |
| un billet | uhn bee-YAY | a ticket (m.) | |
| la gare | lah GAHR | the train station (f.) |
Food & Drink
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| l'eau | LOH | the water (f.) | |
| le café | luh kah-FAY | the coffee / the café (m.) | |
| le vin | luh VAN | the wine (m.) | |
| une table | ewn TAHBL | a table (f.) | |
| l'addition | lah-dee-see-OHN | the bill / check (f.) | |
| le menu | luh muh-NEW | the menu (m.) | |
| le pain | luh PAN | the bread (m.) |
Shopping
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combien ça coûte ? | kohn-bee-AHN sah KOOT | How much does it cost? | |
| C'est trop cher | say troh SHEHR | It's too expensive | |
| le magasin | luh mah-gah-ZAN | the store / shop (m.) |
Numbers
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| un | UHN | one | |
| deux | DUH | two | |
| trois | TRWAH | three | |
| quatre | KATR | four | |
| cinq | SANK | five | |
| six | SEES | six | |
| sept | SET | seven | |
| huit | WEET | eight | |
| neuf | NUHF | nine | |
| dix | DEES | ten |
Emergency
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Au secours ! | oh suh-KOOR | Help! | |
| un médecin | uhn mayd-SAN | a doctor (m.) | |
| la police | lah poh-LEES | the police (f.) | |
| l'hôpital | loh-pee-TAL | the hospital (m.) | |
| la pharmacie | lah far-mah-SEE | the pharmacy (f.) |
Frequently asked questions
How many French phrases do I need as a traveler?
A core of about 30 to 50 phrases — greetings, please and thank you, directions, ordering food, and numbers — covers most everyday situations in France.
Is French pronunciation hard for English speakers?
French has nasal vowels, a distinctive R, and many silent final letters, so it takes practice. The respellings here get you close; native audio is the fastest way to sound natural.
Do people in France speak English?
In tourist areas and big cities you will find some English, but starting every interaction with Bonjour and a few French phrases is expected and makes a real difference.
Keep learning French
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