France, the country of love with the language of romance. It’s also a widely popular travel destination, with enough natural sites and historic landmarks to give you the vacation of a lifetime! But sometimes, to get your hands on the freshest croissant or to find the Arc de Triomphe, you will need to interact with the locals for some guidance. Which can be a challenge if you don’t speak any French!
Getting around can be even more challenging for English-speakers. While a portion of the French population speaks English, the majority don’t. So it’s best to travel prepared and learn some key phrases and sentences to help you make the most of your vacation.
But don’t worry, because Expat Explore has compiled this list of the top French phrases for travelling so that you can get on that plane to Paris without worrying about the language barrier. From hello to goodbye and the most important things in between, read on to learn a little bit of French before your trip!
Here are our top French travel phrases:
Greetings:
Bonjour – Hello
Bonsoir – Good evening
Salut – Hi/Bye (informal)
Au revoir – Goodbye
Adieu – Goodbye (formal)
À bientôt – See you soon
Bonne nuit – Good night
Related: Visiting Greece, the Netherlands or Portugal? We have more handy phrase guides for you!
The magic words:
S’il vous plaît – Please
Merci – Thank you
Pardon – Excuse me
Oui – Yes
Non – No
Je m’appelle… – My name is…
For most scenarios, you’ll need a lot more than this to get by. However, the great thing about knowing at least a few words in the native language of the country you’re visiting is that it instantly paints you in a better light than, say, a traveller who couldn’t even bother to learn bonjour.
So, memorise these words and phrases or keep this guide nearby while you travel, and see how much more you get out of your trip when you talk to locals like locals!
Getting around:
Often, the trickiest part of navigating a new country is exactly that – navigating and getting around. Thankfully, large parts of France still carry the British influence in the form of English signage almost everywhere you go.
However, it’s still useful to learn a couple of phrases to help you get around in the event that you can’t make heads or tails of signage, or worse, can’t find any around!
Où est… – Where is…
l’hôtel? – the hotel?
la banque? – the bank?
l’aéroport? – the airport?
le guichet? – the ticket window?
la plage? – the beach?
Je cherche… – I’m looking for…
le bus – the bus
un taxi – a taxi
les toilettes – the toilets
l’hôpital – the hospital
Où est le métro? – Where is the metro?
C’est loin? – Is it far?
Où est la sortie? – Where is the exit?
C’est près d’ici? – Is it close by?
Où sont les taxis? – Where are the taxis?
Gauche et droit – Left and right
Related: Get ready for dining in France with these French home cooking recipes!
Miscommunications:
The last thing you want on vacation, especially if you’ve spent time learning some French phrases, is to find yourself in an awkward misunderstanding with a local. Luckily, you can just as easily learn a phrase or two (or just keep them nearby) to let the people you encounter know just how much (or how little) French you can speak.
Je ne comprends pas – I don’t understand
Pouvez-vous répéter, s’il vous plaît? – Could you repeat that, please?
Parlez plus lentement, s’il vous plaît – Speak a little slower, please
Je ne parle pas français – I don’t speak French
Je parle un peu français – I speak a little French
Voulez-vous pratiquer ces phrases? (Do you want to practise these phrases?) Then be sure to visit France with Expat Explore to put your newfound French knowledge to the test!