Here are 13 essential AND easy French phrases you can learn for your Paris trip. I promise you, knowing a few words and phrases will make your trip SO much smoother.
After living here for over a decade – starting a photography business and starting a family – I’ve come a long way in my own French learning journey. Honestly, starting out with just a few simple phrases under your built can completely transform your time in France.
If you’re traveling to Paris for the first time and having anxiety over the foreign language barrier, there’s no need to worry.
The French capital is full of other brave travelers like yourself and non-French expats who have integrated into the culture. Beyond this, over 60% of the Parisian population can speak basic English!
Just because you don’t need to worry about the language barrier doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pick up a few essential french phrases to use around the city.
What You’ll Find in This Blog:
- Why Learn Some French Phrases before Your Paris Trip?
1. Communication & Travel Smoothness: Learning Easy French Phrases
2. Self-Confidence And Empowerment: Learning Easy French Phrases
3. Cultural Respect: Learning Easy French Phrases - Easy French Phrases to Learn Before Your Trip
- Easy French Phrases for Ordering in Paris Restaurants
- Easy French Phrases and Vocabulary About Wine
- Easy French Phrases For Communication While Traveling
- Learning French Pronunciation
- Book Your Paris Photoshoot With Us Today!
Why learn some French phrases before your Paris trip?
There are so many reasons for why learning some easy French words and phrases before your trip is important.
1. Communication & Travel Smoothness: Learning Easy French Phrases
The first reason is so simple. Being able to order at restaurants and cafés will make your trip so much easier and more comfortable. Without knowing the essential words and phrases, restaurant menus can become really intimidating and it can seem so scary to approach a stranger in a service environment. The simple transactions we take for granted back home can suddenly feel overwhelming when there’s a language barrier.
2. Self-Confidence And Empowerment: Learning Easy French Phrases
I so firmly believe in the power of doing hard things.
Putting ourselves in uncomfortable situation and trying anyways can lead to incredible growth! And at the end of the day, those are the moments we’ll remember the most.
French is hard. Learning any language is hard. Stumbling through words can be embarassing. DO IT ANYWAY. Test out the French words and phrases you’ve practiced over and over at home. This is the time! You have nothing to lose and you have one life! In fact, maybe this is a once in a lifetime trip to Paris. Don’t waste it on embarassment. Put yourself out there and see what happens.
You will feel SO proud of yourself if you manage to order a croissant in French or even just say thank you and goodbye to a shopkeeper as you walk out the door.
And more often than not, the locals will appreciate the effort you put into communicating.They’ll probably find your accent endearing too.
3. Cultural Respect: Learning Easy French Phrases
And the third reason for learning some easy French phrases before your trip is showing cultural respect.
Making an effort in your non-native language speaks volumes when you’re traveling abroad. As someone who moved from the US to France 10+ years ago, I truly believe that learning French is one of the most important things I’ve ever done.
And I still love to travel all over Europe, which means visiting countries that don’t speak French or English. So I’ve had my fair share of stumbling through ordering in Spanish, Italian, German, Greek, and the list goes on… I’m not fluent in any of those languages. But I do make a point of learning at least of couple of words and expressions before traveling.
Why it’s Useful to Learn Some Easy French Phrases
Learning other languages (even just a tiny bit) shows that you respect the country and the people you are visiting. It’s a way of bearing witness to the value of their culture, and not just acting like yours is the most important.
It’s also a sign of politeness. This can be so useful when you’re on a crowded bus and you have to squeeze by other passengers to get off at your stop. Learn how to say “excuse me” in that language. Instantly, other people will respect you too and appreciate the communication. The alternative is either speaking English (which can be a bit rude to locals who don’t speak English) or staying silent (which can be awkward and might result in a complete lack of communication).
The French are proud of their culture and language, as they should be. And even a few French words or easy french phrases thrown into an interaction is an effort that’s always appreciated and a great way to show your respect of their culture.
Even introducing yourself with a “bonjour” instead of a “hello” will grant you a response from locals that’s much warmer and more willing to help. A little truly does go a long way.
So without further ado, here are 13 essential and easy French phrases and words that you should know for your next trip to Paris!
1. Bonjour / Bonne Journée
‘Bonjour’ translates literally to “good day,” which sounds formal but it’s simply how a french person says ‘hello’ and also good morning. When saying ‘goodbye,’ “bonjour” is changed to “bonne journée.”
French Phrase Tip:
The French say “bonjour/bonne journée” as the main greeting/goodbye up until around 4 or 5pm. Then, they switch to “bonsoir/bonne soirée.”
It’s polite and greatly appreciated to always say hello and goodbye when entering and leaving small shops, bakeries and even larger grocery stores (there’s normally a security guard or shop owner at the entrance to greet). It’s a good idea to get into the habit of always greeting people.
Think of Beauty and the Beast and the “Bonjour” song. It’s literally that!
2. Bonsoir / Bonne Soirée
‘Bonsoir’ translates literally to “ good evening ” and is used as an everyday greeting in the same exact way as ‘bonjour’. The only difference is that it’s of course used in the evening.
The general rule is before 4pm, the greeting is always “bonjour” and after 5pm the greeting is always “bonsoir.” Between 4 and 5pm both greetings are accepted as normal.
Just like ‘bonjour’ is changed to ‘bonne journée’ to say goodbye, “bonsoir” is changed to “bonne soiree” to say goodbye in the evenings.
3. Au Revoir
“Au revoir” means ‘goodbye’ or ‘see you next time’.
4. S’il Vous Plaît
“S’il vous plaît” translates literally to ‘if you please,’ however it’s used as the standard way to say ‘please’ in French.
You can also use it to get a waiter’s attention.
5. Merci / Merci Beaucoup
“Merci” is the French word for ‘thank you.’ “Merci beaucoup” is French for ‘thank you very much.’ They can be used in exactly the same way as the phrases are used in English.
6. De Rien / Je Vous En Prie
If you’re in the situation where someone is saying “merci” to you, you can respond with “de rien.” or “je vous en prie”. De rien is an easy French phrase that translates literally to mean ‘it’s nothing,’ but the French tend to use it as a go-to way to say ‘you’re welcome.’ De rien is basically a more casual way of saying “you’re welcome.” It’s great for kids or friends or people you know well.
“Je vous en prie” is a more formal way of saying “you’re welcome” (vous is the formal version of you – used for strangers, elders, and service workers)
7. Pardon
“Pardon” translates to ‘sorry,’ but it’s used more as a way to say ‘excuse me.’ If you bump into someone in the metro or need to squeeze past someone in the street, you can say “pardon” to politely get their attention or apologize. This easy French word is used ALL the time in the metro. It’s my go-to.
8. Excusez-Moi
“Excusez moi” is used in the exact same way as “pardon.” It translates literally to ‘excuse me’ and can be used in all the ways the phrase is used in English.
Easy French Phrases for Ordering in Paris Restaurants
1. Je Vais Prendre… / Je Voudrais // Je Prendrai
“Je vais prendre” and Je prendrai translates literally to ‘I’m taking” which is the phrase used in French to order something.
“Je vais prendre un cafe” is essentially the same thing as saying ‘I will have a coffee.’ It’s a great French phrase to know for when you go to a restaurant, cafe or bakery. Simply say “je vais prendre [insert what you’ve chosen from the menu] s’il vous plaît” and you’ve just ordered like a true Parisian!
You can also use the easy French phrase “Je voudrais” in the same context. It’ means “I would like”.
2. Entrées / Plats
You won’t likely be using these words everyday in conversation, but you’re bound to run into them on most menus.
Unlike in the U.S., an “entrée” in France is not a main dish, it’s an appetizer. A main course in France is referred to as a “plat.” So when you’re browsing le menu at a restaurant in France, under the “entrées” section you are looking at appetizers. Under the “plats” section, you are looking at mains.
3. Petit / Moyen / Grand
“Petit” translates to the english word ‘small.’ “Moyen” translates to ‘medium.’ “Grand” translates to ‘large.’ These easy French phrases for sizes are useful to know in cafes that may offer different sizes of their beverages.
4. Saignant / À Point / Bien Cuit
If you plan on ordering red meat while in France, it’s good to know how to ask for the right cook.
- To ask for a ‘rare’ steak, ask for it to be “saignant.”
- To ask for ‘medium,’ request “à point.”
- To ask for ‘well done,’ request “bien cuit.”
You can generally expect whatever cook you ask for to be a little less heavily cooked in France than it would be in the United States. If you ask for a steak “à point” for example, there’s a good bet that it will come out closer to what you might think of as medium-rare instead of medium.
So if you’re averse to meat that’s less cooked than to your liking, maybe lean towards a higher cook than normal. If you really want to be sure the meat is very thoroughly ‘well-done,’ you can also ask for “très bien cuit” which means ‘very well done.’
5. Santé / Chin Chin
Cheers! You’re in Paris! Time to celebrate that you’re finally here!
When cheers-ing glasses, the French say “santé” which translates as a toast ‘to health.’ You can also say “chin chin,” which is just a cuter way to say cheers 🙂 Think of chin-chin as the sound the glasses make when they clink together.
Easy French phrases and Vocabulary About Wine:
une Bouteille de vin
” A bottle of wine”
un verre de vin
“A glass of wine“
Vin Rouge
“Red wine”
Vin Blanc
“White wine”
C’est Bon
“It’s good” (this is perfect for when they pour you a sample of wine to try at a French restaurant. If you like the wine and want to go ahead and drink a full glass or bottle, this is a great response)
Je Peux goûter?
This is a simple way of asking “can I try it?” Say this if you just want a taste of wine, or of anything else!
Easy French Phrases For communication while traveling
Comment vas-tu? // Comment ça va?
“How are you?“
Combien coûte…?
“What is the cost of….?”
Je Suis Désolé(e)
“I’m sorry”
Je suis perdu(E)
“I’m lost”
Je m’Appelle…
“My name is…”
Parlez-Vous Anglais?
“Do you speak english?” This one is a life saver when you don’t speak French. The great news is that a lot of people in Paris speak English!
Où est…?
“Where is…?” (For example: Où est le café? – where is the café?_
Où sont les Toilettes?
“Where is the restroom / public toilets?” This one is very important! And it can sometimes be hard to find public restrooms in Paris. Knowing how to ask is essential!
Je ne Comprends Pas
“I don’t understand”
Pouvez-vous M’aider?
“Can you help me?”
Sans Gluten
“Gluten free”
Sans Viande
“Without meat”
Learning French Pronunciation
Finally, pronunciation in French is difficult!!
Youtube videos explaining how to say each of these phrases are easy to find, but it can be difficult to remember the exact pronunciation in the moment.
Native french speakers will not expect you to speak perfectly or without an accent! A new language is hard and a lot of french pronunciation takes time to learn.
French Language Pronunciation Resources:
The Google Translate App is a great resource to have on the go for pronunciation!!
Type in the phrase you need while the app is set to translate to French and then simply press the little audio button below the translation to hear exactly how it’s meant to be said.
We also love the instagrammer @Alexteachesfrench
He has loads of top french travel phrases and french sayings that you’d use in real life (and not just on duolingo.)
The deeper you go into the French language the more french vocabulary you’ll need to go from these easy French phrases to a more complex understanding. But just remember, you’re here for vacation, so no one expects you to speak the local language fluently!!
The best way to show your respect of the country is to have a few of these common french phrases and key words up your sleeve to pepper in.
If you only learn ONE word, it should be “bonjour”, but these other useful easy french phrases will make your stay even easier.
Bon Voyage!!
That means have a good trip 😉
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