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48 Common French Phrases For Travelers

September 1, 2019 By Katya Kroupnik

48 Common French Phrases For Travelers

France is a popular tourist destination. Coming here, you will discover the scenery and life of indigenous people.

However, language is one of the factors that make culture shock for tourists. So, whether you have tour guides or French-speaking companions, you should equip yourself with some basic knowledge about the language of this country.

That’s why we write this post. Besides, you will also be provided with French important phrases used in emergencies that tourists coming to France often encounter.

Table of Contents

  • Top 48 common French phrases tourists should know
    • For greeting
    • For direction
    • For transportation
    • For accommodation
    • For dining
    • For shopping

Top 48 common French phrases tourists should know

For greeting

To be polite when traveling, there are cases that you have to greet others appropriately. Here are some sentences you can learn to start a simple conversation with indigenous people.

You will need some common French phrases to greet the locals

When you want to say “Hello” in French, it is simply “Bonjour!”

And here is how to spell “Hello” in French.

Similarly, “Hello everyone” in French is “Bonjour à tous.”

“Bonjour à tous”

“Hello, how are you?” in French means “Salut comment allez-vous”.

“Salut comment allez-vous”

If you want the conversation to be more natural, you can use “Hello” in French slang like “Salut”, “Hé”, or “Tiens.”

“Salut”
“Hé”
“Tiens”

In contrast, “Goodbye” in French is “Au revoir!” and “See you later” is “À toute à l’heure!”

“Au revoir!”
“À toute à l’heure!”

The following are other common phrases.

Bienvenue. – Welcome.

“Bienvenue”

Madame/Monsieur/Mademoiselle – Mrs. /Mr. /Miss

“Madame/Monsieur/Mademoiselle”

Pardon, excusez-moi. – Pardon, excuse me.

“Pardon, excusez-moi”

Parlez-vous anglais? – Do you speak English?

“Parlez-vous anglais?”

Je ne parle pas français. – I do not speak French.

“Je ne parle pas français”

Merci/Merci beaucoup. – Thank you/Thank you very much.

“Merci beaucoup”

De rien. – You’re welcome.

“De rien”

For direction

Asking for direction in Paris

Pourriez-vous m’aider? – Can you help me?

“Pourriez-vous m’aider?”

Je ne comprends pas. – I do not understand.

“Je ne comprends pas”

Parlez lentement, s’il vous plaît. – Speak slowly, please.

“Parlez lentement, s’il vous plaît”

Répétez, s’il vous plaît. – Repeat, please.

“Répétez, s’il vous plaît”

Où sont des toilettes? – Where are the toilets?

“Où sont des toilettes?”

Où est un bon restaurant/un bon café? – Where is a good restaurant/a good café?

“Où est un bon restaurant/un bon café?”

Où est la plage/le centre-ville? – Where is the beach/city center?

“Où est la plage/le centre-ville?”

Je cherche le métro/le gare/l’aéroport. – I am looking for the subway/train station/airport.

“Je cherche le métro/le gare/l’aéroport”

Je cherche l’hôtel/l’hôpital/la banque. – I am looking for a hotel/hospital/bank.

“Je cherche l’hôtel/l’hôpital/la banque”

Pourriez-vous prendre ma photo/notre photo? – Can you take my photo/photo?

“Pourriez-vous prendre ma photo/notre photo?”

Où sommes-nous? – Where are we?

“Où sommes-nous?”

C’est à gauche. – It’s on the left.

“C’est à gauche”

C’est à droite. – It’s on the right.

“C’est à droite”

C’est tout droit. – It’s all right.

“C’est tout droit”

Est-ce que c’est loin/proche? – Is it far/near?

“Est-ce que c’est loin/proche?”

For transportation

When traveling, we inevitably have to move a lot to explore a country. In those moments, we should know a few French phrases to communicate with drivers or ticket sellers.

Traveling by taxi in Paris

Pouvez-vous envoyer un taxi à…? – Can you send a taxi to…?

“Pouvez-vous envoyer un taxi à…?”

Arrêtez-vous ici, s’il vous plaît. – Stop here, please.

“Arrêtez-vous ici, s’il vous plaît”

Où est le guichet? – Where is the ticket office?

“Où est le guichet?”

Je voudrais regarder l’horaire. – I would like to watch the schedule.

“Je voudrais regarder l’horaire”

Je voudrais réserver un billet. – I would like to reserve a ticket.

“Je voudrais réserver un billet”

Je voudrais acheter un billet aller simple/aller-retour pour Paris. – I would like to buy a one-way ticket to/from Paris.

“Je voudrais acheter un billet aller simple/aller-retour pour Paris”

À quelle heure faut-il arriver? – What time should I arrive?

“À quelle heure faut-il arriver?”

For accommodation

The first thing when traveling, of course, is that you need to book a room in advance. Here are some useful French phrases for you.

Staying in Paris

Quelles chambres avez-vous de disponible? – Which rooms do you have available?

“Quelles chambres avez-vous de disponible?”

Est-ce qu’il y a de climatisation? – Is there air conditioning?

“Est-ce qu’il y a de climatisation?”

Je voudrais une chambre pour deux. – I would like a double room.

“Je voudrais une chambre pour deux”

Je voudrais annuler ma réservation. – I would like to cancel my reservation.

“Je voudrais annuler ma réservation”

À quelle heure est-ce qu’il faut régler la note? – At what time should we check out?

“À quelle heure est-ce qu’il faut régler la note?”

For dining

Go dining in France

La carte/le menu, s’il vous plaît. – The menu/fixed-price menu, please.

“La carte/le menu, s’il vous plaît”

Je voudrais un café. – I would like a coffee.

“Je voudrais un café”

Je voudrais un verre. – I would like a glass (of beer).

“Je voudrais un verre”

Je voudrais de l’eau. – I would like some water.

“Je voudrais de l’eau”

L’addition, s’il vous plaît. – The bill, please.

“L’addition, s’il vous plaît”

For shopping

Est-ce que je peux payer avec une carte de crédit? – Can I pay with a credit card?

“Est-ce que je peux payer avec une carte de crédit?”

Je cherche un sac/une carte postale/un livre. – I am searching for a bag/a postcard/a book.

“Je cherche un sac/une carte postale/un livre”

Combien ça coûte? – How much does it cost?

“Combien ça coûte?”

C’est trop cher! – It’s too expensive!

“C’est trop cher!”

C’est bon marché! – It’s a great deal!

“C’est bon marché!”

C’est bon/mal/terrible. – It’s good/bad/terrible.

“C’est bon/mal/terrible”

Not only will it help you be more active on your journey to France but learning French will also make you more confident when facing various situations abroad. For further guides, don’t hesitate to let us know. Please like and share the article with others if you find it useful. Thank you.

Related posts:

  1. 5 best French language learning apps for travelers

Filed Under: Travel Blog Tagged With: goodbye in french, hello everyone in french, hello how are you in french, Hello in french, hello in french slang, how to spell hello in french

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