Travel phrases

Essential French travel phrases

Pack the words that matter. These are the 34 French phrases that actually come up on a trip, from your first Bonjour to calling for help, grouped by situation and written with a simple pronunciation guide, and read aloud at the tap of a button. Chosen the way a French speaker would choose them, which is why the list ends with the phrases you only hear once you are there.

Quick answer

The most useful French travel phrases cover greetings, politeness, directions, food, and emergencies. Learn a handful first: Bonjour (hello), S'il vous plaît (please), Merci (thank you), and Où sont les toilettes ? (where is the toilet?). This free tool groups 34 French phrases by situation, each with a plain-English pronunciation and a play button that reads it aloud. They are the phrases French speakers really use, not an English list translated into French, so the last block is the one a phrasebook never has: what locals say to each other.

Start here

The first 10 French phrases to learn

The ones you need on day one. Tap play, say the phrase back until it sounds close, then say it along with the voice: that is shadowing, the drill interpreters train with.

  1. 1 Bonjour Hello bohn-ZHOOR Say it on entering any shop, bus or lift. Skipping it is the classic rude mistake
  2. 2 Bonjour madame Hello, madam bohn-ZHOOR mah-DAHM Bonjour monsieur to a man. The normal form at any counter or shop door
  3. 3 Bonsoir Good evening bohn-SWAHR Replaces Bonjour from about six in the evening, on arrival as well as leaving
  4. 4 Au revoir Goodbye oh ruh-VWAHR
  5. 5 Bonne journée Have a good day bon zhoor-NAY The real closing line as you leave a shop. Bonne soirée after dark
  6. 6 S'il vous plaît Please seel voo PLEH Usually comes at the end of the request, after what you are asking for
  7. 7 Merci Thank you mair-SEE On its own, in answer to an offer, it can also mean no thanks
  8. 8 Pardon Sorry, excuse me par-DOHN To squeeze past, after a bump, and as Pardon ? to ask someone to repeat
  9. 9 Excusez-moi de vous déranger Sorry to bother you ek-skew-zay-MWAH duh voo day-rahn-ZHAY The opener before asking a stranger anything, then your question
  10. 10 Je ne comprends pas I don't understand zhuh nuh kohn-PRAHN pah
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All 34 phrases, grouped by situation.

Greetings

Bonjour Hello bohn-ZHOOR Say it on entering any shop, bus or lift. Skipping it is the classic rude mistake
Bonjour madame Hello, madam bohn-ZHOOR mah-DAHM Bonjour monsieur to a man. The normal form at any counter or shop door
Bonsoir Good evening bohn-SWAHR Replaces Bonjour from about six in the evening, on arrival as well as leaving
Au revoir Goodbye oh ruh-VWAHR
Bonne journée Have a good day bon zhoor-NAY The real closing line as you leave a shop. Bonne soirée after dark

Basics

S'il vous plaît Please seel voo PLEH Usually comes at the end of the request, after what you are asking for
Merci Thank you mair-SEE On its own, in answer to an offer, it can also mean no thanks
Pardon Sorry, excuse me par-DOHN To squeeze past, after a bump, and as Pardon ? to ask someone to repeat
Excusez-moi de vous déranger Sorry to bother you ek-skew-zay-MWAH duh voo day-rahn-ZHAY The opener before asking a stranger anything, then your question
Je ne comprends pas I don't understand zhuh nuh kohn-PRAHN pah
Vous parlez anglais ? Do you speak English? voo par-LAY ahn-GLEH Ask it after Bonjour, never as your first words

Getting around

Où sont les toilettes ? Where is the toilet? oo sohn lay twah-LET Always plural. In a cafe, order something first
Je cherche la gare I'm looking for the train station zhuh SHAIRSH lah GAR
Un ticket, s'il vous plaît One ticket, please uhn tee-KEH seel voo PLEH Ticket is for bus and metro. A train seat is un billet
Quel arrêt pour le centre-ville ? Which stop for the town centre? kel ah-REH poor luh sahn-truh-VEEL
Vous descendez ? Are you getting off? voo day-sahn-DAY Asked to whoever blocks the bus or metro door. Answer Oui or step aside

Eating out

Sur place ou à emporter ? Eat in or take away? sewr PLAHSS oo ah ahm-por-TAY Asked at any bakery or takeaway counter. Sur place means you are eating in
Je vais prendre le plat du jour I'll have the dish of the day zhuh veh PRAHN-druh luh plah dew ZHOOR Le menu is a set meal at a fixed price, la carte is the list of dishes
Une carafe d'eau, s'il vous plaît A jug of tap water, please ewn kah-RAHF DOH seel voo PLEH Tap water is free and normal to ask for. Otherwise you get a paid bottle
L'addition, s'il vous plaît The bill, please lah-dee-SYOHN seel voo PLEH The bill never arrives until you ask for it
Bon appétit Enjoy your meal bohn ah-pay-TEE Said to anyone about to eat, including strangers at the next table

Shopping

Ça fait combien ? What does that come to? sah feh kohm-BYEN
Je regarde, merci I'm just looking, thanks zhuh ruh-GARD mair-SEE The answer when a shop assistant offers help as you walk in
Je peux payer par carte ? Can I pay by card? zhuh puh pay-YAY par KART Cards work almost everywhere, even for a coffee. Contactless is standard
Et avec ceci ? Anything else? ay ah-vek suh-SEE The baker's question after each item. Answer Ce sera tout, merci

Emergencies

Au secours ! Help! oh suh-KOOR
Appelez les pompiers ! Call the fire brigade! ah-play lay pohm-PYAY In France they answer medical emergencies too. Dial 18 or 112, and 17 for police
J'ai besoin d'un médecin I need a doctor zhay buh-ZWEN duhn mayd-SEN
Je me suis perdu I'm lost zhuh muh swee pair-DEW Perdue if you are a woman, same sound

Locals say

Je vous en prie You're welcome (formal) zhuh voo zahn PREE The polite answer to Merci. De rien is the casual one
Voilà There you go vwah-LAH Handed over with your change or your coffee. Also means exactly, that is it
Ça marche That works, got it sah MARSH Agreement to a plan or an order. Informal but safe with anyone
Bon courage Good luck with it bohn koo-RAHZH Said to anyone facing work or a long day, including staff closing up
Santé ! Cheers! sahn-TAY The toast as the glasses touch. Tchin tchin is the casual version; À la vôtre is the reply

How to get the most from these phrases

Learn by situation, not alphabetically. Your memory files Bonjour next to the moment you would use it, so run through the greetings before you fly, the restaurant block on the way to dinner, and the emergency block once so it is there if you ever need it.

The pronunciation guide is written the way an English speaker would read it aloud, with the stressed syllable in capitals. It is a crutch, not the real sound. Press play, listen once, then say the phrase back: the audio fixes the vowels that plain English spelling cannot capture. Once a phrase feels easy, say it together with the voice, a beat behind, the way interpreters drill: our guide to shadowing explains the sequence.

Phrases get you to the country. What gets you fluent is meeting the same words again and again in context, which is exactly what reading does. Once S'il vous plaît and Merci feel automatic, the next step is a real French sentence, then a page, then a book. That is the whole idea behind reading in Lingo7.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most important French phrases for travel?

Start with greetings and politeness, then the phrases that solve a real problem: asking directions, ordering, paying, and getting help. On this page that is Bonjour (hello), S'il vous plaît (please), Merci (thank you), Où sont les toilettes ? (where is the toilet?), and Au secours ! (help!). Learn those few and you can be polite and safe almost anywhere.

What do French locals say that a phrasebook leaves out?

A phrasebook translates English, so it gives you the French for "hello" and stops. The phrases people there actually trade all day are the ones with no English slot: Je vous en prie (you're welcome (formal)), Voilà (there you go), Ça marche (that works, got it). The "Locals say" block on this page collects 5 of them and says when each one is used, which is usually what turns a correct sentence into a normal one.

What do these French phrases sound like?

Tap the play button next to a phrase and you hear it read aloud, so you can copy the sound instead of guessing it from the spelling. The written pronunciation is a crutch for English eyes, the audio is the real thing. Play Bonjour and Merci a few times, say them back, and they come out right when it counts.

How do you say hello and thank you in French?

In French, hello is Bonjour (pronounced bohn-ZHOOR) and thank you is Merci (mair-SEE). Add S'il vous plaît (please) and Au revoir (goodbye), and you have the words that carry most short exchanges with a shopkeeper, waiter, or stranger.

How do you ask where the toilet is in French?

Ask Où sont les toilettes ? (pronounced oo sohn lay twah-LET), which means "where is the toilet?" in French. If you only catch part of the reply, Je ne comprends pas (I don't understand) and a smile usually gets it repeated or pointed out. It is one of the few phrases worth memorizing word for word before you go.

Do I need to learn French before traveling?

No, but a dozen French phrases go a long way. Locals warm up fast when you open with Bonjour and Merci instead of English. You do not need grammar or fluency for a trip, just the survival set above. For anything past that, the fastest route to real French is reading, which is exactly what Lingo7 is built for.