Words and Phrases

1. Some Basic Phrases

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Bonjour bohn-zhoorHello / Good day	Bonsoir bohn-swahr Good evening	Bonne nuit bun nwee Good night
Salut sah-lewHi / Bye	Au revoir ohr-vwahGoodbye	S’il vous plaît seel voo plehPlease
Merci (beaucoup) mair-see boh-kooThank you (very much)	De rien. / Je vous en prie. duh ree-ahn / zhuh voo zawn preeYou’re welcome.	Bienvenu(e) bee-ahn-vuh-new Welcome (also You’re welcome in Quebec)
A tout à l’heure / A plus tard ah too tah luhr / ah plew tahrSee you later	A bientôt ah bee-ahn-tohSee you soon	A demain ah duh-mahnSee you tomorrow
Désolé(e)! day-zoh-laySorry!	Pardonnez-moi! pahr-dohn-nay-mwahExcuse me!	Allons-y! ah-lohn-zeeLet’s go!
Comment allez-vous ? koh-mawn tahl-ay vooHow are you? (formal)	Ça va ? sah vahHow are you? (informal)	Très bien / mal / pas mal treh bee-ahn / mahl / pah mahlVery good / bad / not bad
Je vais bien zhuh vay bee-ahnI’m fine.	Ça va. sah vahI’m fine. (informal)	Oui / non wee/nohnYes / no
Comment vous appelez-vous ? koh-mawn voo zah-play voo What’s your name? (formal)	Tu t’appelles comment ? tew tah-pell koh-mawnWhat’s your name? (informal)	Je m’appelle… zhuh mah-pellMy name is…
Enchanté(e) awn-shawn-tayNice to meet you.	Monsieur, Madame, Mademoiselle muh-syuh, mah-dahm, mahd-mwah-zellMister, Misses, Miss	Mesdames et Messieurs meh-dahm eh meh-syuhLadies and gentlemen
Vous êtes d’où ? voo zet dooWhere are you from? (formal)	Tu es d’où ? tew ay dooWhere are you from? (informal)	Je suis de… zhuh swee duhI am from…
Où habitez-vous ? ooh ah-bee-tay vooWhere do you live? (formal)	Tu habites où ? tew ah-beet oohWhere do you live? (informal)	J’habite à… zhah-beet ahI live in…
Quel âge avez-vous ? kell ahzh ah-vay vooHow old are you? (formal)	Tu as quel âge ? tew ah kell ahzhHow old are you? (informal)	J’ai ____ ans. zhay ____ awnI am ____ years old.
Parlez-vous français ? par-lay voo frahn-sayDo you speak French? (formal)	Tu parles anglais ? tew parl on-glayDo you speak English? (informal)	Je (ne) parle (pas)… zhuh nuh parl pahI (don’t) speak…
Comprenez-vous? / Tu comprends? kohm-pren-ay-voo / tew kohm-prawnDo you understand? (formal / informal)	Je (ne) comprends (pas) zhuh nuh kohm-prawn pahI (don’t) understand	Je (ne) sais (pas) zhuhn say pahI (don’t) know
Pouvez-vous m’aider? / Tu peux m’aider? poo-vay voo meh-day / tew puh meh-dayCan you help me? (formal / informal)	Bien sûr. bee-ahn sirOf course.	Comment? kohm-mawnWhat? Pardon?
Où est … / Où sont … ? ooh eh / ooh sohnWhere is … / Where are … ?	Voici / Voilà vwah-see / vwah-lahHere is… / Here it is.	Il y a …/ Il y avait… eel-ee-ah / eel-ee-ah-vehThere is / are… / There was / were…
Comment dit-on ____ en français? kohm-mawn dee-tohn ___ on frahn-sayHow do you say ____ in French?	Qu’est-ce que c’est que ça? kess kuh seh kuh sahWhat is that?	Qu’est-ce qu’il y a? kess keel-ee-ahWhat’s the matter?
Ça ne fait rien. sah nuh feh ree-ahnIt doesn’t matter.	Qu’est-ce qui se passe? kess kee suh pahsWhat’s happening?	Je n’ai aucune idée. zhuh neh oh-kewn ee-dayI have no idea.
Je suis fatigué(e) / malade. zhuh swee fah-tee-gay / mah-lahdI’m tired / sick.	J’ai faim / soif. zhay fawn / swahfI’m hungry / thirsty.	J’ai chaud / froid. zhay show / fwahI’m hot / cold.
Je m’ennuie. zhuh mawn-nweeI’m bored.	Ça m’est égal. sah meh-teh-gahlI don’t care.	Ne vous en faites pas. / Ne t’en fais pas. nuh voo zawn fett pah / nuh tawn feh pah Don’t worry (formal / informal)
Ce n’est pas grave. suh neh pah grahvIt’s no problem. / It’s alright.	J’ai oublié. zhay oo-blee-ayI forgot.	Je dois y aller. zhuh dwah see ah-layI must go.
A vos souhaits! / A tes souhaits! ah voh soo-eh / a teh soo-ehBless you! (formal / informal)	Félicitations! fay-lee-see-tah-see-ohnCongratulations!	Bonne chance! bun shahnsGood luck!
C’est à vous! / C’est à toi! set ah voo / set a twahIt’s your turn! (formal / informal)	Taisez-vous! / Tais-toi! tez-zay voo / teh twahShut up! / Be quiet! (formal / informal)	Je t’aime zhuh temI love you (informal and singular)

Notice that French has informal and formal ways of saying things. This is because
there is more than one meaning to “you” in French (as well as in many
other languages.) The informal you is used when talking to close friends, relatives,
animals or children. The formal you is used when talking to someone you just
met, do not know well, or someone for whom you would like to show respect (a
professor, for example.) There is also a plural you, used when speaking to more
than one person.

Also notice that some words take an extra e, shown in parentheses. If
the word refers to a woman or is spoken by a woman, then the e is added
in spelling; but in most cases, it does not change the pronunciation.

To make verbs negative, French adds ne before the verb and pas
after it. However, the ne is frequently dropped in spoken French, although
it must appear in written French.

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This article was used with permission from:
Indo-European Languages