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Key French Phrases Every Traveler Should Know for the Trip to France

Last updated: February 3, 2026

Essential French travel phrases you need to know - Banner

Planning a trip to France soon?🧳 You'll have a way better time if you know some basic French travel phrases. Sure, plenty of people speak English in Paris and other tourist spots, but locals really appreciate it when you make an effort to use their language. Plus, knowing what to say helps you navigate restaurants, metro stations, and shops without feeling totally lost. Here's everything you need to know to get around France with confidence.

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Essential greetings and polite phrases with English translation

Let's start with the basics you'll use every single day. These are the phrases that open doors, literally and figuratively.

  • "Bonjour" (bon-ZHOOR) means hello or good morning. Use this when entering any shop, restaurant, or when approaching someone for help. Seriously, always say bonjour first. It's considered rude to just launch into a question without greeting someone.
  • "Bonsoir" (bon-SWAHR) is good evening. Switch to this after around 6 PM.
  • "Au revoir" (oh reh-VWAHR) means goodbye. Use it when leaving shops or ending conversations.
  • "S'il vous plaît" (see voo PLEH) translates to please. Add this to any request to sound polite.
  • "Merci" (mehr-SEE) is thank you. You'll use this constantly. "Merci beaucoup" (mehr-SEE bo-KOO) means thank you very much.
  • "Excusez-moi" (ex-kew-zay-MWAH) is excuse me. Use it to get someone's attention, squeeze past people on the metro, or apologize for bumping into someone.
  • "Pardon" (par-DOHN) works similarly to excusez-moi and is slightly less formal.
  • "De rien" (duh ree-EN) means you're welcome.

These phrases form the foundation of polite interaction in France. Master these before anything else.

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How to ask for directions during the tour: Getting around in France

Transportation and navigation phrases will save you so much confusion during your trip to France.

  • "Où est..." (oo eh) means where is. This is your most important phrase for finding stuff. "Où est la gare?" (oo eh la gar) means where is the train station?
  • "Parlez-vous anglais?" (par-lay voo ahn-GLAY) asks do you speak English? Use this after your initial bonjour if you need to have a longer conversation.
  • "Je ne comprends pas" (zhuh nuh kom-prahn pah) means I don't understand. Super useful when someone responds in rapid French.
  • "Pouvez-vous répéter?" (poo-vay voo ray-pay-TAY) asks can you repeat that?
  • "La gare" (la gar) is the train station. "Le métro" (luh may-TRO) is the metro or subway. "L'aéroport" (lah-ay-ro-POR) is the airport.
  • "Un billet" (uhn bee-YAY) means a ticket. "Aller simple" (ah-lay SAN-pluh) is one way. "Aller-retour" (ah-lay ruh-TOOR) is round trip.
  • "À quelle heure?" (ah kel ur) asks at what time? Useful for checking train or tour schedules.
  • "Combien de temps?" (kom-bee-EN duh tahn) means how long or how much time?

When you're lost, combine these: "Excusez-moi, où est le métro, s'il vous plaît?" works perfectly to ask where the metro is.

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Order food and dine out during the vacation

Restaurant situations can feel intimidating, but these phrases make everything smoother.

  • "Une table pour deux" (ewn tah-bluh poor duh) means a table for two. Swap "deux" for whatever number you need.
  • "La carte, s'il vous plaît" (la kart, see voo PLEH) asks for the menu. "Le menu" actually refers to a fixed-price meal, not the menu itself.
  • "Je voudrais..." (zhuh voo-DREH) means I would like. This is your go-to phrase for ordering anything. "Je voudrais un café" means I would like a coffee.
  • "L'addition, s'il vous plaît" (lah-dee-see-OHN, see voo PLEH) asks for the check. In France, servers won't bring the bill until you ask for it.
  • "C'est délicieux" (say day-lee-see-UH) means it's delicious. Nice compliment for your server.
  • "Eau gazeuse" (oh gah-ZUHZ) is sparkling water. "Eau plate" (oh plaht) is still water. You'll need to specify because they'll always ask.
  • "Une carafe d'eau" (ewn kah-rahf doh) gets you free tap water, which is totally fine to drink in France.
  • "Qu'est-ce que vous recommandez?" (kess-kuh voo reh-ko-mahn-DAY) asks what do you recommend?
  • "Sans viande" (sahn vee-AHND) means without meat if you're vegetarian. "Je suis allergique à..." (zhuh swee ah-lehr-ZHEEK ah) means I'm allergic to.

Quick tip: in French cafes and restaurants, you typically need to flag down your server rather than expecting them to check on you constantly. Use "excusez-moi" to get their attention politely.

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Shopping and handling money for the travel

Whether you're hitting up local markets or fancy boutiques, these phrases help.

  • "Combien ça coûte?" (kom-bee-EN sah koot) or just "C'est combien?" (say kom-bee-EN) asks how much does this cost?
  • "Je regarde seulement" (zhuh ruh-gard suhl-MAHN) means I'm just looking. Useful when shop staff approach you.
  • "Quelle taille?" (kel tie) asks what size? "Petit" (puh-TEE) is small, "moyen" (mwah-YEN) is medium, "grand" (grahn) is large.
  • "Puis-je essayer?" (pwee-zhuh eh-say-YAY) means can I try this on?
  • "Acceptez-vous les cartes de crédit?" (ak-sep-tay voo lay kart duh kray-DEE) asks do you accept credit cards? Most places do now, but smaller shops might be cash only.
  • "Un reçu, s'il vous plaît" (uhn ruh-SEW, see voo PLEH) asks for a receipt.
  • "Trop cher" (troh shehr) means too expensive. Useful at markets where haggling is sometimes acceptable.
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Essential French phrases for emergency and help

Hope you won't need these, but better to have them ready.

  • "Au secours!" (oh suh-KOOR) means help! Use this in emergencies.
  • "J'ai besoin d'aide" (zhay buh-ZWAN ded) means I need help. Less urgent than au secours.
  • "Où est l'hôpital?" (oo eh loh-pee-TAL) asks where is the hospital?
  • "Où est la pharmacie?" (oo eh la far-mah-SEE) asks where is the pharmacy? French pharmacies are super helpful for minor health issues.
  • "J'ai perdu mon passeport" (zhay pehr-DEW mohn pass-por) means I lost my passport.
  • "Appelez la police" (ah-play la po-LEES) means call the police.
  • "Je suis perdu(e)" (zhuh swee pehr-DEW) means I'm lost. Add the "e" sound if you're female.
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Useful phrases for accommodation

Checking into hotels or booking places to stay requires a few specific phrases.

  • "J'ai une réservation" (zhay ewn ray-zehr-vah-see-OHN) means I have a reservation.
  • "Avez-vous des chambres disponibles?" (ah-vay voo day shahm-bruh dees-po-nee-bluh) asks do you have rooms available?
  • "Pour combien de nuits?" (poor kom-bee-EN duh nwee) asks for how many nights?
  • "Le petit déjeuner est inclus?" (luh puh-TEE day-zhuh-NAY eh tan-KLEW) asks is breakfast included?
  • "À quelle heure est le check-out?" (ah kel ur eh luh check-out) asks what time is checkout? Yes, they use the English word "check-out."
  • "La clé, s'il vous plaît" (la klay, see voo PLEH) asks for the key.
  • "Le wifi ne marche pas" (luh wee-fee nuh marsh pah) means the wifi doesn't work. Pretty important these days.
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Numbers and time basics with pronunciation

You'll need numbers constantly for prices, times, and addresses.

French

English

Pronunciation

Un
1
uhn
Deux
2
duh
Trois
3
twah
Quatre
4
KAH-truh
Cinq
5
sank
Six
6
sees
Sept
7
set
Huit
8
weet
Neuf
9
nuhf
Dix
10
dees

For time:

  • "Quelle heure est-il?" (kel ur eh-TEEL) asks what time is it?
  • "À quelle heure ouvre/ferme?" (ah kel ur oov-ruh/fehrm) asks what time does it open/close?

French uses 24-hour time commonly, so 14h means 2 PM. Get comfortable with this system.

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Making your French phrase learning stick

Knowing these phrases on paper is one thing. Actually remembering them when you're standing in a French bakery trying to order a croissant? That's different.

  1. Here's what actually works: practice out loud before your trip. Seriously, stand in your kitchen and say these phrases. Your pronunciation will be rough at first, and that's fine. The physical act of saying words helps them stick way better than just reading them.
  2. Record yourself saying the phrases and compare to native pronunciation videos online. You'll catch mistakes you didn't even know you were making.
  3. Make a small notebook or phone note with your most essential phrases organized by situation. When you're actually in France, you can quickly reference it without fumbling through a whole book.
  4. Use the phrases even when people speak English back to you. The practice matters, and you'll get more confident each time.

One traveler I know said they spent just 15 minutes a day for two weeks before their France trip practicing these phrases. They weren't fluent, but they could handle basic interactions smoothly. That preparation made their whole trip less stressful and way more enjoyable.

Anyway, if you want to keep learning French beyond your trip, Migaku's browser extension and app let you look up French words instantly while watching French shows or reading articles. Makes learning from real content way more practical than just memorizing phrase lists. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.

learn common french phrases with Migaku
Learn French with Migaku
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Are you dreaming about France?

If you're planning a trip to France, learning these essential French travel phrases will genuinely improve your experience. You'll navigate the metro easier, order food with confidence, and connect with local people in a meaningful way. However, if you plan to learn French systematically, you always need to resort to textbooks and immersion, with the help of media and real French content.

If you consume media in French, and you understand at least some of the messages and sentences within that media, you will make progress. Period.

To Travel is to Live!