How to Speak Basic French

3 Ways to Speak Basic French - wikiHow/**/var WH = WH || {};WH.lang = WH.lang || {};button_swap = button_unswap = function(){};WH.exitTimerStartTime = (new Date()).getTime();WH.mergeLang = function(A){for(i in A){v=A[i];if(typeof v==='string'){WH.lang[i]=v;}}}; Sign Up or Log In or Log In via

Follow us on Pinterest

HomeArticlesCommunityMy Profile WH.translationData = {'de': {'msg':"Lies auch unseren deutschen Artikel: Wie man Franz\u00f6sisch Grundkenntnisse lernen kann."},'es': {'msg':"\u00bfTe gustar\u00eda saber Como aprende franc\u00e9s b\u00e1sico? \u00a1Lee acerca de eso en espa\u00f1ol!"},'pt': {'msg':"Gostaria de aprender Como Falar o B\u00e1sico em Franc\u00eas? Leia sobre o assunto em portugu\u00eas!"}};WH.mergeLang({'navlist_collapse': '- collapse','navlist_expand': '+ expand'});EditHome » Categories » Education and Communications » World Languages » FrenchHow to Speak Basic FrenchEdited by Laurie, Sondra C, Nicole Willson, Madelaine Arnaud and 45 others

Pin ItArticle EditDiscussFrench is a Romance language spoken fluently by approximately 175 million people worldwide. Although originating in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, today it is spoken in countries all over the world including Algeria, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Haiti, Lebanon, Madagascar, Martinique, Monaco, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Tunisia, Vietnam and officially in a total of 29 countries. It is regarded as one of the most beautiful and romantic languages in the world and as a foreign language is the second most frequently taught language in the world after English. Here's how to say several simple French phrases.

Edit Steps

Greeting Cheat Sheets

Sample Ways to Say Hello in French

Sample Ways to Say Good Morning in French

Basic Phrase Cheat Sheets

Sample Ways to Say Goodbye in French

Sample Ways to Say Thank You in French

Sample Ways to Say How Are You in French

Speaking Basic French1Memorize a new phrase or two every day and use them as part of your daily speech. Start by learning the more common and well-known words and phrases, including:

Bonjour - bon-jshorHello / Good dayBonsoir - bon-swarhGood eveningBonne nuit - bun-nweeGoodnightAu revoir - ohr-vwahGoodbyeSalut - sa-looHi / Bye [informal]S'il vous plaît - see voo playPlease [formal]S'il te plaît - see te playPlease [informal]Merci (beaucoup) - mair-see (boh-koo)Thank you (very much)Je vous en prie - zhuh voo zawn preeYou're Welcome [formal]De rien - duh ree-ahnYou're welcome [informal]

2Learn to continue speaking after you've exchanged greetings in French. Included here are some useful questions. Note that informal phrases are the ones you would use when speaking to friends, family and children, whereas formal phrases would be used when speaking to anyone older than you or anyone that you don't know, such as strangers, teachers, parents of your friends and anyone else you'd wish to speak very politely and respectfully to.

Comment allez-vous? - koh-mawn tahl-ay vooHow are you? [formal]Ça va? - sah vahHow are you? [informal](Très) bien - (treh) bee-ahn(Very) good(Pas) mal - (pah) mahl(not) badMalade - mah-lahdSickQuel age as-tuHow old are youJ'ai (how old you are) ansI am (your age) oldComment vous appelez-vous ? - koh-mawn voo zah-play vooWhat is your name? [formal]Tu t'appelles comment ? - tew tah-pell koh-mawnWhat's your name? [informal]Où habitez-vous ? - ooh ah-bee-tay vooWhere do you live? [formal]Où habites-tu? - tew ah-beet oohWhere do you live? [informal]Vous êtes d'où ? - voo zet dooWhere are you from? [formal]Tu es d'où ? - tew ay dooWhere are you from? [informal]Parlez-vous anglais ? - par-lay voo on-glayDo you speak English? [formal]Tu parles anglais ? - tew parl on-glayDo you speak English? [informal]

3Tell people about yourself! Here are some ways to answer some of the questions you just learned how to ask:

Je m'appelle ______ - zhuh mah-pellMy name is ______J'habite à ______ - zhah-beet ahI live in ______Je suis de ______ - zhuh swee duhI am from ______l'Angleterre - lawn-gluh-tairEnglandle Canada - kah-nah-dahCanadales États-Unis - ay-tah-zew-neeUnited Statesl'Allemagne - lahl-mawn-yuhGermanyJe (ne) parle (pas) ______ - zhuh (nuh) parl (pah)I (don't) speak ______français - frahn-sayFrenchanglais - on-glayEnglish

4Practice more everyday. Here are a collection of more questions and phrases that might be helpful should you travel to a French-speaking country.

Comment? - kohm-mawnWhat? Pardon?Comprenez-vous ? - kohm-pren-ay-vooDo you understand? [formal]Tu comprends ? - tew kohm-prawnDo you understand? [informal]Je (ne) comprends (pas) - zhuh (nuh) kohm-prawn (pah)I (don't) understandComment dit-on _____ en français ? - kohm-mawn dee-tohn _____ on frahn-sayHow do you say ______ in French?Je ne sais pas - zhuhn say pahI don't knowOù sont _____ ? - ooh sohnWhere are _____ ?Voilà - vwah-lahHere it is.Où est _____ ? - ooh ehWhere is _____  ?Voici _____ - vwah-seeHere is _____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?Je suis malade. - zhuh swee mah-lahdI'm sickJe suis fatigué(e) - zhuh swee fah-tee-gayI'm tired (add the 'e' if you are female - but pronounce it the same)J'ai soif. - zhay swahfI'm thirsty.J'ai faim. - zhay fawnI'm hungry.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.

Tu m'attires - "too ma-teer"I'm attracted to youTu es attirant(e) - "too ey ah-teer-an(t)You are attractive (if you are saying this to a girl, be sure to pronounce the t at the end. Avoid pronouncing the t if you're speaking to a boy).5Label objects around the house. Try writing the word in french on a flashcard and the pronunciation on the other side and simply tape it to the correct object and flip it over if you wish to remind yourself of the pronunciation without becoming reliant on the "English-ized" spelling of the words. Here's some ideas of objects to label:

l'étagère - lay-tah-zhehrShelfla fenêtre - fuh-neh-truhWindowla porte - portDoorla chaise - shehzhChairl'ordinateur - lor-dee-nah-turComputerla chaîne hi fi - shen-hi-fiStereola télévision - tay-lay-vee-zee-ohnTelevisionle réfrigérateur - ray-free-zhay-rah-tirRefrigeratorle congélateur - kon-zhay-lah-turFreezerla cuisinière - kwee-zeen-yehrStove

Edit Video

Edit TipsWhen asking a question remember to bring up the pitch of your voice with each syllable, that will make it easier for a French person to understand that you're asking a question and they will probably be able to understand you better.If you're having a hard time, you can start with "I don't speak French": "Je ne parle pas le français". It is pronounced Je= Jeuu ne= neuu parle= parl pas= pa le= leuu français= fransay.The French language was designed to be spoken very rapidly. Try renting or buying French films or DVDs with French dubbing so you can get used to hearing and understanding the phrases, even when spoken quickly.Remember to use formal phrases when speaking to people that you wish to show respect towards, such as strangers, professors, bosses, etc. You would use informal phrases only when speaking to children, friends, or family members or to others when you wish to be rude.Read French books such as Le Fantom de l'Opera by Gaston Leroux. They will help you understand the language more.

Edit WarningsWhen traveling abroad it is highly advised that you learn more than these basic phrases. Consider taking a course at a local college or community centre.

Edit Related wikiHowsHow to Improve Your FrenchHow to Learn French from ScratchHow to Speak FrenchHow to Learn Louisiana FrenchHow to Speak the French AlphabetHow to Say Hello in Different LanguagesArticle Info Featured Article

Categories: Featured Articles | French

Recent edits by: Allie, ArticleReader, Emmaewhite

Share this Article: Tweet
DiscussPrintEmailEditSend fan mail to authors

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 162,211 times.

Was this article accurate?

YesNo

Write An ArticleRandom Articlevar aax_src='3003';var amzn_targs = '';var url = encodeURIComponent(document.location);try { url = encodeURIComponent("" + window.top.location); } catch(e) {}document.write("");document.close();Related ArticlesLearn Louisiana FrenchImprove Your FrenchSay the Names of Body Parts in FrenchLearn Basic Colours in French Featured ArticlesCelebrate Take Your Dog to Work DayPlay PokerDraw a SharkBe a Good LeaderMeet a Community Member

Meet Loay, a community member from Jordan who joined us two years ago. He likes writing articles on various topics, but his favorite subjects to focus on are technology (especially handheld devices), drawing and graphic design. He enjoys the feedback he gets on his articles, both from receiving Rising Stars and seeing how many times the articles have been read.

Join The Community

- collapse Things to Do Write an Article Edit this Article Request a New Article Answer a RequestLogin for more!+ expand Places to Visit Recent Changes ForumsCommunity Portal Follow Us On...
the how to manual that you can edit

Home About wikiHow Terms of Use RSS Site map

Explore Categories Arts and Entertainment Cars and Other Vehicles Computers and Electronics Education and Communications Family Life Finance and Business Food and Entertaining Health Hobbies and Crafts Holidays and Traditions Home and Garden Other Personal Care and Style Pets and Animals Philosophy and Religion Relationships Sports and Fitness Travel wikiHow Work World Youth All text shared under a Creative Commons License. Powered by Mediawiki.
xThank Our Volunteer Authors.

Give wikiHow a +1.

if (WH.ExitTimer) {WH.ExitTimer.start();}

View the original article here