The French word for right is
droite
Gender
The gender of droite is feminine. E.g. la droite.
Plural
The plural of droite is droites.
French Definition
| right | |
| 1. adj. Correct, juste, bon. | |
| Is this the right way to Montmartre? | |
| Est-ce que c’est le bon chemin pour aller à Montmartre ? | |
| I don’t have the right folder. | |
| Je n’ai pas le bon fichier. | |
| 2. adj. Droit, droite. | |
| 3. adj. (Géom) 90°. Droit, rectangle. | |
| Right angle. | |
| Angle droit. | |
| Right triangle. | |
| Triangle rectangle. | |
| 4. v. Directement, justement. | |
| 5. v. À droite. | |
| 6. n. Droit (juste, équitable). | |
| Might makes right. (adage populaire) | |
| La force fait le droit. | |
| Two wrongs don’t make a right. (adage populaire) | |
| Deux mauvaises actions ne s’additionnent pas pour en faire une bonne. | |
| 7. n. Droite. | |
| Keep to the right. | |
| Tiens ta droite. | |
| Reste sur la droite. | |
| 8. interj. C’est ça. | |
| 9. interj. N’est-ce pas ? | |
| 10. v. Corriger. | |
| She set out to right a wrong. | |
| Elle entreprit de corriger un tort. |
Translations for right and their definitions
| à droite | |
| 1. prep. on the right; to the right |
| droite |  |
|
| 1. adj. feminine singular of droit | ||
| 2. n. (geometry) straight line | ||
| 3. n. (politics) the right, right wing | ||
| 4. n. right, right-hand side |
| droit | |
|
| 1. n. right (entitlement) | ||
| J’ai le droit de dormir. | ||
| I have the right to sleep | ||
| 2. n. law (study of law) | ||
| Il est étudiant en droit. | ||
| He is a law student | ||
| 3. n. (geometry) right angle | ||
| Un angle de trois droits. | ||
| An angle of 270 degrees. | ||
| 4. adj. right (on the right-hand side) | ||
| Donne-moi ta main droite. | ||
| Give me your right hand. | ||
| 5. adj. straight (not bent or crooked) | ||
| Une rue droite. | ||
| A straight road. | ||
| 6. adj. (geometry) right (of an angle) | ||
| 7. adv. straight, straight on | ||
| 8. adv. upright, straight, not bent or crooked | ||
| Tenez votre tête droit | ||
| Keep your head straight |
| d’accord | |
| 1. adv. agreed | |
| Oui, je suis d’accord avec vous. — Yes, I agree with you. | |
| 2. interj. sure!, OK!, of course!, naturally! |
| correct | |
| 1. adj. correct, right | |
| Votre réponse est correcte. — Your answer is correct. | |
| 2. adj. (colloquial) passable, okay | |
| Le restaurant auquel nous sommes allés était correct, sans plus. — The restaurant we went to was okay, but nothing more. | |
| 3. adj. (Québec, colloquial) OK, fine, alright | |
| Chuis tellement désolé ! T’es correct ? — I’m so sorry! You OK? | |
| Ouais, c’est correct. — Yeah, it’s fine. |
| dextre | |
| 1. adj. adroit, dextrous | |
| 2. adj. (dated) right-handed | |
| 3. adj. (heraldry) dexter; right-hand side of the shield |
| juste | |
|
| 1. adj. fair, just | ||
| La vie n’est pas juste. — Life isn’t fair. | ||
| 2. adj. reasonable | ||
| 3. adj. correct | ||
| 4. adv. exactly, precisely | ||
| Il est juste là! — It is right there! | ||
| 5. adv. upright, not crooked or bent | ||
| 6. adv. just, only | ||
| Je veux juste un œuf. — I just want one egg. |
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Possible Duplicate:
right (opposite of left) connected to right (legal term)?
This is both an EL&U question and a FL&U question, so I’ve double-posted accordingly to maximize visibility.
Here’s the thing that struck me as odd today.
In English, we would say «his right arm.» But we would also say «he has the right to something.»
In French, we would say «le bras droit.» And we would say «Il a le droit de quelque chose.»
So, given that the English «right» is not (so far as I can tell) in any way similar to the French «droit,» how is it that they both happen to have these two disparate meanings in both languages? I’m inclined to say it’s not a coincidence. How would that happen?
asked Jan 6, 2013 at 3:24
7
This would be general reference if everyone had a subscription to OED…
Here are the OED etymological notes for right (adj.)
Broadly the same range of meanings is found in all of the early Germanic languages; however, senses relating to the right-hand side (of the human body, etc.) appear to be restricted to West Germanic languages, and are not common in the earliest stages even of these, hence they seem likely to show secondary developments (compare swither adj. for the usual word in Old English, and see dexter adj. for the evidence for an Indo-European word with this meaning). In Old English this meaning is recorded only in right hand n., in which the word probably referred originally to the perception that the right hand was the stronger and the more appropriate for most tasks. (In a number of the Romance languages the same meaning has also developed in a derivative of classical Latin rectus, ultimately from the same base; compare French droit, Catalan dret, Spanish derecho, Portuguese direito, Romanian drept < classical Latin dīrectus.)
On the form history see discussion at right n. The Old English (Anglian) form ræht (apparently showing a reflex of the Anglian smoothed form reht : see α. forms) has not been satisfactorily explained; compare cnæht and gefæht , Anglian variants respectively of knight n. and fight n., and see further A. Campbell Old Eng. Gram. (1959) §227 note 2.In Old English frequent as the first element in compounds, some of which provide the earliest attestation of particular senses (compare senses A. 8a, A. 9, A. 14a).
Probably influenced semantically in a number of senses by association with classical Latin rectus rect adj. (especially in the technical uses at sense A. 2) and with Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French, French droit .
Here are the OED etymological notes for right (n.)
Cognate with or formed similarly to Old Frisian riucht (West Frisian rjocht , rjucht ), Old Dutch reht (Middle Dutch recht , Dutch recht ), Old Saxon reht (Middle Low German recht ), Old High German reht (Middle High German reht , German recht ) < the Germanic base of right adj. Compare also Old Icelandic réttr , Old Swedish rätter (Swedish rätt ), Old Danish ræt (Danish ret ), which reflect a different formation (u -stem) ultimately < the same Germanic base. In some senses (especially sense 15 and Phrases 3) probably also partly aphetic < i-riht n.
In Old English a strong neuter (a -stem); the prefixed form geriht i-riht n. is also commonly attested. The early Kentish form reoht (see α. forms) shows regular breaking of short e before a velar fricative, while the regular Anglian form reht (see α. forms) shows smoothing of the diphthong. In West Saxon, on the other hand, monophthongization and raising before a palatalized fricative followed by a dental consonant (palatal mutation) resulted in the form riht or (with laxed vowel after r ) ryht (originally only word-finally or if followed by a front vowel, but apparently soon extended analogically to such forms as genitive plural rihta ), a change that is also attested in later Kentish sources. Such forms gradually spread northwards in late Old English and early Middle English (compare Older Scots richt beside less frequent recht ). See further A. Campbell Old Eng. Gram. (1959) §§304–11, R. M. Hogg Gram. Old Eng. (1992) I. §§5.113–18, R. Jordan Handb. der mittelenglischen Grammatik (1934) §69.In Middle English the semantic development was probably influenced by similar developments shown by Anglo-Norman and Old French dreit , Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French droit droit n.1, as were a number of phrasal constructions.
answered Jan 6, 2013 at 3:34
The second meaning (direction) of right, as noted in the OED definition, comes from the fact that the good hand or the correct hand was usually the right hand.
English also has the word adroit (meaning dexterous) which comes from French. The words, right, adroit, direct, and even royal and regal are all cognates said to stem from the PIE root, reg:
from PIE root *reg- «move in a straight line,» also «to rule, to lead straight, to put right»
The corresponding terms for left are gauche and sinister.
answered Jan 6, 2013 at 5:14
coleopteristcoleopterist
30.7k28 gold badges114 silver badges199 bronze badges
Right? interj
right
right
alright interj
alright adj
alright adj
alright adv
alright adv
right before your eyes,
before your very eyes adv
the bottom right n
bottom right-hand corner n
dead straight adj
right from under [sb]‘s nose,
from under [sb]‘s very nose expr
have the right to do [sth] v expr
unalienable n
keep left vi + adv
right off the bat adv
right off the reel expr
right on the nose adj
straight out of the chute,
right out of the chute expr
also UK: preemptive right n
a right charlie n
immediately after conj
immediately after prep
By
Last updated:
March 10, 2023
Learning vocabulary is one of the cornerstones of learning French.
By knowing the most common vocabulary, you’ll get better at everyday communication—which gets you closer to interacting with some of the 300 million people who speak French around the world.
In this post, we’ll get you started with more than 250 easy and common French words!
You’ll be well on your way to having a solid base in the French language in no time.
Contents
- Most Common French Words
- Important French Verbs
- French Question Words
- French Household Words
- French Words for Food & Drinks
- French Words for School or Work
- French Words for Making Descriptions
- French Words for Animals & Nature
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Most Common French Words
Let’s start with some essential vocabulary that you’ll end up using a lot in French conversations:
- Bonjour ! — Hello / Good morning!
- Bonsoir ! — Good evening!
- Oui — Yes
- Non — No
- Excusez-moi — Excuse me
- Je suis désolé / Je suis désolée — I’m sorry (with an extra e if you’re female)
- S’il vous plaît — Please
- Merci — Thank you
- À bientôt — See you soon
- Bonne soirée — Good night (when saying goodbye)
- Bonne nuit — Good night (when you’re about to sleep)
- Au revoir — Goodbye
Important French Verbs
Aside from the conversational words and phrases above, you’ve also got to know the absolute most common French verbs:
- Être — to be
- Avoir — to have
- Aller — to go
These verbs are irregular, meaning they don’t follow the same rules of usage (or conjugation) that so-called regular verbs do.
Most French verbs are regular, meaning you only have to learn the endings of their group.
In French, there are three groups of so-called regular verbs, denoted by their infinitive (unconjugated) endings: -er verbs, -ir verbs and -re verbs.
Here are the most common verbs in each group:
-Er Verbs
- Parler — to speak
- Aimer — to like
- Chanter — to sing
- Danser — to dance
- Fermer — to close
- Demander — to ask
- Étudier — to study
- Regarder — to watch
- Visiter — to visit (a place)
- Habiter — to live
- Jouer — to play
- Laver — to wash
- Penser — to think
- Utiliser — to use
- Trouver — to find
- Manger — to eat
-Ir Verbs
- Finir — to finish
- Bâtir — to build
- Choisir — to choose
- Remplir — to fill
- Grandir — to grow
- Grossir — to gain weight
- Obéir — to obey
- Punir — to punish
- Réfléchir — to reflect
- Réussir — to succeed / pass (a test)
-Re Verbs
- Vendre — to sell
- Attendre — to wait
- Détendre — to relax
- Entendre — to hear
- Fondre — to melt
- Descendre — to go down / descend
- Pendre — to hang
- Perdre — to lose
- Prétendre — to claim
- Répondre — to respond
With all these different kinds of verbs, it’s handy to have a verb conjugation tool, like the one from Reverso.
Another option is to study these verbs in action with FluentU, which features authentic French videos with interactive subtitles. Click on any French verb or other word used in the video to see its definition, along with grammar notes and examples.
You can then add new words to flashcards and take personalized quizzes to grow your French vocabulary.
The language learning program is also available on iOS and Android, so you can take your French study with you wherever you go.
French Question Words
Looking for directions? Do you want to know the price of something?
Whatever you do on your trip to France, you’re definitely going to need to ask for help or direction at some point.
Here are some common expressions to help you get around:
- Où ? — Where?
- Qui ? — Who?
- Quoi ? — What?
- Quand ? — When?
- Comment ? — How?
- Pourquoi ? — Why?
- Combien ? — How much? / How many?
Of course, the beauty of learning language is to be able to communicate with native speakers, which means people might also ask you questions!
Key phrases:
- Comment vous appelez-vous ? — What’s your name?
- Je m’appelle… — I’m called…
- Quel âge avez-vous ? — How old are you?
- J’ai…ans — I’m… years old
- Vous venez d’où ? — Where are you from?
- Je suis… — I am…
des États-Unis — from the United States
du Royaume-Uni — from the United Kingdom
d’Espagne — from Spain
d’Allemagne — from Germany
du Canada — from Canada
d’Australie — from Australia
Are you from a country that’s not included on this list? Take a look at this map of the world to learn your country’s name.
French Household Words
It’s crucial to learn the French words that describe the places where we live.
Check out the following common words that denote specific rooms and spaces in our households.
- La maison — the house
- La salle — the room
- La cuisine — the kitchen
- La salle à manger — the dining room
- Le bureau — the office
- Le salon — the living room
- La chambre — the bedroom
- La salle de bain — the bathroom (may not include a toilet)
- Les toilettes — the bathroom (includes a toilet, sometimes exclusively)
- Le sous-sol — the basement
- Le grenier — attic
- La porte — the door
- La fenêtre — the window
- Le couloir — the hall
- L’escalier — the stairs
- Le mur — the wall
- Le sol — the floor
- Le plafond — the ceiling
Common words associated with rooms in the house:
- Le bureau — the desk
- L’ordinateur — the computer
- L’étagère — the bookshelf
- Le livre — the book
- La télévision — the television
- Le canapé / Le sofa — the couch
- La chaise — the chair
- La lampe — the lamp
- Le rideau — the curtain
- Le réfrigérateur — the fridge
- Le four — the oven
- La cuisinière — the stove
- L’évier — the sink
- La table — the table
- Le lit — the bed
- L’oreiller — the pillow
- La commode — the dresser
- L’horloge — the clock
- La baignoire — the bathtub
- La douche — the shower
- Les toilettes — the toilet
- La brosse à dents — the toothbrush
- Le dentifrice — the toothpaste
- Le tapis — the rug
- Le miroir — the mirror
- Le téléphone — the telephone
French Words for Food & Drinks
Hungry or thirsty? Check out the most common French words for food and drinks.
- Le restaurant — the restaurant
- Le café — the cafe / coffee
- Le thé — the tea
- Le jus — the juice
- Le lait — the milk
- Le vin — the wine
- La bière — the beer
- L’eau — water
- Le fruit — the fruit
- La pomme — the apple
- La banane — the banana
- L’orange — the orange
- La fraise — the strawberry
- Le raisin — the grape
- Les légumes — the vegetables
- La salade — the salad
- La carotte — the carrot
- La pomme de terre — the potato
- La tomate — the tomato
- La laitue — lettuce
- Le champignon — mushroom
- La viande — meat
- Le poisson — fish
- Le poulet — chicken
- Le bœuf — beef
- Le petit-déjeuner — breakfast
- Le déjeuner — lunch
- Le dîner — dinner
- Le repas — the meal
- Le goûter — the snack
- L’assiette — the plate
- Le couteau — the knife
- La fourchette — the fork
- La cuillère — the spoon
- La tasse — the cup
French Words for School or Work
Headed to a French-speaking region for employment or to study? Then the following words are essential!
- L’école — the school
- Le crayon — the pencil
- Le stylo — the pen
- Le cahier — the notebook
- La salle de classe — the classroom
- La calculatrice — the calculator
- La matière scolaire — the school subject
- L’histoire — history
- La géographie — geography
- La musique — music
- Les sciences — the sciences
- Les mathématiques — mathematics
- Le sport — sports
- Le français — French
- L’anglais — English
- Les notes — grades (marks)
- Le professeur / la professeure — the teacher
- L’étudiant(e) / L’élève — the student
The following are common words associated with jobs and work:
- L’entreprise — the company
- L’emploi — the job
- Le travail — the work
- Le dentiste — the dentist
- L’écrivain — the writer
- Le médecin — the doctor (medical)
- Le serveur / la serveuse — the waiter / waitress
- L’avocat — the lawyer
- Le caissier / la caissière — the cashier
- L’ingénieur(e) — the engineer
- Le mécanicien / la mécanicienne — the mechanic
- Le plombier / la plombière — the plumber
- Le pompier / la pompière — the firefighter
- Le policier / la policière — the police officer
- L’architecte — the architect
- Le travailleur / la travailleuse — the worker
- Le boulanger / la boulangère — the baker
- Le boucher / la bouchère — the butcher
- Le coiffeur / la coiffeuse — the hairdresser
French Words for Making Descriptions
The following are common words that can be used to describe yourself, others or inanimate things.
- Grand(e) — big
- Petit(e) — small
- Chaud(e) — hot
- Froid(e) — cold
- Intelligent(e) — smart
- Fâché(e) — angry
- Triste — sad
- Heureux / heureuse — happy
- Drôle — funny
- Jeune — young
- Vieux / vieille — old
- Nerveux / nerveuse — nervous
- Beau / belle — beautiful
- Facile — easy
- Difficile — hard
- Effrayé(e) — scared
- Ennuyé(e) — bored
- Ennuyeux / ennuyeuse — boring
- Étrange — strange
- Fort(e) — strong
- Possible — possible
- Impossible — impossible
- Sportif / sportive — athletic
Keep in mind that some adjectives change genders depending on the gender of the noun it describes.
In this list, the masculine forms are given first, with the feminine forms being either those with an added -e or the second form of the adjective.
Interested in more adjectives? Check out how to say common colors in French as well!
French Words for Animals & Nature
The following are common French words that can be used to describe animals or nature.
- Le chien — the dog
- Le chat — the cat
- Le lapin — the rabbit
- Le lion — the lion
- Le cheval — the horse
- La vache — the cow
- Le requin — the shark
- Le singe — the monkey
- Le cochon — the pig
- L’oiseau — the bird
- La souris — the mouse
- La tortue — the turtle
- Un canard — the duck
- Un crapaud — the toad
- Une grenouille — the frog
- Le soleil — the sun
- La pluie — the rain
- Le vent — the wind
- La neige — the snow
- Le nuage — the cloud
- L’éclair — the lightning
- Le tonnerre — the thunder
- L’orage — the storm
- La montagne — the mountain
- La plage — the beach
- La forêt — the forest
- La terre — soil / the earth
- La colline — the hill
- Le lac — the lake
- L’océan — the ocean
- La météo — the weather forecast
- Quel temps fait-il ? — What’s the weather?
- Il fait chaud — It is hot
- Il fait froid — It is cold
And just like that, you have 250+ words to bring your French to the next level. Practice these words often and watch your French comprehension and production vastly improve!
Bonne chance ! (Good luck!)
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Are you learning French?
Would you love to chat to French speakers with ease, without stumbling over your words?
Getting to a decent level in any language takes time because there’s lot of vocabulary you need to learn.
But, one big shortcut you can use at the beginning is to work out which words and expressions you are likely to need right from the start and focus on those.
And the good news is you don’t have to worry about it doing it for yourself – because I’ve done it for you!
Here’s my list of the 79 essential French phrases you need to start speaking right away.
Thanks to these common French phrases, you’ll know exactly what to say in your first conversations with native speakers.
They’ll serve you for your first interactions and well into the future.
Pro Tip
By the way, if you want to learn French fast and have fun while doing it, my top recommendation is French Uncovered which teaches you through StoryLearning®.
With French Uncovered you’ll use my unique StoryLearning® method to learn French naturally through story… not rules. It’s as fun as it is effective.
If you’re ready to get started, click here for a 7-day FREE trial.
Anyway, back to our common French phrases…. let’s discover what they are!
Need-To-Knows About French To Use These Common French Phrases
Before we dive into the phrases themselves, there are a couple of need-to-knows about French that’ll help you make the most of this list of common French phrases.
French Pronunciation
I’ve included an approximate guide for how to pronounce each of the phrases in this post based on phonetic English. Although this is no substitute for listening to recordings or native speakers pronouncing the words, it’ll help you get started.
I’ve used ‘j’ to represent the French ‘j’ sound. But be aware that in French, it has a soft pronunciation, not like the English ‘j’ in ‘John’.
For a more detailed look at dive into pronunciation, you can check out my comprehensive French pronunciation guide.
A Note On Tu And Vous
French, like many other languages, has two ways to say “you” depending on your level of familiarity with the person you are speaking to.
The basic rule is:
- When you’re speaking to strangers, especially people who are older than you, you should use vous.
- When you’re speaking to someone you are on familiar terms with or when you speak to children, you can use tu.
In my list, I’ve given the form you are most likely to need for that each phrase. Where you might need either, I’ve included both.
Finally, in very informal spoken French, tu es and tu as can be abbreviated to t’es and t’as respectively.
While this might not be considered strictly ‘correct’, it is quite common.
So I’ve used this form in my list for a couple of the more informal expressions to show where you might come across it.
By the way, if you’re interested in informal language, you can also check out this post on 23 colloquial French phrases for impressing the locals.
Common French Greetings You Already Know
First, let’s look at the basic greetings in French. These are fairly simple. And you no doubt already know at least some of them.
- #1 Bonjour ! – Hello! (the standard greeting in French)
- (bon jour)
- #2 Bonsoir ! – Good evening! (replaces bonjour in the evening)
- (bon swah)
- #3 Salut ! – Hi! (a more informal greeting)
- (sa loo)
- #4 Enchanté(e) ! – Nice to meet you! (a standard expression when meeting someone for the first time)
- (on shon tay)
Common French Phrases For Continuing The Conversation
After greeting someone, you’ll want to move the conversation on with some small talk. Here are a few of the standard questions and answers.
- #5 Ça va ? – How are you? (the basic way to enquire how someone is)
- (sa va)
- #6 Ça roule ? – How’s it going? (a much more informal way to ask the same question, to be used with people you are on very informal terms with)
- (sa rule)
- #7 Comment vas-tu/comment tu vas ? Comment allez-vous ? – How are you? (a slightly more elegant version of ça va ? in both the formal and informal forms)
- (komon va too, komon too va, komon tallay voo) – the ‘n’ is nasal and not pronounced strongly
- #8 Ça va/je vais bien – I’m well (the first version is the same as the question but with different intonation. The second is another way to say it)
- (sa va/juh vay byan)
- #9 Et toi ? – And you?
- (ay twah)
- #10 Ça va le travail/le boulot/le taf ? – How’s work? (boulot and taf are much more informal words for “work” that you may hear)
- (sa va luh tra vai, luh boo low, luh taff – the last syllable of travail rhymes with “eye”)
- #11 Comment va ton père ? Ton père va bien ? – How’s your father? (two ways to express this)
- (komon va ton pair, ton pair va byan)
- #12 Tu fais quoi comme travail/c’est quoi ton travail ? – What’s your job?/What work do you do? (can also be used with the vous form)
- (too fay kwah kom tra vai/say kwah ton tra vai)
Must-Know French Phrases For Being Polite
Next, here are the basic expressions of courtesy that you need to know right from the start.
- #13 Merci – Thank you (the standard word for this)
- (mair see)
- #14 Merci bien – Thank you (the bien adds some extra politeness or friendliness to the expression)
- (mair see byan)
- #15 Merci beaucoup – Thank you very much (when you want to express extra gratitude)
- (mair see bo coo)
- #16 De rien – It’s nothing (the standard reply to merci)
- (duh ryan)
- #17 Il n’y a pas de quoi – It’s nothing/don’t mention it (another, perhaps stronger, way to respond to merci)
- (ill nee ah pah duh kwah)
- #18 Excusez-moi/pardon – Excuse me, sorry (both can be used to apologise or when trying to get past)
- (eh skyoo zay mwah/pah don)
- #19 Excusez-moi ?/Comment ? – Sorry? Excuse me? Pardon? (used when you don’t hear what someone says. Note that the French word pardon shouldn’t be used for this)
- (eh skyoo zay mwah/komon)
- #20 Je suis désolé(e) – I’m sorry (a stronger apology than excusez-moi/pardon)
- (juh swee dehsolay/ pah don)
- #21 Vas-y, Allez-y – Go on, go ahead (a way to tell somebody to advance, move forward; also to tell someone they can do something: vas-y, sers-toi ! “Go ahead, help yourself!”)
- (va zee, allay zee, sair twah)
Basic French Phrases For Dealing With Problems
Another situation you might find yourself in is one where you have to deal with a problem. Here are some important questions and expressions to use when you are having difficulties or when everything is not going according to plan.
- #22 Pouvez-vous… ? – Can you…? (can be combined with a range of other verbs)
- (poo vay voo)
- #23 Pouvez-vous parlez plus lentement s’il vous plaît ? – Can you speak more slowly please?
- (poo vay voo parlay ploo lon tuh mon sih voo play)
- #24 Pouvez-vous le répéter s’il vous plaît ? – Can you repeat it please?
- (poo vay voo luh reh peh tay sih voo play)
- #25 Pouvez-vous m’aider s’il vous plaît ? – Can you help me please!
- (poo vay voo mayday sih voo play)
- #26 Je ne comprends pas – I don’t understand
- (juh nuh compron pah)
- #27 Je n’ai rien compris ! – I didn’t understand anything/I haven’t understood anything
- (juh nay rien compree)
- #28 Je ne parle pas (beaucoup) français – I don’t speak (much) French
- (juh nuh pahl pah bo coo duh fron say)
- #29 Je suis perdu – I’m lost
- (juh swee pair doo)
- #30 Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire ? – What does that mean?
- (kess kuh sa vuh deer)
- #31 Parlez-vous français/anglais ? – Do you speak French/English?
- (parlay voo fron say/ong glay)
- #32 Je ne me sens pas très bien – I don’t feel very well
- (juh nuh muh son pah tray byan)
- #33 Je suis malade – I’m ill/sick
- (juh swee ma lad)
- #34 J’ai envie de vomir – I’m going to vomit (literally, “I feel like vomiting”)
- (jay onvee duh vomeer)
- #35 Attention ! Fais/faites attention ! – Careful! Be Careful!
- (ah ton sion, fay/fet ah ton sion)
- #36 Au secours ! – Help!
- (oh suhcoor)
French Question Words
Learning the basic question words can get you a long way, even if you don’t know much else of the language. Here they are in French:
- #37 Quoi ? – What?
- (kwah)
- #38 Quand ? – When?
- (kon)
- #39 Qui ? – Who?
- (kee)
- #40 Comment ? – How?
- (komon)
- #41 Combien ? – How many?
- (kom byan)
- #42 Où ? – Where?
- (oo)
- #43 Pourquoi ? – Why?
- (pour kwah)
- #44 Quel(le) ? – Which? (this question word agrees with the noun. The four possible forms are quel, quelle, quels, quelles – but they are all pronounced exactly the same)
- (kell)
Check out this post on forming questions in French for more details on how to ask questions correctly.
Common French Questions
Ok, so now you know the essential French question words. But what about using them to form real questions? Here are some of the most common French questions you’re likely to ask or be asked.
- #45 Comment tu t’appelles ? (tu t’appelles comment ?) – What’s your name? (the first one, you are more likely to find in a textbook – the second is more likely in spoken French)
- (komon too tappel, too tappel komon)
- #46 Quel âge as-tu ? (t’as quel âge ?) – How old are you? (the same here – the first version is the “textbook” form, the second is more common in informal spoken French)
- (kel aj ah too, too ah kel aj)
- #47 Quelle heure est-il ? (il est quelle heure ?) – what’s the time (both forms are possible, the second is more common in informal spoken French)
- (kel er et ill/ill ay kell er)
- #48 C’est combien ? Ça coûte combien ? – How much is it? How much does that cost?
- (say kom byan, sa coot kom byan)
- #49 Tu viens d’où ?/t’es d’où ? – Where do you come from?/where are you from?
- (too vyen doo/tay doo)
- #50 Tu comprends ? – Do you understand? (make the question with intonation)
- (too kom pron)
- #51 Tu parles anglais/français ? – Do you speak English/French? (spoken, informal version – make the question with intonation)
- (too pahl ong glai/fron say)
- #52 Parlez-vous anglais/français ? – Do you speak English/French? (formal, polite version)
- (parlay voo ong glai/ fron say)
- #53 Où est la salle de bains ?/Où sont les toilettes ? – Where is the toilet?
- (oo ay lah sal duh ban/oo son lay twah let)
Important Answers In French
Here are some indispensable expressions for giving information about yourself as well as answering some other basic questions in French.
- #54 Je m’appelle… – My name’s… (the standard expression)
- (juh mappel)
- #55 Je suis (Roger/Irlandais(e)/professeur) – I’m Roger/Irish/a teacher (can be used to give your name, nationality, job or many others)
- (juh swee roh jay/ear lon day/ear lon days/proh feh suhr)
- #56 J’ai 30 ans – I’m 30 (literally, “I have 30 years” – and note that you must not omit ans at the end or the sentence won’t make sense)
- (jay tront on)
- #57 Je viens d’Écosse/je suis d’Écosse – I come from Scotland/I am from Scotland
- (juh vyen dekoss/juh swee duh lekoss)
- #58 Oui – Yes
- (wee)
- #59 Non – no
- (noh)
- #60 Peut-être – Maybe
- (puh tetr)
- #61 Tout le temps/tous les jours – All the time/every day
- (too luh ton/too lay jour)
- #62 Parfois, des fois – sometimes
- (pah fwah, day fwah)
- #63 Jamais – Never
- (ja may)
- #64 Bien sûr – Of course
- (byan sure – pronounced with an ‘s’ sound and not a ‘sh’)
Simple French Phrases For Special Occasions
If you’re lucky and make some French friends, you may even be invited to some special occasions in France. Here are the phrases you’ll need for those situations.
- #65 Amuse-toi bien ! Amusez-vous bien ! – Have fun!
- (ah myooz twah byan, ah myoozay voo byan)
- #66 Bon voyage ! – Have a good trip!
- (bon voyaj)
- #67 Bonnes vacances ! – Have a good holiday!
- (bonn vah konce)
- #68 Bon appétit ! – Bon appétit! (note that the final ‘t’ is not pronounced in French – and nor should it be in English for that matter!)
- (bon appuh tee)
- #69 Félicitations ! – Congratulations!
- (fay liss ee tah sion)
- #70 Bienvenue ! – Welcome!
- (byan vuh noo)
- #71 Joyeux anniversaire ! – Happy birthday!
- (jway uh zannee ver sair)
- #72 Joyeux Noël ! – Happy/merry Christmas!
- (jway uh no ell)
- #73 Bonne année ! – Happy New Year!
- (bonn annay)
Essential French Expressions For Saying Goodbye
Finally, here are a few useful phrases for saying goodbye.
- #74 Au revoir ! – Good bye! (the standard phrase)
- (oh ruh vwah)
- #75 Bonne journée ! – Good day! (the feminine form of bonjour is used at the end of a conversation)
- (bonn jour nay)
- #76 Bonne soirée ! – Good evening! (again, the feminine form of bonsoir is used)
- (bonn swah ray)
- #77 Bonne nuit ! – Good night!
- (bonn nwee)
- #78 À bientôt ! – See you soon!
- (ah byan toe)
- #79 À demain ! – See you tomorrow!
- (ah duh man)
Never Get Lost For Words In French Again
So there you are! 79 common French phrases to help you take your first steps in your new language.
You’ll be amazed by how far these greetings, questions and basic courtesy phrases will get you in your first conversation with a French speaker.
With this list, you’ll be able to greet a French speaker politely, introduce yourself, get to know them better and deal with any problems that might come up.
So now, all that remains is for you to go find someone to talk to in French. Armed with this list, you’ll never be lost for words again.
And maybe, it might just be the start you need to go on to learn to speak French fluently!
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