Useful French Travel Phrases
In a world of endless opportunities...where will Yomps take you?
Believe it or not, French is the official language in 41 countries. France, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxemburg are the obvious ones, but Canada, Algeria, Niger, Chad, Madagascar and the Seychelles are some of the less obvious examples. In total, it’s spoken by around 300 million people throughout the world. If you’re planning on venturing into a French speaking country to travel, party, board, hike, take a gap year or even learn to paraglide, you may find some of the following phrases useful on your travels.
To start off with, here are a few simple phrases to get around a French speaking country. Hey = Salut Hello = Bonjour Yes = Oui No = Non Please = S’il vous plaît Thank you = Merci How are you? = Ca va? I’m fine thanks = Ca va bien merci. What’s your name ? = Comment t’appelles-tu? (informal) Comment vous appelez-vous ? (formal) My name is… = Je m’appelle… I’m looking for the youth hostel = Je cherche l’auberge de jeunesse Do you know where I can find the hotel… = Est-ce que vous savez ou je peux trouver l’hôtel… Where do you come from ? = Tu viens de ? (Literally meaning, ‘You come from ?’) I come from England/ America/ Australia/ New Zealand/ India/ = Je viens d’Angleterre/ d’aux Etats-Unis/ d’Australie/ de la Nouvelle Zélande/ de l’Inde
Ok, so know that you’ve got to know the person a bit, here’s a few more phrases that you might want to use to describe yourself. I work for… = Je travaille pour… I’m on a career break = Je prends une année sabbatique I’m a student = Je suis étudiant I study… = J’étude… And now that you’ve impressed the native French speakers, here’s a chance for you to really shock them. Where’s the bar? = Ou est le bar? Can I have a beer/coffee please ? = Est-ce que je peux avoir une bière/café s’il vous plaît ? What time are the slopes open until? = Les pistes sont ouverts jusqu’à quelle heure? What time does the nightclub close? = Le club ferme à quelle heure? Can I have your phone number? = Est-ce que je peux avoir ton numéro de téléphone?
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