Useful French Travel Phrases
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 plait
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’hotel…
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 Zelande/ 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 annee sabbatique
I’m a student = Je suis etudiant
I study… = J’etude…
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 biere/cafe s’il vous plait ?
What time are the slopes open until? = Les pistes sont ouverts jusqu’a quelle heure?
What time does the nightclub close? = Le club ferme a quelle heure?
Can I have your phone number? = Est-ce que je peux avoir ton numero de telephone?
And the rest is up to you...
About the Author
Tom is a member of the www.yomps.co.uk team and graduated with a BA (Hons) International Business from the University of Hertfordshire in the UK, where he spent half of his degree on exchanges in Canada and France. Throughout his studies, he spent his summers traveling around North America, Europe and Africa. His love for travel is reflected in his other interests, including foreign cinema, French food and languages. He’s fluent in French and skis/ boards every winter in the Alps. After spending time both volunteering and being involved in a variety of conservation programmes around Africa, Tom returned to the UK where he became the latest addition to the www.yomps.co.uk team. He brings a wealth of travel and international experience to the team and is now the coordinator for the volunteering projects at www.yomps.co.uk/trip-search/volunteering-trips.
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