French for conversations

🍁~GREETINGS~🍁

🌻Bonjour! – Hello! (the standard greeting in French) (bon jour) 🌻Bonsoir ! – Good evening! (replaces bonjour in the evening) (bon swah) 🌻Salut ! – Hi! (a more informal greeting) (sa loo) 🌻Enchanté(e) ! – Nice to meet you! (a standard expression when meeting someone for the first time) (on shon tay)

🍁~CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION~🍁

🍪Ça va ? – How are you? (sa va) 🍪Ça roule? - How's it going? (sa rule) Informal

🍪Ça roule? - How's it going? (sa rule) Informal

🍪Comment vas-tu/comment tu vas ? Comment allez-vous et?– How are you? (Komon va too, komon too va, komon tallay voo)

🍪Ça va/je vais bien – I’m well (sa va/juh vau byan)

🍪Et toi ? – And you? (ay twah)

🍪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”)

🍁~BEING POLITE~🍁

🍄Merci – Thank you (mair see) 🍄Merci bien – Thank you (mair see byan) 🍄Merci beaucoup – Thank you very much (mair see bo coo) 🍄De rien – It’s nothing (duh ryan) 🍄Il n’y a pas de quoi – It’s nothing/don’t mention it (ill nee ah pah duh kwah) 🍄Excusez-moi/pardon – Excuse me, sorry (eh skyoo zay mwah/pah don) 🍄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) 🍄Je suis désolé(e) – I’m sorry (juh swee dehsolay/ pah don) 🍄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)

🍁~DEALING WITH PROBLEMS~🍁

🪴Pouvez-vous… ? – Can you…? (poo vay voo) 🪴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) 🪴Pouvez-vous le répéter s’il vous plaît ? – Can you repeat it please? (poo vay voo luh reh peh tay sih voo play) 🪴 Pouvez-vous m’aider s’il vous plaît ? – Can you help me please! (poo vay voo mayday sih voo play) 🪴Je ne comprends pas – I don’t understand (juh nuh compron pah). 🪴Je n’ai rien compris ! – I didn’t understand anything/I haven’t understood anything (juh nay rien compree) 🪴Je ne parle pas (beaucoup) français – I don’t speak (much) French (juh nuh pahl pah bo coo duh fron say) 🪴Je suis perdu – I’m lost (juh swee pair doo) 🪴Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire ? – What does that mean? (kess kuh sa vuh deer) 🪴Parlez-vous français/anglais ? – Do you speak French/English? (parlay voo fron say/ong glay) 🪴Je ne me sens pas très bien – I don’t feel very well (juh nuh muh son pah tray byan) 🪴Je suis malade – I’m ill/sick (juh swee ma lad) 🪴J’ai envie de vomir – I’m going to vomit (literally, “I feel like vomiting”) (jay onvee duh vomeer) 🪴Attention ! Fais/faites attention ! – Careful! Be Careful! (ah ton sion, fay/fet ah ton sion) 🪴Au secours ! – Help! (oh suhcoor)