50 French Phrases You Need to Know Before Your Trip to France

If you would like to learn some French phrases for an upcoming trip to France, it is a good idea to learn some stock French phrases that you can use throughout your trip as well as some French phrases that are specific to situations that come about with travel. The French will appreciate your efforts to speak their language, so being able to speak even a little bit of French will get you very far.

Basic French Phrases

These French phrases are important at all times. You will say them a lot and will be seen as very polite for doing so!

French	English
1. Pardon.	Pardon me. / Excuse me.
2. Merci.	Thank you.
3. S’il vous plaît.	Please.
4. Je vous en prie. / De rien.	You’re welcome.

Arrivals

When you arrive in France, it is good to know these French phrases for making your way around. Of course, #5 is another that is useful all the time.

French	English
5. Bonjour ! / Bonsoir !	Hello! / Good evening!
6. Où se trouve un bureau de change ?	Where is there a bureau de change / currency exchange desk?
7. J’aimerais changer X dollars / livres / yen en euros.	I would like to change X dollars / pounds / yen into Euros.
8. Il est X heures.	It is X o’clock. (Remember the 24-hr. clock is used in France.)
9. Où sont les toilettes ?	Where is the washroom?
10. J’aimerais un / une ... s’il vous plaît.	I would like a ... please. (Note: when you are asking for something , it never hurts to end it by saying “please”)
11. Oui, j’ai mon passeport.	Yes, I have my passport.

Hotel

When you get to your hotel, you can sort out your accommodations with these French phrases.

French	English
12. Je m’appelle ...	My name is ...
13. Quel est le mot de passe pour le réseau sans fil ?	What’s the password for [your] wireless connection?
14. Est-ce que je pourrais avoir la clef / clé de ma chambre ?	Could I have the key to my room?
15. J’aimerais une chambre à un lit.	I’d like a room with one bed.
16. Nous avons réservé une chambre d’hôtel.	We’ve reserved a hotel room.
17. Nous avons x valises.	We have [insert # here] suitcases.
18. Où est-ce que je peux brancher mon portable ?	Where can I plug in / connect my phone / mobile?
19. Ma batterie est à plat.	My battery’s dead.
20. Le restaurant / café / bar est à quel étage ?	The restaurant / café / bar is on which floor?

Métro

Although the Paris metro is relatively easy to navigate, being numbered and color-coded and more modern than the New York subway, for instance, figuring it out will be easier if you are able to ask directions. Of course, understanding the answers is also useful.

French	English
21. Où se trouve le métro ?	Where’s the subway / metro / underground?
22. J’aimerais un billet simple / hebdomadaire / mensuel.	I’d like a single ride / weekly pass / monthly pass.
23. Quelle station est la station de correspondence pour cette ligne ?	Which station is the transfer station for this line?
24. Où est-ce qu’il faut changer de train ?	Where should I change trains?

Dans la rue

While you are navigating the streets of France on foot, it is useful to be able to communicate with people you see on the street, rather than completely rely on your mobile device, which might lose battery power and go to gasp 0%, especially since the charger you’ve brought with you might need a converter in France.

French	English
25. Est-ce que vous parlez [insert name of language here] ?	Do you speak [insert name of language here]?)
26. Pourriez-vous parler plus lentement?	Could you speak more slowly?
27. Je ne comprends pas.	I don’t understand.
28. Pourriez-vous répéter ?	Could you repeat [that]?

Sightseeing

Here are some French phrases that will help you when you are taking in the sights.

French	English
29. On va prendre un taxi.	We’ll take a taxi.
30. Le musée est à droite/ à gauche / tout droit.	The museum is to the right, to the left, straight ahead.
31. On prendra trois places pour le concert.	We’ll take three seats for the concert.
32. C’est au coin de la rue.	It’s at the corner [of the street].
33. Il faut traverser la rue.	We need to cross the street.

Chance encounters

If you do happen to meet someone on your trip, or if you are into dating apps, these phrases might be useful. Let’s assume you’ve gotten to know the person in question enough to use the informal “you” form.

French	English
34. Est-ce que je pourrais avoir ton numéro de téléphone ?	Could I have your phone number?
35. Tu aimerais regarder un film ? sortir ce soir ? aller au restaurant ?	Would you like to see a movie? go out this evening? go to a restaurant?
36. Est-ce que tu aimes danser ?	Do you like to dance?

Restaurant

... and if you end up at a restaurant ...

French	English
37. Une table pour deux, s’il vous plaît.	A table for two, please.
38. Je prendrais les escargots.	I’ll take the escargots.
39. L’addition, s’il vous plaît.	[Just] the check, please.
40. Est-ce qu’il y a de la viande (dans ce plat) ?	Does this dish have any meat?

Shopping

For the quintessential tourist activity – or when you’re scrambling to find gifts to bring back from your trip ...

French	English
41. C’est combien ?	How much [is this]?
42. Est-ce que je pourrais l’essayer ?	Could I try it on?
43. Je prendrais ... [insert name of item]	I’ll take ... [insert name of item]
44. Je peux payer en espèces.	I can pay cash.
45. J’ai de la monnaie.	I have change.
46. Prenez-vous les cartes de crédit? / cartes bleues?	Do you take credit cards?

Departures

And, finally, when it is time to leave ...

French	English
47. Au revoir !	Goodbye!
48. Mon vol est à x heures.	My flight is at x o’clock.
49. Je suis en retard !	I’m late!
50. Non, je n’ai pas de marchandises périssables.	No, I don’t have any perishable items. (While a simple “non” would suffice, it is good to recognize what you are being asked in this situation, so we have here a full sentence to study.)

Enjoy your time in France, don’t be afraid to use these French phrases, as they will be greatly appreciated, and have a great trip! 🛫

🇫🇷 Learn to Speak French Fluently and Effectively

If you are up for more challenges, train with Glossika before you leave for your trip. And have no problem holding conversations with the locals during your stay. Glossika uses sentence patterns to help you internalize grammatical structures. Our spaced repetition audio training also gets your mouth muscles familiar with speaking French. You'll learn to communicate in real-life situations, and achieve fluency by training your speaking and listening!