Expressions Françaises

[zikozaki]

الصحف المصرية والعربية

Essential French Phrases - Social Niceties

When traveling to France - or anywhere else, for that matter - it's important to follow the local customs. A big part of this is knowing what to say in different social situations. Take a look at these essential French phrases related to social niceties, and click the links for more detailed information and sound files.

Bonjour
If you only speak one word of French, make it bonjour. You should always begin your conversations by greeting the other person.
Greeting gestures: faire la bise - se serrer la main


Ça va ?
This is the most common way to ask how someone is doing, but you do need to be careful with it as it is informal.
Other ways to say "how are you?"


S'il vous plaît
In English, "please" is the magic word, but in French it's a magic phrase.


Merci
When your wish is granted, be sure to say "thank you."


Si ce n'est pas indiscret
When chatting with acquaintances about things like jobs and family situation, they ask for permission to ask such personal questions with this expression.


On peut se tutoyer ?
If you're not sure whether it's ok to use the familiar tu, just ask.
Tu vs Vous


À la vôtre !
The most common expression for making a toast.
How to pronounce French wines


Bon appétit !
We use this expression in English sometimes, but the French say it constantly.
How to read a French menu


À tes souhaits !
What to say after someone sneezes.


Au revoir
Don't just smile and walk away - it's important to end even brief conversations by saying "good-bye."

 

 

[zikozaki]

Politeness - French Phrases

When traveling in France, being polite is absolutely essential - be sure you know how to say "please" and "thank you" at the very least. Click any link to hear that word pronounced.

please
s'il vous plaît (plural or formal)
s'il te plaît (singular and familiar)*

please + verb (for example, "please excuse me")
veuillez + infinitive (veuillez m'excuser)

thank you
merci

thank you very much
merci beaucoup
merci bien

bless you! (thank you so much, thanks a million)
mille fois merci
(literally, "a thousand times thanks")

More ways to express gratitude


you're welcome
de rien

it was my pleasure
je vous en prie (plural or formal)
je t'en prie (singular and familiar)*

don't mention it
pas de quoi


pardon me, I beg your pardon
pardon

excuse me
excusez-moi

I'm sorry to disturb/bother you
Excusez-moi de vous déranger

I'm sorry
je suis désolé(e)


cheers
à votre santé (plural or formal)
à ta santé (singular and familiar)*

enjoy your meal
bon appétit !


bless you (after a sneeze - learn more)
à vos souhaits (plural or formal)
à tes souhaits (singular and familiar)*


Sir, Mr.
Monsieur

Ma'am, Mrs.
Madame

Miss
Mademoiselle

 

 

[zikozaki]

French Restaurant Vocabulary

Learn the French vocabulary that you need for restaurants.


commander
to order

Vous avez choisi ?
Have you decided?

Que voudriez-vous ? Vous désirez ?
What would you like?

Je vous écoute.
What would you like? (Literally, "I'm listening to you.")

Que prenez-vous ?
What are you having?

Qu'est-ce que je vous sers ?
What can I get you?

Je voudrais... J'aimerais...
I would like...

Je vais prendre... Je prends...
I'll have...

Combien coûte... ?
How much does ... cost?

C'est à votre goût ?
Do you like it? Is everything ok?

C'est terminé ?
Have you finished?

Ça a été ?
Was everything ok?

Je suis...
I am...

allergique à...
allergic to...

diabétique
diabetic

végétarien / végétarienne
vegetarian

végétalien / végétalienne
vegan

Je ne peux pas manger...
I can't eat...


bleu, saignant
very rare

rosé
rare

à point
medium-rare

bien cuit
well done


le serveur (not garçon)
waiter

la serveuse
waitress

le/la chef
****


le menu
fixed-price meal (learn more)

la carte
menu

à la carte
side order (not part of le menu)


l'addition (f)
check/bill

le socle
base of credit card machine (learn more)

le pourboire
tip

service compris
tip included

service non compris
tip not included


A la vôtre !
Cheers!

Bon appétit
Enjoy your meal

défense de fumer
no smoking

les animaux sont interdits
no pets allowed

 

 

[zikozaki]

Most Common French Phrases


Take a look at this list to learn some of the most useful and common French phrases. Only the most common translation(s) are provided here, so please click the links for more detailed information about each phrase.

à cause de because of, due to
ah bon (?) oh really? I see
à la fois at the same time
à la limite at most, in a pinch
à la rigueur or even, if need be
à la une front page news
à la vôtre ! cheers!
allons-y ! let's go!
à mon avis in my opinion
à peine hardly
à peu près about, approximately, nearly
a priori at first glance, in principle
à tes souhaits bless you
au cas où just in case
au contraire on the contrary
au fait by the way
au fur et à mesure as, while
au lieu de instead of, rather than
avoir l'air (de) to look (like)


bien dans sa peau content, comfortable, at ease with oneself
bien entendu of course, obviously
bien sûr of course
blague à part seriously, all kidding aside
Bon anniversaire ! Happy birthday!
Bon appétit ! Enjoy your meal!
Bon débarras ! Good riddance!
bon marché inexpensive, cheap
un bon rapport qualité-prix good value


ça marche ok, that works
ça m'est égal it's all the same to me
ça ne fait rien never mind, it doesn't matter
ça va (?) how's it going?, I'm fine
ça vaut le coup it's worth it
c'est it is
c'est-à-dire that is, i.e., I mean
c'est parti here we go, and we're off
c'est pas vrai ! no way!
ce n'est pas grave it doesn't matter, no problem
ce n'est pas terrible it's not that great
un coup de fil phone call
un coup d'œil glance, quick look





TO BE CONTINUED

 

 

[zikozaki]

d'ailleurs moreover, might I add
dis donc / dites donc wow, by the way
du coup as a result
du jour au lendemain overnight
du tout not/none at all


en effet indeed, that's right
en fait in fact
enfin well, I mean
en retard late
entre chien et loup at dusk, twilight
est-ce que (turns statement into question)
et j'en passe and that's not all
et patati et patata and so on and so forth
être en train de to be ___ing


faire cadeau to give (something), to let off easily
faire le pont to make it a long weekend
fais gaffe watch out, be careful
fais voir let me see
figure-toi guess what, get this
'fin well, I mean


grâce à thanks to


il est it is
il faut it's necessary
il y a there is, there are
il y a quelque chose qui cloche something's amiss


J'arrive ! I'm on my way!
j'en passe et des meilleures and that's not all
J'en peux plus I can't take (it) any more
Je n'en reviens pas I can't believe it
Je n'y peux rien There's nothing I can do about it.
Je n'y suis pour rien It's got nothing to do with me
je t'aime I love you







TO BE CONTINUED

 

 

[zikozaki]

métro, boulot, dodo the rat race


n'importe quoi whatever


oh là là oh dear, oh no
on ne sait jamais you never know
on peut se tutoyer ? can we use tu?
On y va ? Shall we go? Ready?


par contre whereas, on the other hand
par exemple for example, such as; oh my, well really!
pas du tout not at all
pas mal not bad, quite a bit
pas terrible not that great, nothing special
plus ça change... the more things change...
prendre une décision to make a decision


quand même anyway, really, finally
quand on parle du loup speak of the devil


revenons à nos moutons let's get back to the subject at hand
rien à voir nothing to do with


sans blague seriously, all kidding aside
si ce n'est pas indiscret if it's not too personal a question
si tu veux if you will


tant mieux it's just as well, even better
tant pis oh well, too bad, tough
tout à coup all of a sudden
tout à fait absolutely, exactly
tout à l'heure in a moment, a moment ago
tout de suite right away, immediately
tout d'un coup all at once
tu connais la musique you know the routine
tu m'étonnes tell me something I don't know
tu te rends compte ? can you imagine?


valoir le coup to be worth it
Vive la France ! Long live France!
voilà there is, that's it

 

 

[zikozaki]

Au contraire

Expression: Au contraire

Pronunciation: [o ko(n) trehr]

Meaning: on the contrary, just the opposite

Register: normal

Notes: The French expression au contraire is used not only to deny what someone just said, but to proclaim that the very opposite is true.

Examples

Je n'ai pas besoin d'assistance ; au contraire, je suis ici pour vous aider.
I don't need help; on the contrary, I'm here to help you.

Non, je ne me moque pas de toi. Au contraire, j'admire ce que tu as fait.
No, I'm not making fun of you. On the contrary, I admire what you've done.

Note that au contraire can also used be in English with the same meaning, as can an emphatic variation: au contraire mon frère - on the contrary, my brother. In French, you can only use mon frère if you are actually talking to your brother, but in English, the rhyme seems to make fraternal considerations unnecessary.

In French, au contraire can be modified with bien or tout, to make the contradiction that much stronger.

Il ne déteste pas les langues, tout au contraire.
He doesn't hate languages, just the opposite.

- Es-tu fâché ?
- Bien au contraire !
- Are you angry?
- Just the opposite! Quite the reverse! Anything but!

In the above examples, au contraire is a stand-alone interjection or conjunction. But it can also be used with the preposition de followed by a noun or clause to mean "contrary to." (Synonym: à l'encontre de)

Au contraire de votre analyse, nous allons perdre beaucoup d'argent.
Contrary to your analysis, we're going to lose a lot of money.

Au contraire de ce qu'il pense, à mon avis nous devons....
Contrary to what he thinks, in my opinion we have to....

 

 

[zikozaki]

Au fur et à mesure

Expression: Au fur et à mesure

Pronunciation: [o fu ray a m(eu) zur]

Meaning: as, while, gradually

Literal translation: at the rate and in measure

Register: normal

Notes: The French expression au fur et à mesure is a perfect - if extreme - example of why you can't translate word for word from one language to another. In this case, English speakers need but a single word to express something for which the French commonly use five. Fur is an old word meaning "rate," and mesure means "measure" or "measurement."

It must be said, however, that "as" is less precise than au fur et à mesure, which indicates not only a shared time-frame for two events, but also a consistency of speed: a gradual progression. A subtle nuance, certainly, but one that helps to explain why the French expression is so much longer. It also means that au fur et à mesure is less flexible: you can only use it for active, progressive actions such as washing dishes or spending money.

Examples

Je fais la vaisselle au fur et à mesure qu'il débarrasse la table.
I do the dishes as he clears the table.

Au fur et à mesure que la fête se rapproche, ma sœur s'inquiète.
As the party draws nearer, my sister is getting (more and more) impatient.

Le suspense m'a tenu en haleine au fur et à mesure de la lecture du livre.
The suspense kept me spellbound throughout the book.

Passe-moi les verres au fur et à mesure.
Pass me the glasses as you go (around the table picking them up).

Note that you can't use au fur et à mesure with passive actions such as watching TV, listening to the radio, or taking a bath. To talk about a passive action that occurs at the same time as another action, use tandis que.

 

 

[zikozaki]

Au lieu de

Expression: Au lieu de

Pronunciation: [oh lyeu deu]

Meaning: instead of

Literal translation: in the place of

Register: normal

Notes: The French expression au lieu de can be translated by "instead of" or "rather than," not to mention the French-English blend "in lieu of." However, note the difference in pronunciation: in French, lieu is pronounced [lyeu] (click the sound file above), whereas in American English it's pronounced [loo].

Au lieu de can be used in front of an infinitive, a noun, or a demonstrative pronoun. When it precedes a subordinate clause, it becomes au lieu que (and requires the subjunctive).

Examples:

Je vais écrire une lettre au lieu de leur téléphoner.
I'm going to write a letter rather than calling them.

Viens m'aider au lieu de rester là à ne rien faire !
Come help me instead of just sitting there!

Au lieu que tout le monde prenne sa voiture, allons-y ensemble.
Instead of everyone taking his or her own car, let's all go together.

 

 

[zikozaki]

À la bonne franquette

Expression: À la bonne franquette

Pronunciation: [a la buhn fra(n) keht]

Meaning: simple, without any fuss, informal

Register: informal

Notes: The French expression à la bonne franquette is somewhat old-fashioned, but I still hear it quite a bit. Franquette is a diminutive of franc, meaning "frank" or "straightforward." So à la bonne franquette is kind of like saying "really simple" with no negative connotation. You can use it like an adjective - "simple" or "unceremonious," or like an adverb - "simply" or "unceremoniously." I've also heard it used for potluck meals (where guests bring dishes to share), which has no real French *****alent.

Examples:

C'est une réunion à la bonne franquette.
It's an informal meeting.

Nous avons mangé à la bonne franquette.
We ate a simple meal.