How To Say Friday In French

(Parlez-vous français epitome via Shutterstock)

The other solar day in my Class 6 class, I heard one of the boys saying "Oh my god!" In my classroom, the rule is you can chat every bit much as you want (well, inside reason) equally long as it'south in French. So, when they come out with expressions like "Oh my god", I like to teach them the equivalent in French. In the context it was used, Oh mon dieu would not have been the advisable equivalent – so I taught them Oh là là! (not Oooh but Oh – existent French people exercise non say OOOOh là là like many people imagine – here'south a not bad caption of the difference).  Although I most immediately regretted it (since for the balance of the form, that'southward all I heard!), I do like to teach the boys "real life" expressions and then they recognize and understand them when they are in French speaking environments.

Then I got to thinking that it might exist fun hither on French Fridays to highlight some French language as well as nutrient and travel (considering you need the linguistic communication to order the food, right?!). And while there are so many interesting French language stories I could tell you, I figured it's best to get-go at the outset with:

Must-know expressions for your trip to France

(French speech bubble image via Shutterstock)

Bonjour/ Bonsoir
You'll notice in French republic, when people enter a store or eating place, they volition greet everyone with a full general Bonjour or Bonsoir depending on the time of twenty-four hours, sometimes followed by Messieurs-dames (meaning ladies and gentlemen). It's a common courtesy that so many visitors to France fail and can often make the departure betwixt someone treating you with courtesy and someone being dismissive.  On that note…

Au revoir
(goodbye) Don't forget to say Au revoir when you leave a shop/ eating place etc… and maybe even add together a:

Bonne journée/ Bon après-midi/ Bonne soirée (Accept a adept solar day/Take a practiced afternoon/ Have a nice evening depending on what time of the solar day it is) When you leave a store or eatery or maybe you're just maxim goodbye to a person, don't forget to add this on the end of your "Au revoir". Don't make the mistake of  maxim Bonne nuit in the evening as it actually means "Practiced night" in the sense that you are going to bed.

In all of the in a higher place usages, it'south polite (and "done") to add Monsieur or Madame every bit yous'll meet people do when they greet you.

Excusez-moi
(in  the sense of "sorry") Useful when you crash-land into someone on the street or métro, realize that you lot have cutting a queue or stepped on someone'southward toes.
(in the sense of "Excuse me") Useful to go someone'due south attending (i.e. in a smaller shop when the shopkeeper is not facing you) or you lot can commencement a question with this (i.eastward. Excusez-moi mais j'ai une question…)

Désolé(e)
(Sorry) Use this for any number of reasons – even to the point of adding information technology onto Excusez-moi … désolé(e) to show you lot're actually sorry!

Pardon
(Pardon me, excuse me) When yous're trying to become through a crowd, pardon is your friend.

Southward'il vous plaît
(Delight) Don't forget to say please! It'due south also useful to get the attention of your server in a restaurant (don't make the terrible tourist mistake of calling a waiter garçon and certainly never snap your fingers!). In this usage, yous'll want to brand information technology sound like a question (then the intonation goes up at the end).

Parlez-vous anglais?
(Do yous speak English) While the answer might very well be not or un peu (the French can be harsh on themselves – they sometimes will speak much improve English language than they give them selves credit for!), at least you lot know what to wait. Much better to know that you lot can speak (even a little) English than struggle with your French. E'er a good thought to enquire this first.

Je ne comprends pas
(I don't sympathize) A sentence yous might find yourself using a lot (and it'due south ok to use it!). By telling someone you don't sympathise what they are saying, you're giving them options to perhaps communicate in another way (depict a picture show, mime an action). It's better to 'fess up that you don't understand than nod and say Oui. I always tell my students that answering "Yeah" to a question they don't understand tin can exist dangerous (i.e. "Do you recall we should have a French test tomorrow?" 😉 )

Pouvez-vous répéter s'il vous plaît?
(Can you echo please) You might discover that fifty-fifty if your level of French is expert and yous can "get by", native French is a lot faster than yous are used to hearing (or the person speaking will have an accent that makes it hard to sympathise) so this will come up in handy. Sometimes it'due south even a hint for the native speaker to speak more than slowly, yet, if it's not…

Pouvez-vous parler plus lentement southward'il vous plaît?
(Can you speak more slowly please?)

Où est…?
(Where is…) Helpful if y'all are looking for a well-known landmark, street, métro station etc…  Even if you lot don't know how to pronounce the name of what you are looking for, if you have information technology written down, you can simply say Où est… and bespeak at where yous need to go.

Où sont les toilettes?
(Where is the toilet?) Maybe the very get-go thing I teach my 7-8 yr old kickoff year French students how to say is "May I go to the washroom?". For a tourist, this is the equivalent phrase. Important to larn considering sometimes the toilets won't be obviously marked.  If you tin can't recall the Où sont office, you lot tin but say Les toilettes? with a questioning tone (or even, Les toilettes s'il vous plaît) and you'll virtually probable get the data you need!

Je vais prendre/ Je voudrais … south'il vous plaît
(I will take/ I would similar). I use Je vais prendre when I'm in a smaller shop – butcher, cheesemonger, bakery, produce shop where the shopkeeper chooses the produce for yous etc… In a restaurant that'due south less formal you tin can use Je vais prendre also merely somewhere a bit fancier, you lot'll likely become for Je voudrais when ordering a meal. Don't forget to say s'il vous plaît!

C'est combien?
(How much is it?) In virtually stores and restaurants you become to, you'll be able to see the price of something but on the odd occasion you lot can't, you lot'll need to ask how much. Don't forget to say s'il vous plaît!

Merci
(Thank you) Never underestimate the power of maxim thank y'all. Applies to life as well as trips to France!

Happy (French) Friday!

Source: https://www.eatlivetravelwrite.com/2015/11/french-fridays-must-know-expressions-for-your-trip-to-france/

Share this post