Going to France? 75+ French Words and Phrases You’ll Be Glad You Know

Seeing Paris up close was a dream come true for me, as I know it is for many other people. I had wanted to visit for years, and suddenly I was actually there – walking through the city, visiting museums I had read about, taking the Métro, seeing Versailles and finally going up the Eiffel Tower.

My husband had already traveled to France several times for work. We were both lucky enough to study some French in school, so we didn’t arrive without knowing a single word. But I realize that’s not everyone’s experience.

Knowing a little French before a trip to France can make many everyday situations easier. You don’t have to carry on a conversation. Sometimes all you need is bonjour, a polite way to ask for what you want, or enough vocabulary to recognize what someone has just asked you.

That’s why this isn’t only a list of French phrases to memorize. I’ve included useful French words for tourists, easy pronunciation, expressions you’ll actually need at hotels, restaurants, bakeries, train stations, on the Paris Métro, in museums and shops, plus several things you’re likely to hear in return.

If you’re still deciding where to go, these 100 places to visit in France cover destinations throughout the country. And if Paris is your main destination, my Paris travel tips for first-time visitors cover many of the practical details I learned during my own trip.

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The pronunciation below is intentionally simple. It isn’t IPA and it won’t turn you into a French speaker. It’s an English-friendly approximation designed to help you say these travel phrases without having to learn French pronunciation first.

French Greetings and Polite Words You’ll Use Every Day

Say bonjour before asking a question, ordering something or walking up to a counter. You’ll hear bonsoir instead once you’re into the evening.

There isn’t a precise hour when everyone in France suddenly switches from one to the other, so don’t worry about memorizing a 5 PM rule. Use bonjour during the day and bonsoir in the evening.

With people you don’t know, use vous rather than the informal tu. The phrases throughout this guide already use the polite form where it applies, so you don’t need to think about changing them.

Salut is a common way to say hi, but it’s informal. With hotel employees, restaurant staff, shopkeepers or someone you’re approaching for directions, bonjour or bonsoir is the easier choice.

Visitors from the US may encounter other small differences in daily interactions, hotels, restaurants and transportation. I’ve covered more of them in these things Americans should know before traveling to Europe.

What to Say When You Don’t Understand French

You may successfully order a coffee in French and then discover that understanding the answer is harder than placing the order. These phrases give you a way to slow things down or switch languages.

Excusez-moi works well when you’re trying to get someone’s attention before asking a question. Pardon is useful when you need to squeeze past someone, lightly bump into somebody or make a quick apology.

If you want to ask whether someone speaks English, Bonjour. Excusez-moi, parlez-vous anglais ? gives you a polite way to begin.

Useful French Phrases for Hotels

Your reservation confirmation will do much of the work at a hotel, but a few French phrases can help with breakfast, luggage, Wi-Fi and the little problems that sometimes appear once you’re in the room.

If breakfast isn’t included in the rate, you can decide whether you want to add it or eat somewhere else. I’ve found that whether hotel breakfast is worth paying for depends on much more than the buffet price.

What you may hear at hotel reception

One hotel detail can confuse American travelers: the French rez-de-chaussée is the ground floor. Le premier étage is the first floor above it, so what a French hotel calls the first floor would normally be the second floor in the US.

Before arriving, I also check whether the hotel actually has the facilities I’ll need rather than discovering them at reception. Elevators, air conditioning, breakfast, luggage storage and check-in times are among the things in my hotel booking checklist. If you’re still choosing a base, these ideas for where to stay in France cover several very different parts of the country.

French Phrases for a Bakery or Café

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French bakery conversations tend to be short. Knowing what the person behind the counter may ask is often more useful than memorizing another ten ways to order.

What you may hear at the counter

Sur place ou à emporter ? means “For here or to go?” You can simply answer sur place or à emporter.

Avec ceci ?, Autre chose ? and Ce sera tout ? are variations of “Anything else?” or “Will that be all?”

You may also hear Je vous le réchauffe ? if something can be warmed up. It means “Would you like me to heat it up?”

French Restaurant Phrases for Ordering Food and Paying

Une carafe d’eau is worth remembering. Restaurant customers in France can ask for free tap water when they’re consuming at the establishment. If what you want is tap water rather than bottled mineral water, asking specifically for a carafe d’eau removes the ambiguity.

French phrases for allergies and dietary needs

Je suis allergique à… means “I’m allergic to…” If you need to check an ingredient, Est-ce qu’il y a … dedans ? asks whether it is in the dish.

Je suis végétarien is the masculine form of “I’m vegetarian,” and Je suis végétarienne is the feminine form. Sans …, s’il vous plaît means “Without …, please.”

Questions you may hear from a waiter

Vous êtes combien ? – How many of you are there?

Vous avez réservé ? – Do you have a reservation?

Vous avez choisi ? – Have you decided?

Vous désirez ? – What would you like?

Plate ou gazeuse ? – Still or sparkling?

Vous désirez autre chose ? – Would you like anything else?

French food words that can confuse English-speaking travelers

Entrée means a starter or first course in France. That’s an important difference for Americans, who commonly use “entrée” to mean the main course.

La carte is the list of dishes you can order. Un menu often refers to a fixed combination of courses sold for a set price.

Un café normally means a small espresso-style coffee rather than a large cup of American-style filtered coffee.

Une formule is a set combination. You may see a lunch formula or a bakery formula combining several items for one price.

Un plat is a dish or course, while le plat principal is the main course.

French Phrases for Train Travel

You can book many French train journeys without speaking to anyone, but station displays and last-minute changes are another story. For train travel in France, recognizing a few words can be just as useful as knowing what to ask.

On departure boards, départ means departure, arrivée arrival, voie track, retard delay, supprimé cancelled and correspondance connection.

Useful French for the Paris Métro and RER

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The Paris Métro and RER looked complicated to me at first. Once we started using it, I found that I kept looking for the same pieces of information: the line, the direction, where to change and which exit to take.

Paris ticketing has changed considerably, so I’d use current transport information instead of memorizing ticket-buying language from an old phrasebook. You may still see references online to cardboard tickets t+ and carnets, even though the system has been moving toward rechargeable and digital options.

Signs repeatedly use ligne (line), direction, terminus, correspondance (connection), sortie (exit), station, ascenseur (elevator) and escalier mécanique (escalator).

You may hear Prochain arrêt… for “Next stop…” and Terminus, tout le monde descend when everyone needs to leave the train at the end of the line. Trafic perturbé tells you that service is disrupted.

We used public transportation throughout our Paris trip, including for Versailles. If you’re working out how much you can realistically combine, my four-day Paris itinerary shows how we structured our own sightseeing.

How to Ask for Directions in French – and Understand the Answer

Then listen for à gauche (left), à droite (right), tout droit (straight ahead), près (near), loin (far), en face (opposite/across from) and à côté de (next to).

These phrases work whether you’re looking for the station or trying to find one of the major landmarks in Paris.

French Phrases for Museums and Tourist Attractions

Museums and attractions are one area where I wouldn’t waste time learning long sentences. Ticket confirmations, times and signs do most of the communicating.

Words worth recognizing include billetterie (ticket office), tarif réduit (reduced rate), complet (full/sold out), gratuit (free), réservation obligatoire (reservation required), vestiaire (cloakroom) and consigne (lockers or storage).

Timed tickets can reduce uncertainty in Paris. Before setting your itinerary, check which Paris attractions you should book in advance and which don’t need the same level of planning.

Paris also has far more museums than most visitors could fit into one trip. My guide to the best museums in Paris can help narrow the list down, and if you’re choosing between the two names that come up constantly, I compared the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay separately.

Musée d’Orsay was actually the first major attraction I visited in Paris. I went by myself while my husband was working, and I loved being able to spend as much time as I wanted with the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collections. If it’s on your itinerary, these Musée d’Orsay tips cover the practical details.

At the Eiffel Tower, it helps to decide what you want before you reach the entrance. The summit and second floor are different experiences, and the ticket you choose determines how far you can go.

French Phrases for Shopping and Markets

On signs and receipts, prix means price, caisse is the checkout or cash register, soldes means sales, réduction is a discount, espèces means cash and ticket de caisse is a receipt.

French Phrases for Problems, Pharmacies and Emergencies

For a serious emergency in France, you can call 112, the European emergency number. It’s free and can direct you to the appropriate emergency service.

French Words on Signs You’ll Be Glad You Recognize

You don’t need to know how to pronounce every French word you encounter. Several are useful simply because you’ll see them on doors, station screens, ticket machines and attraction signs.

Five French Expressions Tourists Can Easily Misuse

Salut

Salut is a perfectly normal French word for “hi,” but it’s informal. I’d stick with bonjour or bonsoir when speaking to strangers.

Tu

If you’re wondering whether to use tu or vous while traveling in France, vous is the safer form with people you don’t know.

Je veux…

Je veux… means “I want…” and isn’t grammatically wrong. For ordering and everyday tourist requests, je voudrais… gives you an easy polite construction you can reuse again and again.

Garçon!

Don’t call a waiter by shouting Garçon!. If you need their attention, eye contact and Excusez-moi will serve you much better.

Bonne nuit

Bonne nuit is what you’d say when wishing someone good night before sleep. If you’re leaving a restaurant or saying goodbye to someone during the evening, bonne soirée is the expression you’ll usually want.

Which French Phrases Should You Actually Memorize?

I wouldn’t try to memorize every word in this article before flying to France.

If you’re starting from zero, learn bonjour, s’il vous plaît, merci, excusez-moi and au revoir. Then add Parlez-vous anglais ?, Je ne comprends pas and Pouvez-vous répéter ?.

Your itinerary should decide what comes next.

If you’ll be using trains, remember quai, voie, retard and correspondance. If food is a big part of the trip, je voudrais, une carafe d’eau and l’addition will earn their place in your memory very quickly.

For Paris, knowing what direction, correspondance and sortie mean can help more than memorizing a complicated sentence you’ll probably never need.

And don’t make your Paris days so full that you’re rushing from one reservation to another. Trying to fit too much into the itinerary is one of the Paris mistakes I’d avoid. If you haven’t chosen your dates yet, the best time to visit Paris also depends on whether good weather, lower prices or easier sightseeing matters most to you.

Conclusion: Use the French You Know

Your French doesn’t have to be perfect to be useful.

A greeting at a bakery, one sentence at hotel reception, recognizing sortie in a Métro station or knowing how to ask for the bill can be enough for that particular moment.

I was glad that the French we had learned years earlier came back to us during our trip, even if we weren’t having long conversations in French. For me, Paris was about finally seeing places I had dreamed about for years, and knowing some of the language made the practical parts of the trip easier.

Choose the words that fit the trip you’re planning. The rest can stay here until you need them.

If France is part of a longer European trip and Italy is next, these Italian words and phrases for travel cover the same kinds of everyday situations.

Frequently Asked Questions About French Phrases for Travel

What are the most useful French phrases for tourists?

Some of the most useful French phrases for tourists are bonjour (hello), s’il vous plaît (please), merci (thank you), excusez-moi (excuse me), parlez-vous anglais ? (do you speak English?), je ne comprends pas (I don’t understand), où est… ? (where is…?) and au revoir (goodbye).

Do I need to speak French to visit France?

No. You can travel in France without speaking French fluently. Knowing a few basic French words and phrases still helps with greetings, restaurants, hotels, transportation and situations where the person you’re speaking with doesn’t immediately switch to English.

Is it rude to speak English in France?

Speaking English isn’t inherently rude. When approaching someone you don’t know, starting with bonjour or bonsoir and then asking Parlez-vous anglais ? is a polite way to begin the conversation.

How do I politely ask if someone speaks English in French?

Say Bonjour. Excusez-moi, parlez-vous anglais ? It means “Hello. Excuse me, do you speak English?”

Should tourists use tu or vous in France?

Use vous with strangers, hotel employees, restaurant staff, shopkeepers and other people you don’t know. Tu is the informal form used with friends, family, children and people with whom that level of familiarity has been established.

What’s the difference between pardon and excusez-moi?

Pardon is useful when moving past someone, after a small accidental bump or for a quick apology. Excusez-moi works well when you’re trying to get someone’s attention before asking a question. There is some overlap, so you don’t need to worry about getting the distinction perfect every time.

How do you ask for the bill in French?

Say L’addition, s’il vous plaît – “The bill, please.”

How do you ask for tap water in a French restaurant?

Say Une carafe d’eau, s’il vous plaît. This asks for a carafe of tap water rather than bottled still or sparkling mineral water.

What French words should I know for the Paris Métro?

The most useful Paris Métro words to recognize include ligne (line), direction, terminus, correspondance (connection or transfer), sortie (exit), station and ascenseur (elevator).

How do you say you don’t speak French?

Je ne parle pas bien français means “I don’t speak French well.” If you know a little, say Je parle un peu français. You can follow either phrase with Parlez-vous anglais ? if you’d like to continue in English.

Violeta Loredana

Violeta-Loredana Pascal is a communications expert, business mentor, and the founder of Earth’s Attractions and PRwave INTERNATIONAL. A pioneer in the Romanian digital PR landscape since 2005, she holds a degree in Communication and Social Sciences from SNSPA Bucharest. Violeta is a senior trainer at AcademiadeAfaceri.ro, where she leverages over 20 years of experience to teach professional courses in PR strategy and workplace productivity. By blending high-level business consulting with a passion for holistic travel and wellness, she empowers solopreneurs to overcome procrastination, build profitable brands, and design a life of purposeful adventure.