Basic French for English Speakers

Bonjour! Greetings & Introductions

Start with the two words you already know: bonjour (hello / good morning) is the safest greeting for almost any time of day, and bonsoir (good evening) takes over after dark. Salut is the relaxed "hi" for friends.

To say goodbye use au revoir, and for "see you soon" try à bientôt. Before you leave in the morning, you will often hear bonne journée — "have a good day".

Introducing yourself is easy: Je m'appelle… ("my name is…", literally "I call myself…"). Ask back with Comment vous appelez-vous? (formal) or Tu t'appelles comment? (informal). When you meet someone, enchanté (from a man) or enchantée (from a woman) means "delighted / nice to meet you" — the final -e is silent either way.

The Alphabet & a Sound Guide for English Speakers

French uses the same 26 letters as English — the difference is the sound, not the letters. Practise these everyday sounds by matching them to English words you already know:

j = the "s" in vision (so je sounds like "zhuh"). ch = "sh" (so chat = "shah", a cat). u = purse your lips and say "ee" (like the German "ü"). oi = "wah" (so bonsoir ≈ "bon-swahr"). ou = "oo" (vous ≈ "voo"). au / eau = "oh" (beau = "boh", beautiful). qu = "k". h is always silent. Endings like tion sound like "syohn" (attention ≈ "a-tahn-syohn").

French also has sounds English lacks: nasal vowels where air flows through your nose too — the an of encore, the on of bon, the in of vin. Say "ah" and let it slip through your nose — that is the sound.

Essential Everyday Phrases

Five phrases get you through 90% of polite daily life: s'il vous plaît (please), merci (thank you), de rien (you're welcome), excusez-moi (excuse me), and pardon (sorry / pardon me).

For understanding, the magic trio is: Je ne comprends pas (I don't understand), Je ne sais pas (I don't know), and Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît? (Can you repeat, please?). Add Plus lentement, s'il vous plaît — "more slowly, please" — and you can follow almost any conversation.

Don't forget the tiny power word oui (yes) and non (no). French speakers say "oui" often and warmly — never be shy about using it.

Numbers, Dates & Time

The essentials: 1–16 is pure memorising — un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix, onze, douze, treize, quatorze, quinze, seize. Then the pattern takes over: 17 is dix-sept (ten-seven), through 19 dix-neuf. 20 is vingt, 30 trente, 40 quarante, 50 cinquante, 60 soixante. Note the quirks: 70 is soixante-dix ("sixty-ten"), 80 is quatre-vingts ("four-twenties"), and 90 is quatre-vingt-dix ("four-twenty-ten").

The days: lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche. Ask Quel jour sommes-nous? ("what day is it?"). The time: Quelle heure est-il? ("what time is it?") → Il est trois heures ("it's three o'clock"). To ask when something happens: À quelle heure? ("at what time?").

Personal Pronouns & Être (to be)

The pronouns: je (I), tu (you, informal), il / elle / on (he / she / one), nous (we), vous (you, formal or plural), ils / elles (they).

The verb être (to be) is your foundation. Memorise the forms in one block: je suis · tu es · il/elle est · nous sommes · vous êtes · ils/elles sont. Now build real sentences: Je suis étudiante (I am a student), Tu es français (you are French), Elle est professeur (she is a teacher), Nous sommes en retard (we are late).

A secret that will make you sound natural immediately: in spoken French, on is used all the time to mean "we". On y va! ("let's go!"), On est prêts ("we're ready").

Avoir (to have) & Everyday Expressions

The second power verb is avoir (to have): j'ai · tu as · il/elle a · nous avons · vous avez · ils/elles ont.

Here is where English speakers make their most famous mistake: in French you do not use "to be" for age or feelings — you "have" them. J'ai 25 ans = "I am 25 years old" (literally "I have 25 years"). J'ai faim = "I'm hungry"; J'ai soif = "I'm thirsty"; J'ai chaud / froid = "I'm hot / cold"; J'ai peur = "I'm scared"; J'ai raison / tort = "I'm right / wrong".

You will also meet il y a — "there is / there are" — everywhere: Il y a un hôtel ici ("there's a hotel here"), Il y a du café ("there is some coffee").

Gender, Articles & Plurals

Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and the article must match. The singular articles: le / un (masculine — le café) and la / une (feminine — la maison). The plural is les / des for both: les cafés, les maisons. Before a vowel, le and la both become l' — l'hôtel, l'eau.

How do you guess gender? Endings help: usually masculine — -age, -ment, -au, -ier, -iste (le voyage, the trip; le restaurant is a classic exception). Usually feminine — -ion, -té, -ette, -ance, -ence (la télévision, la liberté). It is not a perfect rule — learn the article with the word and you will always be safe.

Plurals are kind to English speakers: most nouns simply add -s (usually silent), so un billet → des billets. Watch the article, not the sound.

Questions & Negation

The easiest way to ask a yes/no question: add Est-ce que in front of a normal sentence. Est-ce que vous parlez anglais? ("do you speak English?"). Even simpler in speech: raise your voice like in English — Vous parlez anglais?

Question words sit at the front: Où (where), Quand (when), Pourquoi (why), Comment (how), Combien (how much/many), Qui (who), Quoi (what), Quel / Quelle (which). See? Où, Quand, Comment are almost English already.

Negation is wonderfully predictable: wrap the verb in ne…pas. Je parle français (I speak French) → Je ne parle pas français (I don't speak French). Before a vowel, ne becomes n': Je n'ai pas d'argent ("I have no money").

Food, Ordering & Shopping

Meals: le petit-déjeuner (breakfast — but for French speakers usually café, croissant, tartine), le déjeuner (lunch), le dîner (dinner). The pan-try of basics: le pain (bread), le fromage (cheese), l'eau (water), le café (coffee), du vin (wine), un croissant.

Order with a smile: Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît ("I would like a coffee, please") or the even more common Un café, s'il vous plaît. When you finish: L'addition, s'il vous plaît ("the bill, please"). Curious about the menu? La carte is the menu — ask Puis-je voir la carte?

Shopping phrases: Combien ça coûte? ("how much is it?"), C'est trop cher ("it's too expensive"), Je voudrais ceci / cela ("I'd like this / that"). A hugely useful question for everything: Où est…? ("where is…?").

Putting It Together — Your First Conversation

Everything you have learned fits into a real conversation. Read this dialogue out loud twice — once slowly, once at a natural speed:

Notice how every piece you learned appears here: greetings, merci, s'il vous plaît (implied in the politeness), je m'appelle, être, habiter (to live), où, and the farewells.

Shadowing drill (the habit that builds accent): play this dialogue aloud from memory once a day. Match the melody of the sentences, not just the words. Thirty seconds a day beats one big cram session every week.