Basic French Greetings and Phrases

• French is a Romance language with approximately 77 million native speakers globally.
• It holds official language status in 29 countries, largely within "La Francophonie."
• French originated from Vulgar Latin, shaped by Gaulish and Frankish influences.
• The oldest known French writings date to the 9th century.

Basic Greetings and Introductions

• Bonjour translates to Hello / Good morning / Good day.
• Bonsoir means Good evening / Good night.
• Salut is an informal Hi / Bye.
• Au revoir means Goodbye.
• À bientôt translates to See you soon.
• À plus tard means See you later.
• À demain translates to See you tomorrow.
• Comment allez-vous? is a formal way of asking How are you?
• Comment vas-tu? is an informal version of How are you?
• Ça va? means How's it going? (informal)
• Je vais bien, merci means I'm fine, thank you.
• Et vous? is a formal way of saying And you?
• Et toi? is an informal version of And you?
• Enchanté(e) means Pleased to meet you.
• Je m'appelle... means My name is...

Basic Phrases

• Oui: Yes
• Non: No
• S'il vous plaît is a formal Please.
• S'il te plaît is an informal version of Please.
• Merci: Thank you
• De rien: You're welcome
• Excusez-moi is a formal Excuse me.
• Excuse-moi is an informal version of Excuse me.
• Pardon: Sorry
• D'accord: Okay
• Pas de problème: No problem

Numbers

• Un: One
• Deux: Two
• Trois: Three
• Quatre: Four
• Cinq: Five
• Six: Six
• Sept: Seven
• Huit: Eight
• Neuf: Nine
• Dix: Ten
• Onze: Eleven
• Douze: Twelve
• Treize: Thirteen
• Quatorze: Fourteen
• Quinze: Fifteen
• Seize: Sixteen
• Dix-sept: Seventeen
• Dix-huit: Eighteen
• Dix-neuf: Nineteen
• Vingt: Twenty
• Trente: Thirty
• Quarante: Forty
• Cinquante: Fifty
• Soixante: Sixty
• Soixante-dix: Seventy (sixty-ten)
• Quatre-vingts: Eighty (four-twenty)
• Quatre-vingt-dix: Ninety (four-twenty-ten)
• Cent: Hundred
• Mille: Thousand

Gender and Articles

• French nouns have either a masculine or feminine gender.
• Le is the masculine definite article, meaning "the."
• La is the feminine definite article, meaning "the."
• L' functions as the definite article "the" before vowels or mute 'h'.
• Un is the masculine indefinite article, meaning "a/an."
• Une is the feminine indefinite article, meaning "a/an."
• Des is a plural indefinite article, meaning "some."

Verb "Être" (To Be)

• Je suis: I am
• Tu es: You are (informal)
• Il/Elle/On est: He/She/One is
• Nous sommes: We are
• Vous êtes: You are (formal/plural)
• Ils/Elles sont: They are

Verb "Avoir" (To Have)

• J'ai: I have
• Tu as: You have (informal)
• Il/Elle/On a: He/She/One has
• Nous avons: We have
• Vous avez: You have (formal/plural)
• Ils/Elles ont: They have

Basic Questions

• Qui?: Who?
• Quoi?: What?
• Où?: Where?
• Quand?: When?
• Comment?: How?
• Pourquoi?: Why?
• Combien?: How much/many?

Colors

• Rouge: Red
• Bleu: Blue
• Vert: Green
• Jaune: Yellow
• Orange: Orange
• Violet: Purple
• Rose: Pink
• Marron: Brown
• Noir: Black
• Blanc: White
• Gris: Grey

Days of the Week

• Lundi: Monday
• Mardi: Tuesday
• Mercredi: Wednesday
• Jeudi: Thursday
• Vendredi: Friday
• Samedi: Saturday
• Dimanche: Sunday

Months of the Year

• Janvier: January
• Février: February
• Mars: March
• Avril: April
• Mai: May
• Juin: June
• Juillet: July
• Août: August
• Septembre: September
• Octobre: October
• Novembre: November
• Décembre: December

Common Adjectives

• Bon: Good (masculine)
• Bonne: Good (feminine)
• Mauvais: Bad (masculine)
• Mauvaise: Bad (feminine)
• Grand: Big/Tall (masculine)
• Grande: Big/Tall (feminine)
• Petit: Small (masculine)
• Petite: Small (feminine)
• Jeune: Young
• Vieux/Vieil: Old (masculine)
• Vieille: Old (feminine)
• Nouveau/Nouvel: New (masculine)
• Nouvelle: New (feminine)
• Beau: Beautiful (masculine)
• Belle: Beautiful (feminine)

Pronunciation Basics

• Nasal Vowels: Sounds like "on," "in," "un"
• Liaison: Linking the final consonant of one word to the initial vowel of the next word.
• Silent Letters: Many French words have silent letters, especially at the end of words.

Cultural Insights

• Politeness and formality are important in French culture, especially when addressing someone unfamiliar.
• "Tu" is for family, close friends, and children, while "vous" is for everyone else, unless invited to use "tu".

Cultural Insights (continued)

• Upon entering a shop or starting a conversation it is common to greet people with "Bonjour" or "Bonsoir"
• La bise: A light kiss on the cheek (or air kiss) is a common greeting between friends and family, the number of kisses depends on the region.
• Punctuality: Being on time is generally appreciated.

Learn essential French greetings and basic phrases. This includes formal and informal ways to say hello, goodbye, introduce yourself, and ask how someone is doing. Expand your French vocabulary with these fundamental expressions.