How to Speak Basic French

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Memorize a new phrase or two every day and use them as part of your daily speech.

   Start by learning the more common and well-known words and phrases, including:
   Bonjour
   - bon-jshor Hello / Good day Bonsoir
   - bon-swarh Good evening Bonne nuit
   - bon-nwee Goodnight Au revoir
   - ohr-vwah Goodbye Salut
   - sa-loo Hi / Bye S'il vous plaît
   - see voo play Please S'il te plaît
   - see te play Please Merci (beaucoup)
   - mair-see (boh-koo) Thank you (very much) Je vous en prie
   - zhuh voo zawn pree You're Welcome De rien
   - duh ree-ahn You're welcome , Included here are some useful questions.
   
   Note that informal phrases are the ones you would use when speaking to friends, family and children, whereas formal phrases would be used when speaking to anyone older than you or anyone that you don't know, such as strangers, teachers, parents of your friends and anyone else you'd wish to speak very politely and respectfully to.
   
   Comment allez-vous?
   - koh-mawn tahl-ay voo How are you? Ça va?
   - sah vah How are you? (Très) bien
   - (treh) bee-ahn (Very) good (Pas) mal
   - (pah) mahl (not) bad Malade
   - mah-lahd Sick Quel age as-tu ? How old are you ? J'ai (how old you are) ans I am (your age) old Comment vous appelez-vous ?
   - koh-mawn voo zah-play voo What is your name? Tu t'appelles comment ?
   - tew tah-pell koh-mawn What's your name? Où habitez-vous ?
   - ooh ah-bee-tay voo Where do you live? Où habites-tu?
   - tew ah-beet ooh Where do you live? Vous êtes d'où ?
   - voo zet doo Where are you from? Tu es d'où ?
   - tew ay doo Where are you from? Parlez-vous anglais ?
   - par-lay voo on-glay Do you speak English? Tu parles anglais ?
   - tew parl on-glay Do you speak English? , Here are some ways to answer some of the questions you just learned how to ask:
   Je m'appelle ______
   - zhuh mah-pell My name is ______ J'habite à ______
   - zhah-beet ah I live in ______ Je suis de ______
   - zhuh swee duh I am from ______ l'Angleterre
   - lawn-gluh-tair England le Canada
   - kah-nah-dah Canada les États-Unis
   - ay-tah-zew-nee United States l'Allemagne
   - lahl-mawn-yuh Germany Je (ne) parle (pas) ______
   - zhuh (nuh) parl (pah) I (don't) speak ______ français
   - frahn-say French anglais
   - on-glay English , Here are a collection of more questions and phrases that might be helpful should you travel to a French-speaking country.
   
   Comment?
   - kohm-mawn What? Pardon? Comprenez-vous ?
   - kohm-pren-ay-voo Do you understand? Tu comprends ?
   - tew kohm-prawn Do you understand? Je (ne) comprends (pas)
   - zhuh (nuh) kohm-prawn (pah) I (don't) understand Comment dit-on _____ en français ?
   - kohm-mawn dee-tohn _____ on frahn-say How do you say ______ in French? Je ne sais pas
   - zhuhn say pah I don't know Où sont _____ ?
   - ooh sohn Where are _____ ? Voilà
   - vwah-lah Here it is.
   
   Où est _____ ?
   - ooh eh Where is _____  ? Voici _____
   - vwah-see Here is _____ Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça ?
   - kess kuh seh kuh sah What is that? Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ?
   - kess keel-ee-ah What's the matter? Je suis malade.
   - zhuh swee mah-lahd I'm sick Je suis fatigué(e)
   - zhuh swee fah-tee-gay I'm tired (add the 'e' if you are female
   - but pronounce it the same) J'ai soif.
   - zhay swahf I'm thirsty.
   
   J'ai faim.
   - zhay fawn I'm hungry.
   
   Qu'est-ce qui se passe ?
   - kess kee suh pahs What's happening? Je n'ai aucune idée.
   - zhuh neh oh-kewn ee-day I have no idea.
   
   Tu m'attires
   - "too ma-teer" I'm attracted to you Tu es attirant(e)
   - "too ey ah-teer-an(t) You are attractive (if you are saying this to a girl, be sure to pronounce the t at the end.
   
   Avoid pronouncing the t if you're speaking to a boy). , Try writing the word in french on a flashcard and the pronunciation on the other side and simply tape it to the correct object and flip it over if you wish to remind yourself of the pronunciation without becoming reliant on the "English-ized" spelling of the words.
   
   Here's some ideas of objects to label: l'étagère
   - lay-tah-zhehr Shelf la fenêtre
   - fuh-neh-truh Window la porte
   - port Door la chaise
   - shehzh Chair l'ordinateur
   - lor-dee-nah-tur Computer la chaîne hi fi
   - shen-hi-fi Stereo la télévision
   - tay-lay-vee-zee-ohn Television le réfrigérateur
   - ray-free-zhay-rah-tir Refrigerator le congélateur
   - kon-zhay-lah-tur Freezer la cuisinière
   - kwee-zeen-yehr Stove
2. 2

   Step 2: Learn to continue speaking after you've exchanged greetings in French.

3. 3

   Step 3: Tell people about yourself!

4. 4

   Step 4: Practice more everyday.

5. 5

   Step 5: Label objects around the house.

Detailed Guide

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