Appendix:Basic French glossary
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Here are basic words and common phrases in French:
Common Phrases
[edit]| English | French | French IPA | Literal meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| French | français | /fʁɑ̃sɛ/ | |
| English | anglais | /ɑ̃ɡlɛ/ | |
| hello | bonjour | /bɔ̃ʒuʁ/ | good day |
| good-bye | au revoir | /o ʁ(ə)vwaʁ/ | to the seeing-again |
| please | s'il vous plaît | /sil vu plɛ/ | if it pleases you |
| thank you | merci | /mɛʁsi/ | |
| you're welcome | je vous en prie de rien |
/ʒə vu zɑ̃ pʁi/ /də ʁjɛ̃/ |
I beg you of it (it's) nothing |
| that one | cela | /səla/ | |
| this one | ceci | /səsi/ | |
| how much? | combien | /kɔ̃bjɛ̃/ | |
| yes | oui | /wi/ | |
| no | non | /nɔ̃/ | |
| sorry | pardon excusez-moi |
/paʁdɔ̃/ /ɛkskyze mwa/ | |
| I don’t understand | je ne comprends pas | /ʒə nə kɔ̃pʁɑ̃ pɑ/ | |
| where's the toilet? | où sont les toilettes? | /u sɔ̃ le twalɛt/ | Where are the toilets? |
| generic toast | santé! tchin-tchin! (familiar) |
/sɑ̃te/
|
santé! = Health! |
| Do you speak English? | parlez-vous anglais? | /paʁle vu ɑ̃ɡlɛ/ | |
| Excuse me, I don’t speak French very well. | pardonnez-moi, mais je ne parle pas très bien français | /paʁdɔne mwa mɛ ʒə nə paʁlə pa trɛ bjɛ̃ frɑ̃sɛ/ |
Greetings
[edit]| salut | Hi./Bye. | (informal) |
| bonjour | Hello | (more formal than salut) (all day) |
| bonsoir | Good evening | |
| bonne nuit | Good night | bun nwee |
| quoi de neuf? | What's up (about you)? (lit. what's new) | |
| pas grand-chose | Not much. (lit. no big-thing) |
How are you?
[edit]| comment allez-vous? (formal), comment vas-tu? (informal, familiar), comment ça va?/ça va? (informal) |
How are you? |
| ça va bien, ça va très bien | I'm doing (very) well (lit. It's going (very) well) |
| oui, ça va. | Yes, it goes. |
| très bien, merci | Very well, thanks. |
| pas mal | Not Bad |
| pas si bien/pas très bien | not so well, not very well |
| très mal | very bad |
| comme ci, comme ça. | So-So. |
| désolé(e). | I'm sorry. |
| et toi? et vous? |
And you? (informal, familiar) And you? (formal) |
Titles
[edit]| French | Abbr. | Pronunciation | English, Usage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular Plural |
monsieur messieurs. |
M. | ' | Mr., Sir. Gentlemen. |
| Singular Plural |
madame mesdames |
Mme | Mrs., Ma'am. Ladies | |
| Singular Plural |
mademoiselle mesdemoiselles |
Mlle | Miss, Young lady Young ladies |
Courtesy
[edit]| Please | s'il te plaît | (informal, familiar) (Lit: If you please.) |
| s'il vous plaît | (formal). | |
| Thanks (a lot) | merci (beaucoup). | |
| You're welcome. | de rien | (Lit: Of nothing.) |
| pas de quoi | (Lit: Not of what.) (No problem.) | |
| je t'en prie | (informal) (Lit: I pray you.) | |
| je vous en prie | (formal) |
Good-bye
[edit]| French | English | French IPA | Literal meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| salut | Hi/Bye | (informal) | |
| au revoir | Good-bye | ||
| à demain | See you tomorrow | (Lit: To/Until Tomorrow) | |
| à tout à l'heure | See you (later today) | ||
| à la prochaine | See you (tomorrow) | ||
| à bientôt | See you soon |
Asking for the day/date/time
[edit]| Asking for the day. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1a | aujourd'hui c'est quel jour? | Today is what day? | |
| 1b | aujourd'hui c'est .... | Today is... [insert a day]. | |
| 2a | demain c'est quel jour | Tomorrow is what day? | |
| 2b | demain c'est .... | Tomorrow is... [insert a day]. | |
| Asking for the date. | |||
| 3a | quelle est la date (aujourd'hui)? |
What is the date (today)? |
|
| 3b | c'est le... . | It's ...[ insert month]. | |
| Asking for the time. | |||
| 4a | quelle heure est-il? | What hour/time is it? | |
| 4b | il est quelle heure? | ||
| 5 | il est ... heure(s). | It is [insert number] hours. | |