French, which belongs to the Romance family, is spoken by 175 million people worldwide. To date, this language is spoken in many countries around the world, including France, Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Monaco, Algeria, Cameroon, Haiti, Lebanon, Madagascar, Martinique, Monaco, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia and Vietnam., is the official language in 29 countries, and is the official language of various international organizations such as the United Nations. French is one of the most beautiful and romantic languages in the world, and as a foreign language it is also one of the most taught languages, apart from English.
Step
Method 1 of 1: Speak Basic French
Step 1. Memorize one or two new phrases each day, and use them for conversation
Start with some commonly known and used phrases, including:
-
Bonjour - bon-jshor
Hello, good morning
-
Bonsoir - bon-swarh
Good afternoon
-
Bonne nuit - bon-nwee
Good night
-
Au revoir - ohr-vwah
Goodbye
-
Hello - sa-loo
Hello/goodbye [informal]
-
S'il vous plaît - see voo play
Please [formal]
-
S'il te plaît - see te play
Please [informal]
-
Merci (beaucoup) - mair-see (boh-koo)
Thank you very much)
-
Je vous en prie - zhuh voo zawn pree
You're welcome [formal]
-
De rien - duh ree-ahn
You're welcome [informal]
Step 2. Once you can say hello, learn how to carry on a conversation
In this article, there are some questions you can use. Use informal phrases when talking to friends, family, and children, and use formal phrases when talking to older people or people you don't know, such as strangers, teachers, friends' parents, or people you want to respect.
-
Comment allez-vous? - koh-mawn tahl-ay voo
How are you? [formal]
- a va? - valid va
How are you? [informal]
-
(Très) bien - (treh) bee-ahn
(Very good
-
(Pas) mall - (pah) mahl
(not bad
-
Malade - mah-lahd
Sick
-
Quel age as-tu ?
How old are you?
-
J'ai (age) ans
My age (age) years
-
Comment vous appelez-vous ? - koh-mawn voo zah-play voo
What's your name? [formal]
-
Tu t'appelles comment ? - tew tah-pell koh-mawn
What's your name? [informal]
-
Où habitez-vous ? - ooh ah-bee-tay voo
Where do you live? [formal]
-
Où habites-tu? - tew ah-beet ooh
Where do you live? [informal]
-
Vous tes d'où ? - voo zet doo
Where do you come from? [formal]
-
Tu es d'o ? - tew ay doo
Where do you come from? [informal]
-
Parlez-vous anglais ? - par-lay voo on-glay
Do you speak English? [formal]
-
Tu parles anglais? - tew parl on glay
Do you speak English? [informal]
Step 3. Introduce yourself
Here are the answers to the questions you just studied:
-
Je m'appelle _ - zhuh mah-pell
My name _
-
J'habite _ - zhah-beet ah
I live in _
-
Je suis de _ - zhuh swee duh
I come from _
-
l'Angleterre - lawn-gluh-tair
English
-
le Canada - kah-nah-dah
Canada
-
les tats-Unis - ay-tah-zew-nee
United States of America
-
l'Allemagne - lahl-mawn-yuh
German
-
Je (ne) parle (pas) _ - zhuh (nuh) parl (pah)
I can (not) speak _
-
français - frahn-say
French
-
anglais - on-glay
English
Step 4. Practice every day
Here are some questions and phrases that may come in handy when you go to a French-speaking country.
-
Comments? - kohm-mawn
What? / Sorry?
-
Comprenez-vous ? - kohm-pren-ay-voo
Do you understand? [formal]
-
Tu comprends? - tew kohm-prawn
Do you understand? [informal]
-
Je (ne) comprends (pas) - zhuh (nuh) kohm-prawn (pah)
I do not understand
-
Comment dit-on _ en français ? - kohm-mawn dee-tohn _ on frahn-say
How to say _ in French?
-
Je ne sais pas - zhuhn say pah
I do not know
-
Où sont _ ? - ooh sohn
Where _ ?
-
Voilà - vwah-lah
Finally
-
Où est _ ? - ooh uh
Where _ ?
-
Voici _ - vwah-see
This _
-
Qu'est-ce que c'est que a ? - kess kuh seh kuh sah
What's that?
-
Qu'est-ce qu'il ya ? - kess keel-ee-ah
What is it?
-
Je suis malade. - zhuh swee mah-lahd
I am sick
-
Je suis fatigué(e) - zhuh swee fah-tee-gay
I'm tired. (If you're a girl, add an 'e', but it's pronounced the same.)
-
J'ai soif. - zhay swahf
I am thirsty
-
J'ai faim. - zhay fawn
I am hungry
-
Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? - kess kee suh pahs
What is it?
-
Je n'ai aucune idee. - zhuh neh oh-kewn ee-day
I do not know
-
Tu m'attires - "too ma-teer"
I love you
-
Tu es attirant(e) - too ey ah-teer-an(t)
You're attractive (if you say this phrase to a girl, make sure you say the 't' at the end of the sentence. But if you say it to a guy, don't say the 't'.)
Step 5. Paste the items in your home with a card with the name of the item in French and its pronunciation
Write the word on one side of the card, and the pronunciation on the other. If you want to remember how to pronounce a word without depending on the English spelling, flip the card over. Here are some items you can tag:
-
l'étagère - lay-tah-zhehr
Cupboard
-
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
Tips
- In French, subjects have articles such as "un" or "une", which signify masculine or feminine. For example, "un garçon" means "boy", and "une fille" means "daughter". The articles "le" and "la" are used on specific subjects, such as "la glace" (ice cream) and "le livre" (book). Use "lesson" on compound subjects, such as "lesson garcons." Use the "l'" prefix if the subject starts with a vowel, such as "l'école" (school).
- When asking, remember to raise the sound of each syllable. By raising your voice, the French will understand that you are asking, and may understand you better.
- Read French books, such as Le Fantom de l'Opera by Gaston Leroux, so you can better understand French.
- French is designed for very fast pronunciation. Try renting or buying French films, or films with French dubbing, so you can get used to hearing and understanding French phrases, even when spoken at high speed.
- Remember to use formal vocabulary when talking to people you respect, such as people you don't know, your boss, professors, and so on. Use informal language when you're talking to children, friends, or family, or when you want to be a little rude.
- Ask for help when needed.
- If you're having trouble, try saying "I don't speak French" to the person you're talking to. "Je ne parle pas le français". Here's how to pronounce the sentence: Je= Zeuu ne= neuu parle= parl pas= pa le= leuu français= fransay.
