French Phrases for Travel: The Ones That Change How You’re Treated
French phrases for travel are less about getting by than about getting on. Plenty of people in Paris, Lyon and Nice will happily switch to English. What a handful of French phrases buys you is something different: in France, greeting someone before you ask them anything is not optional politeness, it is the basic social contract. Travelers who learn that one rule report a completely different trip from those who don’t. This guide covers the rule, and the phrases that come after it.
The One Rule That Matters Most
Say Bonjour before you say anything else. Walking into a bakery, a pharmacy, a small shop or a hotel lobby and opening with a question — in any language — is read as rude in France in a way that genuinely surprises visitors. Say Bonjour, madame or Bonjour, monsieur first, then ask.
The same applies on the way out: Merci, au revoir. This costs nothing and accounts for more of the difference in how travelers are received than any amount of vocabulary.
- Bonjour — Hello / good day (until early evening)
- Bonsoir — Good evening
- Au revoir — Goodbye · Bonne journée — Have a good day
- S’il vous plaît — Please · Merci — Thank you · De rien — You’re welcome
- Excusez-moi — Excuse me · Pardon — Sorry / excuse me (squeezing past)
- Parlez-vous anglais ? — Do you speak English?
- Je ne comprends pas. — I don’t understand.
- Pouvez-vous répéter, s’il vous plaît ? — Could you repeat that, please?
- Je parle un peu français. — I speak a little French.
Je parle un peu français is worth saying even when it is barely true. It signals effort, and French speakers very often respond by slowing down rather than switching to English.
Restaurants and Cafés
- Une table pour deux, s’il vous plaît. — A table for two, please.
- La carte, s’il vous plaît. — The menu, please. (Le menu means a fixed-price set meal.)
- Qu’est-ce que vous recommandez ? — What do you recommend?
- Je voudrais… — I would like… (not je veux, “I want,” which sounds blunt)
- Je suis végétarien / végétarienne. — I’m vegetarian.
- Je suis allergique à… — I’m allergic to…
- Une carafe d’eau, s’il vous plaît. — A carafe of tap water, please. (Free, and perfectly normal to request.)
- C’était très bon. — That was very good.
- L’addition, s’il vous plaît. — The bill, please.
- Je peux payer par carte ? — Can I pay by card?
Two traps worth knowing. La carte is the à la carte menu; le menu is the set menu — asking for the wrong one is harmless but confusing. And the bill will not come until you ask for it; waiting politely can go on a long time.
Getting Around
- Où est la gare ? — Where is the train station?
- Où sont les toilettes ? — Where are the toilets?
- Un billet pour Lyon, s’il vous plaît. — One ticket to Lyon, please.
- Aller simple — one way · aller-retour — round trip
- À quelle heure part le train ? — What time does the train leave?
- Quel quai ? — Which platform?
- C’est loin ? — Is it far?
- À gauche — left · à droite — right · tout droit — straight ahead
- Je suis perdu / perdue. — I’m lost.
- Pouvez-vous m’aider, s’il vous plaît ? — Can you help me, please?
À droite (right) and tout droit (straight ahead) sound alarmingly similar to a new ear. If directions matter, ask the person to point.
Shops, Markets and Money
- Combien ça coûte ? — How much does it cost?
- Je regarde, merci. — I’m just looking, thanks.
- Est-ce que vous avez ceci en plus grand ? — Do you have this in a larger size?
- Je peux l’essayer ? — Can I try it on?
- Vous acceptez les cartes ? — Do you accept cards?
- Un sac, s’il vous plaît. — A bag, please.
- Juste un peu, s’il vous plaît. — Just a little, please.
Hotels and Small Emergencies
- J’ai une réservation au nom de… — I have a reservation under the name…
- À quelle heure est le petit-déjeuner ? — What time is breakfast?
- La clé, s’il vous plaît. — The key, please.
- Le wifi ne marche pas. — The wifi isn’t working.
- J’ai besoin d’un médecin. — I need a doctor.
- Appelez une ambulance, s’il vous plaît. — Call an ambulance, please.
- J’ai perdu mon passeport. — I’ve lost my passport.
- Où est la pharmacie la plus proche ? — Where is the nearest pharmacy?
Pronunciation: Where Travelers Get Stuck
French pronunciation is the part that intimidates people, and a few specific things account for most of the trouble:
- Silent endings. Most final consonants aren’t pronounced. Beaucoup ends in an “oo” sound, not a “p.”
- The French R. It comes from the back of the throat, not the tongue tip. An approximation is fine — nobody will misunderstand merci.
- Nasal vowels. The sounds in bon, vin and un have no English equivalent and need to be heard rather than read.
- Linking. French runs words together — vous avez sounds like “voo-za-vay.” This is why native speech seems faster than it is.
None of this requires a perfect accent. It requires being understood, which is a much lower bar. Our guide to French pronunciation works through the sounds that matter most.
Tu or vous?
As a traveler, use vous with everyone. It is the formal and plural “you,” and it is the correct choice with anyone you have just met — shop staff, waiters, hotel clerks, strangers on the street. Using tu with an adult you don’t know reads as either overfamiliar or slightly condescending. Our guide to tu and vous explains when the switch happens.
Practicing Before the Trip
The difficult part of travel French is not producing your sentence — it’s understanding the answer, delivered at full speed by someone who has said it five hundred times today. Reading a list doesn’t prepare you for that; saying the phrases aloud to a person who replies naturally does.
Four to six weeks of weekly practice before a trip is usually enough to make greetings and ordering automatic and to train your ear on common replies. Travelers building from here find 50 must-know French words and phrases for beginners and French greetings the natural next steps, with French numbers worth drilling separately because prices and platform announcements come fast. For cultural background, cultural insights for French learners covers what the courtesies actually signal, and traveling through Europe’s seasons with local phrases is useful for multi-country trips. Heading to Italy on the same trip? Italian phrases for travel covers the other side of the Alps.
If you’d rather come home able to hold a conversation than able to recite a list, online French lessons for adults explains how live classes work, and private language training can be built entirely around a specific trip.
Check the U.S. Department of State’s country information page for France for entry requirements and local guidance before you go.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most useful French phrases for travel?
Bonjour, s’il vous plaît, merci, excusez-moi, parlez-vous anglais ?, je voudrais…, combien ça coûte ?, où sont les toilettes ?, l’addition, s’il vous plaît and au revoir. Those ten cover greeting, asking, buying, eating and leaving — nearly every traveler interaction in France.
Do I need to speak French to travel in France?
No, but a little goes a long way. English is common in tourist areas and hotels. What changes the experience is opening with Bonjour and attempting a few words before switching to English — in France that’s read as basic courtesy rather than as a performance, and people respond to it.
Why do I need to say “Bonjour” first?
In France, greeting someone before asking them anything is a social baseline rather than an optional nicety. Walking into a shop and leading with a question reads as abrupt. Bonjour, madame or Bonjour, monsieur first, then your question, then merci, au revoir on the way out.
Should I use “tu” or “vous” as a traveler?
Use vous with everyone you don’t know — shop staff, waiters, hotel clerks, strangers. It’s the polite default and no one will take offense at it. Tu is for friends, family and children, and using it with an adult stranger comes across as overfamiliar.
How do I order food politely in French?
Open with Bonjour, ask for la carte (the à la carte menu — le menu is the set meal), then order with Je voudrais… rather than Je veux…, and close with s’il vous plaît. Ask for the bill with L’addition, s’il vous plaît; it won’t arrive on its own.
How long does it take to learn travel French?
Four to six weeks of weekly practice is usually enough to make greetings, ordering and directions automatic. The pronunciation takes the most attention — nasal vowels and silent endings have no English equivalent — so practice out loud with someone who can correct you rather than learning the phrases silently from a page.
Practice Before You Fly
Travel French sticks when you say it out loud and hear a real reply. Explore CORE Languages’ live French classes or schedule a session to rehearse your trip with a professional instructor.
