25 Survival French Phrases for Your Trip to France

Planning a trip to France? You don’t need fluent French — you need the right handful of essential French phrases, said with confidence. This guide collects the common French phrases every traveler actually uses on vacation: greetings, ordering, directions, shopping and emergencies, each with its English translation and a pronunciation tip. Learn these basic French words and expressions before you fly, and France opens up differently.

The one habit that changes everything

Before any request, say Bonjour. Walking into a shop and launching straight into a question (even in French) reads as rude. Bonjour, … first, every time. It’s the single biggest ‘unlock’ for a friendly trip.

Getting around

• Où est… ? — Where is…? (Où est la gare ? — Where’s the station?)
• Je cherche… — I’m looking for…
• C’est loin ? — Is it far?
• À droite / à gauche / tout droit — right / left / straight ahead
• Un billet pour…, s’il vous plaît. — A ticket to…, please.

At a café or restaurant

• Une table pour deux, s’il vous plaît. — A table for two, please.
• Je voudrais… — I’d like… (the polite way to order)
• L’addition, s’il vous plaît. — The bill, please.
• C’est délicieux ! — It’s delicious!
• Je suis végétarien(ne). — I’m vegetarian.
• Une carafe d’eau, s’il vous plaît. — A jug of (free) tap water, please.

Shopping and money

• C’est combien ? — How much is it?
• Je regarde, merci. — I’m just looking, thanks.
• Vous acceptez la carte ? — Do you take card?
• Je le prends. — I’ll take it.

Politeness that earns goodwill

• S’il vous plaît — please · Merci (beaucoup) — thank you (very much)
• Excusez-moi — excuse me (to get attention or pass by)
• Désolé(e), je ne parle pas bien français. — Sorry, I don’t speak French well. (said in French, it charms everyone)
• Parlez-vous anglais ? — Do you speak English? (ask after bonjour, not instead of it)

If something goes wrong

• Au secours ! — Help!
• J’ai besoin d’un médecin. — I need a doctor.
• Où sont les toilettes ? — Where are the toilets?
• J’ai perdu mon passeport. — I’ve lost my passport.
• Pouvez-vous m’aider ? — Can you help me?

A quick pronunciation tip

Don’t sound out final consonants — s’il vous plaît is roughly ‘seel voo PLEH’, and l’addition is ‘la-dee-SYON’. French stresses the end of the word, gently. When in doubt, say it softly and let the last syllable land.

Practise it with a real teacher

Reading about French is one thing — saying it out loud, with someone who corrects you gently and adapts to your level, is what makes it stick. Your first 30-minute lesson with Xavier is free, with no card and no commitment. Book your free lesson and let’s put this into practice.

🎬 Video lesson

Must-Known Phrases For Traveling in France | Super Easy French 168Easy French · Watch on YouTube ↗

The field test: phrases by situation, from Montmartre to the métro

Visiting France rewards effort disproportionately: make the effort to open in French — even three words of it — and shops, cafés and strangers audibly warm up. So here are the key french phrases sorted the way a trip actually unfolds. Finding your way: « Excusez-moi, où est la station de métro la plus proche ? » (the nearest metro station), « c’est loin à pied ? » (far on foot?), and the answer-decoder pair tout droit (straight ahead) / à droite (right) — one vowel apart, endlessly confused, worth drilling before you ask for directions anywhere. Ordering and paying: « je vais prendre… » to order food, « l’addition, s’il vous plaît » for the bill, and for prices — « c’est combien ? » — the two-word way to ask how much something costs at any market stall from Montmartre to Provence. The waiter’s rituals are covered in our restaurant lesson; the travel-day version is just those three plus « une carafe d’eau ».

When you’re stuck: « pouvez-vous parler plus lentement ? » (speak slower, please), « je parle un petit peu français » (I speak a little — the phrase that buys patience everywhere), and « vous pouvez m’aider ? ». Please and thank you carry more weight in France than in most languages: bonjour before every request, merci after, or the request lands rudely no matter how correct the grammar. That is the real insider rule — a Parisian’s famous frost melts for basic french phrases delivered with the bonjour-first ritual, in the touristy heart of the city as much as anywhere. Your next trip needs perhaps thirty phrases total: greetings, numbers for prices, directions, ordering, and the emergency politeness kit. Say them aloud on the plane, use them on day one — going to Paris (or Bordeaux, or a Versailles day-trip queue) with even survival French upgrades the whole travel experience from spectator to participant, and non-french speakers around you will wonder how you got the smile you got. See Paris once with the phrases and you’ll never travel to France without them — that’s the honest travel inspiration behind this whole lesson.

FAQ

What French phrases should I learn before a trip to France?

The core kit: bonjour/bonsoir, s’il vous plaît, merci, excusez-moi, je voudrais…, c’est combien ?, où sont les toilettes ?, l’addition s’il vous plaît, parlez plus lentement, je ne comprends pas. Ten phrases, whole trip.

How do I ask for directions in French?

« Excusez-moi, où est… ? » plus your target (la gare, le métro, la plage). Decode the answer with: tout droit (straight), à gauche/à droite, puis (then). Repeat it back — locals happily correct.

Do I need French to visit Paris?

You can survive on English — but the bonjour-merci ritual in French changes how every interaction goes. Tourists who open in French consistently report friendlier Paris; the effort, not the fluency, is what’s read.

At the hotel and the airport

The check-in essentials:

• 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?
• Est-ce que je peux laisser ma valise ici ? — can I leave my suitcase here?
• Où est la porte d’embarquement ? — where is the boarding gate?
• Mon vol a du retard. — my flight is delayed.
• La chambre est trop bruyante. — the room is too noisy.

Emergencies and the pharmacy

Hopefully never needed — but these are the phrases you want ready, not googled:

• Au secours ! — help!
• Appelez une ambulance / la police ! — call an ambulance / the police!
• J’ai besoin d’un médecin. — I need a doctor.
• J’ai mal ici. — it hurts here.
• Avez-vous quelque chose contre le mal de tête ? — do you have something for a headache? (pharmacies, marked by a green cross, are the first stop for minor issues)
• J’ai perdu mon passeport. — I’ve lost my passport.

Emergency numbers in France: 112 (universal), 15 (medical), 17 (police), 18 (fire).

One habit ties every essential French phrase together: start each interaction in French, even if you switch to English a sentence later. French people consistently warm to travelers who try — and these French words are your key.

French travel phrases FAQ

Do most French people speak English?

In tourist areas and among younger people, often yes — but leading with English can get a cool reception. The magic move: open in French (« Bonjour ! Parlez-vous anglais ? »). That one polite French sentence flips the interaction — people will meet you more than halfway.

What are the 5 phrases I should over-learn before the trip?

« Bonjour », « merci beaucoup », « s’il vous plaît », « je voudrais… » (I’d like…), and « parlez-vous anglais ? ». With those five and a smile you can survive a whole trip to France.

Is the French different in Quebec?

The core phrases are identical — bonjour, merci, je voudrais all work. Quebec has its own accent and some vocabulary (« déjeuner » is breakfast there, not lunch!), but as a traveller you will be understood everywhere French is spoken.

How do I not butcher the pronunciation?

Two rules carry you far: final consonants are usually silent (comment = « commen »), and « qu » sounds like k. Every phrase on this page has audio on our vocabulary charts — listen once, repeat twice.

Keep going: Eat better on the same trip: French food vocabulary & ordering.

📊 Chart it: The travel word-field with audio and games: les voyages vocabulary.