Why learn French before you travel?
Even a small amount of French can make everyday travel interactions easier.
You do not need to hold a long conversation. A few well-practiced phrases can help you greet someone politely, ask a basic question, order food, understand directions, or explain what you need.
The goal is not fluency before your trip. It is familiarity.
If you already recognize the phrases you are most likely to hear and use, you are less likely to freeze when you need them.
Start with polite basics
Bonjour.
Good morning.
Bonsoir.
Good evening.
S’il vous plaît.
Please.
Merci.
Thank you.
Merci beaucoup.
Thank you very much.
Excusez-moi.
Excuse me.
Au revoir.
Goodbye.
In France and many other French-speaking places, greeting someone before immediately asking a question is an important part of a polite interaction.
Instead of walking into a shop and beginning with a request, start with:
Bonjour.
Good morning.
Then ask your question.
Using s’il vous plaît and merci frequently and saying au revoir when leaving a shop, café, or small business can also make everyday interactions feel more natural.
French for restaurants and cafés
Le menu, s’il vous plaît.
The menu, please.
Je voudrais de l’eau.
I would like water.
Je voudrais un café.
I would like coffee.
Une table pour deux, s’il vous plaît.
A table for two, please.
L’addition, s’il vous plaît.
The check, please.
Merci, c’était délicieux.
Thank you, it was delicious.
Je suis végétarien/végétarienne.
I am vegetarian.
Je ne peux pas manger ça.
I cannot eat this.
TravelLingo also teaches useful individual words including eau for water, café for coffee, bière for beer, and vin for wine.
Je voudrais…
I would like…
Je voudrais… is a useful phrase pattern because it gives you a polite way to make a simple request.
For example:
Je voudrais un café.
I would like coffee.
Finding your way
Où est… ?
Where is…?
Où sont les toilettes ?
Where is the bathroom?
Où est l’hôtel ?
Where is the hotel?
Comment puis-je y aller ?
How do I get there?
Est-ce loin ?
Is it far?
Je me suis perdu.
I got lost.
Je ne sais pas où je suis.
I don’t know where I am.
It also helps to recognize the direction words someone may use when answering you.
Gauche.
Left.
Droite.
Right.
Tout droit.
Straight ahead.
Près.
Near.
Loin.
Far.
Rue.
Street.
Learning both the questions you may need to ask and the basic direction words you may hear in response makes this vocabulary much more useful.
Getting around by taxi, bus, and train
Où est la gare ?
Where is the train station?
Où est l’arrêt de bus ?
Where is the bus stop?
Un billet pour…
A ticket to…
J’ai besoin d’un taxi.
I need a taxi.
Je dois aller à l’aéroport.
I need to go to the airport.
Combien coûte le trajet ?
How much is the fare?
À quelle heure part-il ?
What time does it leave?
À quelle heure arrive-t-il ?
What time does it arrive?
Est-ce que ce bus va au centre-ville ?
Does this bus go downtown?
Arrêtez-vous ici, s’il vous plaît.
Please stop here.
Aller simple.
One way.
Aller-retour.
Roundtrip.
Aéroport.
Airport.
Train.
Train.
Bus.
Bus.
At your hotel
J’ai une réservation.
I have a booking.
Puis-je m’enregistrer ?
Can I check in?
À quelle heure est le départ ?
What time is check-out?
Où est l’entrée ?
Where is the entrance?
Quel est le code de la porte ?
What is the door code?
Où est le mot de passe du Wi-Fi ?
Where is the Wi-Fi password?
J’ai besoin de plus de serviettes.
I need more towels.
La clé ne fonctionne pas.
The key does not work.
These phrases are useful for both traditional hotels and rentals, especially when you need an entrance code, Wi-Fi password, towels, or help with your room key.
Shopping in French
Combien ça coûte ?
How much does this cost?
C’est trop cher.
That is too expensive.
Je regarde seulement, merci.
I am just looking, thank you.
Je voudrais acheter ceci.
I would like to buy this.
Avez-vous ceci dans une autre taille ?
Do you have this in another size?
Avez-vous ceci dans une autre couleur ?
Do you have this in another color?
Puis-je l’essayer ?
Can I try it on?
Puis-je payer par carte ?
Can I pay with a card?
Puis-je payer en espèces ?
Can I pay with cash?
Où est la cabine d’essayage ?
Where is the fitting room?
TravelLingo also teaches taille for size and trop cher for too expensive.
When you do not understand
Je ne comprends pas.
I don’t understand.
Parlez lentement, s’il vous plaît.
Please speak slowly.
Parlez-vous anglais ?
Do you speak English?
Pouvez-vous répéter, s’il vous plaît ?
Can you repeat that?
Pouvez-vous l’écrire, s’il vous plaît ?
Could you write that down, please?
Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire ?
What does that mean?
These may be some of the most useful phrases in the entire guide because they help you keep an interaction going even when your French runs out.
You do not need to understand every word. Sometimes the most useful thing you can say is simply that you did not understand.
When you need help
J’ai besoin d’aide.
I need help.
Appelez une ambulance.
Call an ambulance.
Appelez la police.
Call the police.
J’ai besoin d’un médecin.
I need a doctor.
Je ne me sens pas bien.
I do not feel well.
J’ai mal ici.
It hurts here.
C’est une urgence.
This is an emergency.
Où est la pharmacie ?
Where is the pharmacy?
Je suis allergique à cela.
I am allergic to this.
J’ai une allergie alimentaire.
I have a food allergy.
Aide.
Help.
Hôpital.
Hospital.
Pharmacie.
Pharmacy.
Hopefully you will not need these phrases, but they are worth recognizing before you travel.
Practice French pronunciation before your trip
French spelling can look unfamiliar if you are learning from written phrases alone.
That is why it helps to listen to the pronunciation and say the phrases aloud before your trip.
You do not need a perfect accent. The goal is to become comfortable enough with the sound and rhythm of the phrase that you can recognize it and say it when you need it.
Focus on the phrases that matter most for your own trip, listen to them several times, and practice speaking them aloud.
TravelLingo includes pronunciation audio and speaking-focused practice activities to help you rehearse useful travel phrases before departure.
Build a phrase list around your own trip
You probably do not need every phrase in this guide equally.
Think about the situations you are actually likely to encounter.
If you are staying in a hotel, prioritize check-in, Wi-Fi, and room-related phrases.
If you plan to use trains, learn how to ask about the station, tickets, departure times, and arrival times.
If restaurants are a big part of your trip, focus on ordering, asking for the bill, and communicating dietary needs.
A smaller list of phrases you have practiced several times is often more useful than a much longer list you barely recognize.
French changes from place to place
French is spoken in destinations well beyond France.
Words, accents, and customs can vary between France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, and other French-speaking places.
That is a useful reminder when preparing for a trip: learn practical standard French, but expect to hear regional differences once you arrive.
The goal is not to understand every variation. It is to have enough practical French to communicate when it matters.
A simple way to prepare
Reading a phrase once is different from being able to remember it when someone is standing in front of you.
Before your trip, focus on a smaller number of useful phrases and practice them repeatedly.
- Start with greetings and polite phrases.
- Learn phrases for the situations you expect to encounter most.
- Listen to the pronunciation rather than relying only on written French.
- Practice saying phrases aloud.
- Review them several times before departure.
TravelLingo was designed around exactly this kind of focused preparation. Instead of trying to teach an entire language before your vacation, it helps you practice practical Spanish, French, Italian, and German phrases for situations travelers are actually likely to encounter.
Related Travel Language Guides
Explore more practical travel phrases for other languages: