Essential Greetings - Your First French Words

Master these before anything else

Every night, I watch travelers arrive nervous about their French. But here's what I've learned: if you can say hello, goodbye, and thank you properly, people will help you with everything else. These six phrases open every door in France.

The Foundation Six

Bonjour
Hello / Good morning
โ†ป
Pronunciation: bon-ZHOOR
Use through afternoon; switch to bonsoir around 5-7pm
Bonsoir
Good evening
โ†ป
Pronunciation: bon-SWAHR
When it's getting dark
Au revoir
Goodbye
โ†ป
Pronunciation: oh ruh-VWAHR
Formal departure
Merci
Thank you
โ†ป
Pronunciation: mehr-SEE
Say it often
S'il vous plaรฎt
Please (formal)
โ†ป
Pronunciation: seel voo PLEH
Opens every request
Excusez-moi
Excuse me
โ†ป
Pronunciation: ex-kew-zay-MWAH
Getting attention
Philippe's Tip:
Never say "Bonne nuit" when leaving a restaurant. It means you're going to sleep. Use "Bonne soirรฉe" instead. I hear this mistake every night!

Numbers 1-100 - Essential for Everything

Room numbers, prices, times, and addresses

During my rounds, I help guests find their rooms every night. Room 47. Room 82. Room 13. Numbers are how you navigate France - prices, metro lines, street addresses, phone numbers. Master these and you'll never be lost.

Numbers 1-20 (Foundation)

un
1
โ†ป
uhn
deux
2
โ†ป
duh
trois
3
โ†ป
trwah
quatre
4
โ†ป
KAH-truh
cinq
5
โ†ป
sank
six
6
โ†ป
sees
sept
7
โ†ป
set
huit
8
โ†ป
weet
neuf
9
โ†ป
nuf
dix
10
โ†ป
dees
onze
11
โ†ป
onz
douze
12
โ†ป
dooz
treize
13
โ†ป
trez
quatorze
14
โ†ป
kah-TORZ
quinze
15
โ†ป
kanz
seize
16
โ†ป
sez
dix-sept
17
โ†ป
dee-SET
dix-huit
18
โ†ป
deez-WEET
dix-neuf
19
โ†ป
deez-NUF
vingt
20
โ†ป
van

Tens (20-100)

vingt
20
โ†ป
van
vingt-cinq (25)
trente
30
โ†ป
trahnt
trente-cinq (35)
quarante
40
โ†ป
kah-rahnt
quarante-deux (42)
cinquante
50
โ†ป
sank-ahnt
cinquante-sept (57)
soixante
60
โ†ป
swah-sahnt
soixante-huit (68)
soixante-dix
70
โ†ป
swah-sahnt-DEES
Literally "sixty-ten"
quatre-vingts
80
โ†ป
KAH-truh-van
Literally "four-twenties"
quatre-vingt-dix
90
โ†ป
KAH-truh-van-DEES
"four-twenty-ten"
cent
100
โ†ป
sahn
No "s" for one hundred

Spelling Rules That Matter

โ€ข 21/31/41/51/61: Use et un (e.g., vingt-et-un)

โ€ข 71: soixante-et-onze (France); septante et un (Belgium/Switzerland)

โ€ข 81/91: No et โ†’ quatre-vingt-un, quatre-vingt-onze

โ€ข quatre-vingts drops s when followed: quatre-vingt-trois

โ€ข cent takes s only when exact and not followed: deux cents vs deux cent dix

Formal Politeness - The French Way

Tu vs. Vous and essential polite phrases

In France, politeness isn't just nice - it's required. The biggest mistake tourists make? Being too casual too quickly. Let me show you how to be respectful without overthinking it.

Essential Polite Phrases

Pardon
Sorry / Pardon me
โ†ป
par-DON
Getting past someone
Je vous en prie
You're welcome (polite)
โ†ป
zhuh voo ahn pree
Formal response to merci
De rien
You're welcome
โ†ป
duh ree-AN
Casual response
S'il te plaรฎt
Please (informal)
โ†ป
seel tuh pleh
With friends
Est-ce que je peux...?
May I...?
โ†ป
ess-kuh zhuh puh
Polite request
Pourriez-vous...?
Could you...?
โ†ป
poor-ee-ay voo
Formal request

Tu vs. Vous - When to Use Each

Use VOUS with anyone you don't know, anyone older, anyone in professional settings. Use TU only with close friends, family, or children. When in doubt? Always use VOUS.

Present Tense Basics - Three Essential Verbs

รŠTRE (to be), AVOIR (to have), ALLER (to go)

You don't need to master all French grammar tonight. But these three verbs? They're in almost every sentence. Learn these conjugations and you can build basic conversations.

รŠTRE (to be)

Je suis
I am
โ†ป
zhuh swee
Je suis amรฉricain(e)
Tu es
You are (informal)
โ†ป
too eh
Il/Elle est
He/She is
โ†ป
eel/ell eh
Nous sommes
We are
โ†ป
noo som
Vous รชtes
You are (formal)
โ†ป
voo zet
Ils/Elles sont
They are
โ†ป
eel/ell son

Essential Hotel Phrases

Navigate any hotel with confidence

These are the exact phrases I hear every night. Master these and you'll never struggle at check-in, asking for directions, or getting help at a hotel anywhere in France.

Check-in & Help

J'ai une rรฉservation
I have a reservation
โ†ป
zhay oon ray-zehr-vah-see-on
Oรน est...?
Where is...?
โ†ป
oo eh
Le Wi-Fi ne fonctionne pas
WiFi doesn't work
โ†ป
luh wee-fee nuh fonk-see-on pah
J'ai perdu ma clรฉ
I lost my key
โ†ป
zhay pehr-doo mah klay
Les toilettes
The restrooms
โ†ป
lay twah-let
Public restrooms (not salle de bain)
Plus lentement, s'il vous plaรฎt
More slowly, please
โ†ป
ploo lon-tuh-mahn, seel voo pleh
Floor Logic:
Rez-de-chaussรฉe (RDC) = ground floor; 1er รฉtage = one level above ground.

Ready to Practice with Philippe?

"You've learned the basics - numbers, greetings, politeness, and essential verbs. Now it's time to use them. Come practice with me during my night shift. I'll speak slowly, correct gently, and help you build confidence one phrase at a time." - Philippe