Start Here: The Most Important French Words

The One Rule to Remember

When you need help, don’t jump straight into your question. Start with Bonjour, excusez-moi… (bohn-zhoor, ex-kew-zay mwah) — “Hello, excuse me…” That tiny introduction can make a surprisingly big difference.

When You Don’t Speak Much French

You tried. They answered. And now you have absolutely no idea what they said. These are your rescue phrases:

Teen Tip: Don’t be embarrassed about your accent. A polite attempt at French is usually much better than refusing to try at all.

Getting Around

Ordering Food

Words You’ll See Everywhere

Now for the Fun Part: French Slang

Textbook French and the French you hear between friends can sound surprisingly different. Words get shortened, sounds disappear, and French borrows from other languages.

There’s also verlan (vair-lahn), a form of slang created by reversing parts of words. Fou (foo), meaning “crazy,” became ouf (oof). Louche (loosh), meaning suspicious or strange, became chelou (shuh-loo).

You don’t need to speak in slang yourself. In fact, using too much when you’re still learning can sound unnatural. But recognizing it is useful when you’re listening to French teens.

Slang You’re Likely to Hear

Talking About People

These are words to recognize before automatically using them. Slang can sound friendly in one situation and overly familiar or rude in another.

Food Words You Might Hear

Texting in French

You’ll also see shortened spellings, missing accents and plenty of abbreviations in casual messages. Don’t use French texting as your grammar textbook.

France Doesn’t Sound the Same Everywhere

French pronunciation, vocabulary and expressions vary around the country. Someone from Marseille may sound noticeably different from someone from Paris, Toulouse or northern France.

One famous regional difference involves a chocolate-filled pastry:

Ask which name is correct and you may get a much stronger opinion than you expected.

Slang: Listen First, Use Later

Knowing slang is mostly about understanding, not proving that you know it. Words such as wesh (wesh), meuf (muhf) and daron (dah-rohn) can be perfectly normal in some informal situations but sound strange coming from a visitor who doesn’t understand the context.

Start with the French that works almost everywhere: bonjour (bohn-zhoor), s’il vous plaît (seel voo pleh), merci (mehr-see), excusez-moi (ex-kew-zay mwah) and au revoir (oh ruh-vwahr). Then listen to how people around you actually speak.

Understanding chelou (shuh-loo) when someone says it is far more useful than forcing it into your first conversation with a French teenager.

Your French Survival Kit

If you learn only 10 things before you leave:

Learn those and you’ll already be able to handle a surprising number of everyday situations.