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French phrasebook: 14 phrases and numbers
French is a Romance language descended from Latin. It is an official language in dozens of countries across Europe, Africa, the Americas and the Pacific.
- In its own name: français
- Writing system: Latin
- Family: Indo-European, Romance
- Official language in: France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Luxembourg, Monaco, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Congo - Kinshasa and more
Essential French phrases
| English | French | Romanisation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour | |
| Goodbye | Au revoir | |
| Good morning | Bonjour | |
| Good night | Bonne nuit | |
| Thank you | Merci | |
| You're welcome | De rien | |
| Please | S'il vous plaît | |
| Sorry | Désolé | |
| Yes | Oui | |
| No | Non | |
| My name is ___ | Je m'appelle ___ | |
| What is your name? | Comment tu t'appelles ? | |
| How are you? | Comment ça va ? | |
| I love you | Je t'aime |
Phrases are cross-checked against independent sources but still await a native-speaker review.
Numbers 1 to 10 in French
| # | Word | Romanisation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | un | |
| 2 | deux | |
| 3 | trois | |
| 4 | quatre | |
| 5 | cinq | |
| 6 | six | |
| 7 | sept | |
| 8 | huit | |
| 9 | neuf | |
| 10 | dix |
Pronunciation
Many final consonants are silent, so petit sounds like "puh-tee". The French r is made at the back of the throat, and nasal vowels such as in bon and vin do not close the nose with an n sound.
Good to know
Use vous with strangers and tu with friends and children. Greeting with Bonjour before asking anything is considered basic politeness.
Introducing yourself? See My name is ... in French for formal and casual versions.
Mini quiz
A quick check of what you just read.
Play with French
Meet French in Mystery Phrase, Listen and Guess and Memory Match.
Questions
How do you say hello in French?
Bonjour.
What writing system does French use?
French is written in Latin.