{"id":10536,"date":"2023-02-24T07:19:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-24T07:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.sotc.in\/?p=10536"},"modified":"2026-03-06T10:03:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T10:03:00","slug":"10-important-french-words-every-tourist-must-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sotc.in\/blog\/international-holidays\/10-important-french-words-every-tourist-must-know\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Important French Words Every Tourist Must Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Planning a trip to Paris? Receive a warm welcome by learning some basic French words and phrases before you take off. Connect easily with the locals with commonly used words and phrases Besides booking a\u00a0Paris tour package<\/a>, your knowledge of local lingo will make your travel experience a lot immersive. Interacting with the local people is among the most interesting things to do in Paris. Here\u2019s a list of 10 important French words and phrases every tourist must know: \u2013<\/p>

1. Bonjour (bohn-zhoor)<\/strong><\/p>

\u201cBonjour\u201d is the French equivalent of \u201cHello\u201d in English. The French love it when tourists greet them in their native language. You will receive warmer smiles when you greet them with a \u201cBonjour\u201d as opposed to a \u201cHi\u201d or \u201cHello\u201d. The French are very particular about greetings, so make sure you use \u201cBonjour generously. Whether you walk into a boutique or restaurant, don\u2019t forget to greet them with an enthusiastic \u201cBonjour!\u201d<\/p>

2. Oui \/ Non (Yes \u2013 we \/ No \u2013 nohn)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Learning to say \u201cyes\u201d and \u201cno\u201d in French can be very useful. While Oui corresponds to yes, Non corresponds to no. Pepper your sentences with a little bit of oui or non to add French touches to your exchanges with the Parisians.<\/p>

3. Je m\u2019appelle (zhuh mah-pehl)<\/strong><\/p>

This is the equivalent of \u201cMy Name Is\u201d. Use this at the beginning of a sentence right after Bonjour to introduce yourself to the opposite person.<\/p>

4. Comment allez vous (kom-mohn tah-lay voo)<\/strong><\/p>

\u201cHow are you\u201d translates to comment allez vous in French. It would be considered extremely polite to include this in the beginning of your conversation.<\/p>

5. S\u2019il vous plait (see voo play)<\/strong><\/p>

Please is considered as a golden word in any language and it is the same with French. \u201cS\u2019il vous plait\u201d is the French word for \u201cplease\u201d. It is a handy French phrase which can be used to sound extra polite and courteous.<\/p>

6. Parlez-vous anglais? (pahr-lay voo ahng-leh)<\/strong><\/p>

To start a conversation in English with a local, you could politely ask them parlez vous anglais which means do you speak English?<\/p>

Asking them in French will elicit a response in English. For any information that you require, you could politely begin your sentence with \u201cParlez-vous anglais\u201d.<\/p>

7. Merci (mehr-see)<\/strong><\/p>

Saying thank you is considered gracious in all cultures around the world. It is the same for France as well. Whenever you are done interacting with a person, don\u2019t forget to thank them with a polite \u201cMerci\u201d. You will surely get many smiles in return for using this simple word.<\/p>

8. Je ne parle pas fran\u00e7ais (zheu neu parl par fron-say)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

While it\u2019s true that you may not know how to speak the language, it may be useful to convey that to the opposite person as well. If someone starts to speak in French with you, you can tell them \u201cJe ne parle pas fran\u00e7ais\u201d which means \u201cI don\u2019t speak French\u201d.<\/p>

9. Excusez-moi (\u025bk.sky.ze.mwa)<\/strong><\/p>

Sometimes, you might need to draw the attention of a person for making an inquiry. Instead of using \u201cexcuse me\u201d, you can use the French words \u201cexcusez moi\u201d to draw the attention of someone politely.<\/p>

10. Au revoir (oh-reu-vwar)<\/strong><\/p>

\u201cAu revoir\u201d is the French equivalent of \u201cGoodbye\u201d in English. Adding an Au Revoir at the end of a conversation will add a nice finishing touch to your conversation with a local.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Planning a trip to Paris? Receive a warm welcome by learning some basic French words and phrases before you take off. Connect easily with the locals with commonly used words and phrases Besides booking a\u00a0Paris tour package, your knowledge of local lingo will make your travel experience a lot immersive. Interacting with the local people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international-holidays","category-travel-guides"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n10 Important French Words Every Tourist Must Know - SOTC Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Top 15 Most Romantic Honeymoon Places in India You Must Visit | SOTC\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sotc.in\/blog\/international-holidays\/10-important-french-words-every-tourist-must-know\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"10 Important French Words Every Tourist Must Know - 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