Most French conversation for beginners isn't about grammar. It's about getting through the same handful of everyday exchanges again and again: saying hello to a neighbour, catching up with a friend, talking about your day, ordering a coffee, booking a table. Learn those as whole conversations, not word lists, and you'll recognise what people say to you and know what comes next. If a friend asked me where to start with spoken French, this is what I'd give them.

Below are five short, simple conversations in French, each taken from our lessons, with a translation and native audio on every line (press ▶). After each one you'll find the parts worth reusing.

First: tu or vous?

French has two words for "you", and every conversation starts by picking one.

You can hear the difference in the dialogues: the neighbour gets Et vous ?, the old friend gets Et toi ? I learned this the hard way when I met my girlfriend's parents and kept using tu with them. Nobody said anything. Her mother just kept saying vous, a little more clearly each time.

1. Greeting a neighbour

A polite, everyday exchange with someone you know by sight, using vous:

Reuse: Ça va ? is the all-purpose "how are you?", and Ça va bien, merci is the all-purpose answer. The weather (Il fait beau) is as safe a small-talk topic in France as anywhere.

Basic greetings: Greeting your neighbor — French lesson French lesson · 37 phrases with audioBasic greetings: Greeting your neighborPractise this conversation →

2. Catching up with a friend

Now with tu, and more relaxed:

Reuse: Salut is the casual hello (and goodbye) between friends; don't use it with a shopkeeper. Quoi de neuf ? (what's new?) and Pas grand-chose (not much) are the easiest way to keep a catch-up going.

Meeting old friends: Friend is single and no kids — French lesson French lesson · 48 phrases with audioMeeting old friends: Friend is single and no kidsPractise this conversation →

3. Talking about your day

The daily French conversation you'll have most often, with friends or colleagues:

Reuse: Comment s'est passée ta journée ? (how was your day?) works with anyone you use tu with; with vous it's votre journée. Say très occupée if you're a woman.

Talking about my day: Busy day at work — French lesson French lesson · 84 phrases with audioTalking about my day: Busy day at workPractise this conversation →

4. Ordering a coffee

A short conversation at the counter, using vous:

Reuse: Je voudrais... (I'd like...) is the polite way to ask for anything. In France un café means a small espresso unless you say otherwise. For more café and travel phrases, see French phrases for tourists.

Ordering a coffee: Choice of bean which can vary by origin, roast type, or blend. — French lesson French lesson · 70 phrases with audioOrdering a coffee: Choice of bean which can vary by origin, roast type, or blend.Practise this conversation →

5. Booking a table at a restaurant

A conversation in a restaurant, or on the phone before you go:

Reuse: French uses the 24-hour clock for bookings and timetables: 19 heures is 7pm. Je vous en prie is the polite "you're welcome" you'll hear from staff.

Restaurant reservations: Number of guests — French lesson French lesson · 35 phrases with audioRestaurant reservations: Number of guestsPractise this conversation →

Phrases that keep a conversation going

Beginners usually stall not on the first line but on the third. When I was first learning French, I could read a menu without trouble and still froze the moment a waiter asked me anything I hadn't rehearsed. What fixed it wasn't more vocabulary. It was a handful of replies that buy you a second to think:

How to practise French conversation as a beginner

The lessons below turn each of these conversations into an interactive roleplay: you speak your lines, the app answers, and you get the natural back-and-forth that reading alone can't give you.