French Phrases for Tourists: What to Say in Cafés, Shops, Stations and Restaurants

You don't need much French to have a good trip to France. You need the right few French phrases for tourists, said in the right order, in the places you'll actually be: the café counter, the metro, the restaurant, the shop. This guide gives you exactly those, grouped by situation, with native audio on every phrase that has a ▶ button.

I learned my French living in Bordeaux, mostly while dating a French girlfriend, and this is the short list I'd give any friend heading to France. The phrases come from our Top 50 phrases to get by in France lessons, with notes on how people in France actually use them.

Start every exchange with bonjour

If you learn one thing, learn this: in France you greet the person before you ask for anything. Walking into a shop or up to a counter and launching straight into your question comes across as rude, even in perfect French. A greeting first changes how the whole exchange goes.

I learned this the awkward way. Soon after I moved to Bordeaux, I walked into a boulangerie and asked for a croissant straight away. The woman behind the counter looked at me, paused, and said, very pointedly, Bonjour. I have never skipped it since.

• Bonjour: hello, good morning. Use it all day until evening, including when you walk into a shop.
• Bonsoir: good evening. It's a greeting for arriving, not a goodbye.
• Au revoir: goodbye, when you leave.
• Bonne journée: have a good day. The standard friendly goodbye to staff.
• S'il vous plaît: please. The polite form for staff and strangers; leaving it out can sound abrupt even with a friendly tone.
• Merci beaucoup: thank you very much.
• De rien: you're welcome. You'll also hear Avec plaisir ! (my pleasure), which is a little warmer.

To stop a stranger politely, say Bonjour madame, excusez-moi. (or monsieur for a man). Starting with bonjour matters as much as the question itself.

Essential French phrases for tourists

These get you through almost any moment when you don't understand or need help:

• Pardon: sorry, excuse me. For getting past someone, a light apology, or asking someone to repeat. Often more natural than a longer apology.
• Excusez-moi: excuse me, to get someone's attention.
• Parlez-vous anglais ? Do you speak English? Put Excusez-moi in front of it and it sounds much softer.
• Je ne comprends pas I don't understand. In fast speech people drop the ne, so you'll hear je comprends pas.
• Oui / Non: yes / no.

French lesson · 17 phrases with audioTop 50 phrases to get by France: Essential communicationPractise this conversation →

Asking for directions

The pattern Où est... ? (where is...?) works for almost everything. Just add the place:

• Où est la station de métro ? Where is the metro station?
• Où est la station de métro la plus proche ? Where is the nearest metro station? La plus proche ("the nearest") goes after the noun: le café le plus proche.
• Où sont les toilettes ? Where is the bathroom? French uses the plural les toilettes, so the verb is plural too.
• C'est loin ? Is it far?
• Je voudrais aller à... I'd like to go to... Useful with taxi drivers too; you can also point at cette adresse (this address) on your phone.

You also need to understand the answer. These are the words you'll hear back:

• Allez tout droit. Go straight ahead. Tout droit means straight, not "all right".
• Tournez à gauche. Turn left. For right, it's tournez à droite.
• Jusqu'au feu. As far as the traffic light.
• La station est juste là. The station is right there.

Thank them with C'est très gentil. (that's very kind of you). It's warmer than a plain merci when someone has taken the time to help.

French lesson · 31 phrases with audioBasic directions: Asking for directionsPractise this conversation →

Ordering in a café

• Je voudrais is "I would like", the polite way to order anything: Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît. It sounds softer than je veux (I want), which can come off blunt.
• Un café is a small espresso by default, not a large filter coffee. If you want milk, ask for un café crème.
• Avec ça ? Anything else? It literally means "with that?". If you're done, Non, merci.
• Ça coûte combien ? How much is it? You'll hear the total as Cela fait (that comes to) plus the price: trois euros cinquante is €3.50. French says the euros, then the cents, with no "and".
• Voici: here you go, as you hand over your money or card.

French lesson · 62 phrases with audioOrdering a coffee: The size of coffee you want.Practise this conversation →

At a restaurant

• Une table pour deux, s'il vous plaît. A table for two, please.
• Le menu: the menu. Careful: in a French restaurant, le menu can also mean the fixed-price set meal. The full list is la carte.
• Je voudrais ça I'd like this, while pointing at the menu. Perfectly acceptable.
• Végétarien: vegetarian. Je suis végétarien (or végétarienne for a woman) means "I'm vegetarian".
• Eau: water. Ask for une carafe d'eau if you want free tap water rather than bottled.
• C'est bon ! It's good! Or Délicieux: delicious.
• Santé ! Cheers! Wait until everyone has a drink, then raise your glass.
• L'addition, s'il vous plaît The bill, please. In France the waiter usually won't bring it until you ask; lingering isn't a problem. The first time I took my girlfriend's friends to dinner, I sat waiting for a bill that was never coming until one of them took pity on me and asked for it.

Service is included in French restaurant prices by law, shown on the bill as service compris, so tipping is optional. Rounding up or leaving a euro or two for good service is common (Frenchly on tipping in France).

French lesson · 16 phrases with audioTop 50 phrases to get by France: Dining outPractise this conversation →

Shopping and paying

• Combien ça coûte ? How much does it cost?
• Trop cher too expensive / Moins cher cheaper. Handy at markets; less so in shops with fixed prices.
• J'achète ça I'll buy this.
• Puis-je payer par carte ? Can I pay by card? Cards are accepted almost everywhere, but small cafés and market stalls sometimes want espèces (cash).
• Your receipt is le ticket or le ticket de caisse. The textbook word reçu is understood but less common in shops.

If something goes wrong

• Au secours ! Help!
• Hôpital: hospital. The h is silent: (oh-pee-tal).
• Police: police.

In an emergency, call 112. It works from any phone in France, and operators can speak English. France also has separate numbers: 15 for medical emergencies, 17 for the police and 18 for the fire brigade (France's official tourism site).

French travel phrases cheat sheet

Practise before you go

Reading Où est la station de métro la plus proche ? is easy. Saying it out loud to a stranger, then catching allez tout droit, jusqu'au feu in the reply, is the part that trips people up. The lessons below turn each situation into a short roleplay with native audio, so the first time you say these phrases in France isn't the first time you've said them at all.