Basic expressions: Greeting someone and apologizing for being late

💬 Where English says "have been waiting," French uses the plain present with depuis "since, for." Swap the verb: Tu es là depuis longtemps ? "Have you been here long?"

💬 D'heure is de joined to heure because heure starts with a silent h. So the d' runs straight into the vowel: (kar-dur).

💬 Put it before or after a number: à peu près dix minutes "about ten minutes."

💬 T' is te "you" shortened before a vowel, and it sits before the verb. Swap the object: Je t'offre un verre ? "Can I buy you a drink?"

🇫🇷 Offering to pay for the coffee is a natural way to make up for keeping someone waiting.

💬 Gentil means kind, not gentle, and its final l is silent: (zhahn-tee).

💬 Je dois plus any base verb means "I have to": Je dois travailler "I have to work."

💬 Dans here means "in, from now," pointing to the future, not "within."

🇫🇷 A polite, mild exclamation you can use anywhere, even in front of colleagues or kids.

💬 Everyday French uses on for "we," with the same verb form as "he/she." Swap the day: On se voit demain "See you tomorrow."

💬 In commands, moi comes after the verb with a hyphen. Swap the thing: Envoie-moi un message ! "Send me a message!"

🇫🇷 A common way to close after being late, repeating the apology lightly as you say goodbye.

💬 À plus a day or time makes a quick goodbye: À demain ! "See you tomorrow!", À ce soir ! "See you tonight!"