Top 50 phrases to get by France (Advanced): Getting around and shopping

🇫🇷 With strangers, vous is the normal choice in France. Using tu here would usually sound too familiar unless you already know the person.

💬 Vous pouvez plus an action word makes a handy polite request. Swap in another action, as in Vous pouvez parler plus lentement ? "Can you speak more slowly?"

🇫🇷 Asking someone to repeat is completely normal. If you still struggle, many people in cities will switch to English to help.

💬 Add any place to the end, as in Où est le métro ? "Where is the metro?". For more than one thing, use Où sont....

💬 L' is le shortened before a vowel. It only appears joined to the next word, never alone.

💬 L' in l'arrêt cannot stand alone; it has to attach to the next word before a vowel. You will see the same thing in l'hôtel, l'adresse, and many others.

💬 French always says this in the plural, even when there's just one toilet.

🇫🇷 In cafés the toilets are often meant for customers. Ordering a coffee at the counter first is the usual polite move.

💬 Swap gauche for droite to get Tournez à droite "Turn right."

💬 Tout droit means straight on, not right. It sounds close to à droite "to the right", so listen for the à.

💬 Aller here means "a going", so un aller simple is literally "a simple going". You can also just say un aller.

💬 Literally "a going-return": aller "going" plus retour "return".

🇫🇷 This is the standard polite way to order in shops and cafés. Je veux "I want" sounds pushy by comparison.

💬 Je voudrais is the polite way to ask for something, softer than je veux "I want". Swap in anything: Je voudrais un café "I'd like a coffee."

🇫🇷 Start with Bonjour "Hello" before asking at a ticket counter. Skipping the greeting comes across as rude in France.

💬 After À quelle heure, the action can come before the thing: part le train is literally "leaves the train". Try À quelle heure ferme le magasin ? "What time does the shop close?"

💬 Cette means "this" before feminine words like adresse. Masculine words take ce, as in ce train "this train".

🇫🇷 Showing the address on your phone while saying this is perfectly normal with French taxi drivers.

🇫🇷 Say Bonjour "Hello" to the staff as you walk into a small shop like a bakery. Going straight to your order without it feels abrupt to locals.

🇫🇷 Look for the green cross sign. French pharmacists commonly give advice on minor problems, so it's a good first stop before a doctor.

💬 Trop means "too" and works with any description: C'est trop grand "It's too big."

🇫🇷 This is the polite reply when a shop assistant offers help. It's expected and won't offend anyone.

💬 Le means "it" and goes before the action, not after. For a feminine item like la robe "the dress", say Je la prends.

💬 Swap petite for grande to ask for une taille plus grande "a bigger size". Both end in -e because taille is feminine.

💬 This is a plain statement turned into a question just by raising your voice at the end. Vous avez works for any item: Vous avez de l'eau ? "Do you have water?"

💬 L' in l'essayer cannot stand alone; it is le shortened before a vowel. Here it means it, so Je peux l'essayer ? is can I try it on?

💬 Just raising your voice at the end turns a statement into a question, with no word change needed.

💬 Carte covers both a bank card and a menu. Here par "by" tells you it's about paying.

🇫🇷 In France, par carte usually means by bank card, not any kind of card. This is a very normal thing to ask in shops, cafés, and taxis.

💬 The other option is par carte "by card".

🇫🇷 Supermarkets don't hand out free plastic bags. Expect to pay a little for one, or bring your own.

🇫🇷 A standard polite sign-off with staff, shopkeepers, or anyone you are parting from during the day. It is warmer than just Bonjour, but still neutral and everyday.