Planning a trip to France and want to navigate the language barrier? Learn the essential French phrases you'll need, as recommended by Fluent City's French teacher, Andrew Olshevski.
Key Insights
- French language can be challenging for beginners, especially for those attempting a foreign language for the first time.
- Andrew Olshevski, a French teacher at Fluent City, suggests a few key phrases that could help survive in France.
- Some of the phrases recommended include "Oui, c’est formidable" meaning "Yes, it’s wonderful", "Ouais" meaning "Yeah", and "Euh, bah, mm" equivalent to "Umm".
- For inquiries, Olshevski suggests phrases such as "Qu’est-ce que c’est ___?" meaning "What is ___?", and "Qu’est-ce qu’il y à ___ ?" meaning "What is there ___?".
- To express one's state, phrases like "Comment ça va?" meaning "How are you doing?" and "Ça va." meaning "Doing okay." are advised.
- Further French language training can be sought through various language classes including those offered on CourseHorse.
French can be tricky to learn, especially if it’s your first attempt at a foreign language. We asked Andrew Olshevski, a french teacher at Fluent City, what phrases a non-francophone (non-french speaker) could learn to survive in France.
French Phrases, Pronunciation and English Translations:
Oui, c’est formidable [we say forh-me-dabl] – “Yes, it’s wonderful/terrific/marvelous/fantastic/splendid”
Ouais [way] – “Yeah”
Euh, bah, mm – “Umm”
Qu’est-ce que c’est ___? [kes kuh say] – “What is ___?”
C’est ___. [say] – “It’s ____.”
Qu’est-ce qu’il y à ___ ? [kes keel e ah] – “What is there ___?”
Il y à ___. [eel e ah] – “There is ___. “
Comment ça va? [co-moh sah vah] – “How are you doing?”
Ça va. [sah vah] – “Doing okay.”
WANT to LEARN MORE?
Check out French classes as well as the many other language classes available on CourseHorse.