Level: A1

Asking for and giving names is one of the first things you’ll do when meeting French speakers. French IPA English Formality Comment vous appelez-vous? [kɔ.mɑ̃ vu.za.ple vu] What is your name? Formal Comment tu t’appelles? [kɔ.mɑ̃ ty ta.pɛl] What’s your name? Informal Je m’appelle… [ʒə ma.pɛl] My name is… Universal Moi, c’est… [mwa sɛ] I’m… … Read more

Asking “how are you?” is a fundamental part of French conversation. French has both formal and informal versions. French IPA English Formality Comment allez-vous? [kɔ.mɑ̃ ta.le vu] How are you? Formal Ça va? [sa va] How’s it going? Informal Ça va bien [sa va bjɛ̃] I’m fine Universal Et vous? / Et toi? [e vu] … Read more

Oui, non, peut-être / Yes, No, Maybe Knowing how to say yes, no, and maybe is essential for any conversation. French has several ways to express agreement, disagreement, and uncertainty—from simple oui and non to more emphatic or nuanced responses. French IPA English Usage Oui [wi] Yes Standard affirmative Non [nɔ̃] No Standard negative Peut-être … Read more

These phrases will help you when you don’t understand something in a conversation. Native speakers appreciate when learners try to communicate, even if it’s to say they’re lost! French IPA English Je ne comprends pas [ʒə nə kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃ pa] I don’t understand Pardon? [paʁ.dɔ̃] Pardon? / Sorry? Pouvez-vous répéter? [pu.ve vu ʁe.pe.te] Can you repeat? … Read more

Il y a is one of the most useful expressions in French. It means both “there is” and “there are” — the same form works for singular and plural. French IPA English Il y a [il ja] There is / There are Il n’y a pas (de) [il nja pa (də)] There isn’t / There … Read more

The verb aimer (to like/love) is one of the most common French verbs. French has a range of expressions from strong love to strong dislike. French IPA English Intensity J’adore [ʒa.dɔʁ] I love +++ J’aime beaucoup [ʒɛm bo.ku] I really like ++ J’aime [ʒɛm] I like + J’aime bien [ʒɛm bjɛ̃] I quite like +/- … Read more

Je voudrais is one of the most polite and useful expressions in French. It’s the conditional form of vouloir (to want). Using je voudrais instead of je veux (I want) makes you sound much more courteous. French IPA English Politeness Je veux [ʒə vø] I want Direct (can be rude) Je voudrais [ʒə vu.dʁɛ] I … Read more

Il faut is one of the most common impersonal expressions in French. It expresses necessity or obligation. Unlike English, il faut is general — the context tells you who is concerned. French IPA English Il faut [il fo] One must / You need to Il ne faut pas [il nə fo pa] One must not … Read more

In French, physical sensations are expressed with avoir (to have), not être (to be). You literally say “I have hunger” (j’ai faim), not “I am hungry.” French IPA English avoir faim [a.vwaʁ fɛ̃] to be hungry avoir soif [a.vwaʁ swaf] to be thirsty avoir chaud [a.vwaʁ ʃo] to be hot (feeling) avoir froid [a.vwaʁ fʁwa] … Read more

In French, you don’t “be” a certain age — you “have” years. The expression avoir … ans is essential for introductions and everyday conversations. French IPA English J’ai vingt ans. [ʒe vɛ̃.tɑ̃] I am twenty years old. Elle a trente ans. [ɛl a tʁɑ̃.tɑ̃] She is thirty years old. Nous avons quarante ans. [nu.za.vɔ̃ ka.ʁɑ̃.tɑ̃] … Read more