Simple French phrases for beginners

Beginner French phrases

Introducing yourself in French

An elderly/unknown person and/or a professional:

A friend, a person of your age:

The future tense in French

Presenting yourself in French

If you are in a professional or tourist context, for example at the reception of a hotel go with the following:

This is called "vouvoiement". To appear more polite, the French use the second person plural, "vous".

If you meet friends of friends, people your own age or neighbours, you can switch to "tutoiement", i.e. use the second person singular " tu":

6 essential grammar rules you need to know about French grammar

Asking for or giving simple information in French

To register for a course or to keep in touch with people you have recently met you will probably be asked for these details! 

If you don't know the person:

If you know the person or they are the same age as you:

However, be prepared to write down or give information containing numbers!

Apologising in French

When you're first learning a language, a little diplomacy goes a long way! Whether you bump into someone in the street unintentionally or ask for someone's attention, here's what you should say:

If you receive an apology, it is also good to say in return:

Talking about your tastes in French

If a topic of conversation comes up about movies, sports, clothing or food, you will often be asked to express what you think about it:

The vocabulary of emotions is quite abundant in French, here are the essentials, in ascending order:

Proposing an activity in French

Now that the formalities are over, you can become an actor in the conversation and propose an activity to your French-speaking friends. First, make sure your friend is available:

Then propose the activity you have in mind:

Now try to match all these elements to create a conversation you could have in real life: