Simple Phrases in FrenchA1

French is spoken in France, but also in many other countries in Europe, Africa, the Americas and Asia. In a station, a cafe, a hotel or a street, a few words are enough to greet, ask for information or run a small errand. Saying a few simple phrases opens the door to useful exchanges in everyday life.

In the morning and during the day, we say bonjour. In the evening, we say bonsoir. In familiar situations, among friends or among young people, we can say salut to say hello and also to say goodbye. To leave someone, one can say au revoir in almost all situations. With close ones, à bientôt serves when you think you will see the person again soon, and à tout à l’heure when you will see them later in the same day.

Useful words for greeting according to the time of day

Word	Definition
bonjour	We say hello in the morning and during the day to greet someone.
bonsoir	We say good evening in the evening to greet someone.
salut	hi is an informal way to say hello or goodbye.
au revoir	We say goodbye to leave someone politely.
à bientôt	We say see you soon when we think we will see the person soon.
à plus tard	We say see you later when we want to meet again later in the day.
bonne journée	We say have a nice day to wish a good rest of the day.
bonne soirée	We say have a good evening to wish a nice evening.
bonjour à tous	We say hello everyone to greet a whole group.
salutations	The greetings are the words we use to greet.

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In a shop, at a restaurant or at the reception of a hotel, merci serves to thank. To ask for something politely, one adds s’il vous plaît. If one wants to interrupt someone or pass in a narrow space, one says pardon. To respond clearly, oui accepts, non refuses, d’accord shows that we accept a proposal, and bien sûr marks a natural and cordial agreement.

Politeness words to speak kindly

Word	Definition
merci	We say thank you to show gratitude.
s il vous plaît	We say please to ask for something with politeness.
pardon	We say sorry to apologize or to get someone's attention politely.
oui	yes is used to answer positively.
non	no is used to answer negatively.
d accord	we say okay to show that we accept or understand.
bien sûr	of course is used to say that something is obvious or accepted with pleasure.
excusez moi	We say excuse me to get attention or to apologize politely.
merci beaucoup	We say thank you very much to thank with more intensity.
je vous en prie	We say you’re welcome in reply to thanks with kindness.

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To say your first name, we use je m’appelle + first name. For example, je m’appelle Lina. To ask someone how they are, we say ça va ?. The simplest answer is also ça va. We can add oui, ça va if all is well. With another person, we can answer et vous ? or et toi ? to turn the question.

Simple words to introduce yourself and respond

Word	Definition
je m appelle	We say my name is to give our first name.
comment ça va	We say how are you to ask someone for news.
ça va	it’s going well is used to say that everything is fine or to respond to a question.
très bien	very well means the situation is good or excellent.
comme ci comme ça	so-so means the situation is average.
enchanté	delighted is said when meeting someone for the first time.
moi aussi	me too is used to say that the same thing is true for me.
et vous	we say and you to ask the question to someone after talking about oneself.
je suis	we use I am to give a state or a simple identity.
ça marche	that works means that everything is understood or accepted.

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When we don’t understand, we say je ne comprends pas. To ask for something, a service or an action, we use je voudrais + noun. For example, je voudrais de l’eau or je voudrais un café. For an immediate need, we can say je voudrais aller aux toilettes or simply les toilettes, s’il vous plaît. In a conversation, this form allows you to ask without aggression and with clarity.

Useful expressions for asking for help

Word	Definition
je ne comprends pas	We say I don’t understand when we want to signal that a message is not clear.
je voudrais	We say I would like to ask for something politely.
de l eau	water is used to ask for or talk about a simple drink.
un café	a coffee designates the hot drink that one can order at a bar.
les toilettes	the toilets designates the place where one goes to the toilet.
aidez moi	we say help me to ask for immediate aid.
où est	we say where is to ask for the location of something.
je cherche	we say i am looking for to explain that we want to find something.
c est urgent	we say it is urgent when we need help right away.
s il vous plaît aidez moi	we use please help me to ask for help with a lot of politeness.

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