French for Beginners

Basic Greetings

Learn to greet people in French. Salut is casual. With strangers, shop workers, teachers, or older people, bonjour is usually safer.

Being Polite

Use basic polite words as standalone phrases and in short social exchanges.

Simple Reactions & Agreement

Learn how to agree or confirm in French.

How Are You?

Learn how to greet and ask how someone is doing. Ça va ? is casual and very common. Comment allez-vous ? is more polite. Don’t use et toi ? with someone you are addressing politely; use et vous ? instead.

Saying Goodbye

Learn how to say goodbye in French. Bonne nuit is usually for going to bed or leaving late at night. For leaving someone in the evening, bonne soirée is often more natural.

Introducing Yourself

Learn to ask if someone is who you think they are. Use vous êtes with adults you do not know, staff, teachers, appointments, hotels, and formal situations. Use tu es with friends, children, classmates, or people who clearly use casual speech with you.

My Name Is…

Learn how to introduce yourself and ask others their names. Je m’appelle Emma is the normal beginner-safe way to say your name. Je suis Emma is understandable, but it is better for confirming identity after someone asks if you are Emma.

Nice to Meet You

Learn to greet someone politely. Enchanté and enchantée sound the same, but the spelling changes based on the speaker. A male speaker writes enchanté. A female speaker writes enchantée.

Being Here and There

Learn how to say where you are and who you're with. In French, ne … pas surrounds the verb: Je ne suis pas ici. I am not here. Before a vowel, ne becomes n’: Vous n’êtes pas ici ? Are you not here?

I Am From…

Discussing where you're from.

I Am French

Learn to say your nationality in French. Nationality words often change depending on the speaker. A male speaker says Je suis français. A female speaker says Je suis française.

Nationalities

Introducing yourself and your nationality.

He and She

Talking about where people are from.