Bonjour
bohn-ZHOOR
Hello, good day
Greeting anyone during the day, and always when you walk into a shop
Travel guide
Learn France before you go
Cathedrals and castles, cafés and cheeses, and a way of life built around a good meal.
CapitalParis
CurrencyEuro (€)
Official languageFrench
Drives on theRight
Calling code+33
10 phrases to learn
In French. Capital letters show the stressed part. Tap the heart to practise a phrase later.
Bonsoir
bohn-SWAHR
Good evening
Greeting someone in the evening
Au revoir
oh ruh-VWAHR
Goodbye
Leaving a shop or saying goodbye politely
S'il vous plaît
seel voo PLAY
Please
Asking for anything
Merci beaucoup
mair-SEE boh-KOO
Thank you very much
Thanking someone warmly
Excusez-moi
ex-kew-zay-MWAH
Excuse me
Getting someone's attention politely
Enchanté
ahn-shahn-TAY
Nice to meet you
Meeting someone for the first time
Comment allez-vous ?
koh-mahn tah-lay-VOO
How are you? (polite)
Asking a stranger or an older person how they are
Parlez-vous anglais ?
par-lay voo ahn-GLAY
Do you speak English?
Before asking for help
Je ne comprends pas
zhuh nuh kohm-prahn PAH
I don't understand
When you are lost in the conversation
At the table
- In France the 'entrée' is the starter, not the main course. The main course is the 'plat principal'.
- Cheese is served after the main course and before dessert.
- Keep both hands on the table during the meal, not in your lap.
- At someone's home, wait for the host to start eating, and never make a toast with water.
- Meals are not rushed. Relax, enjoy the conversation and ask for the bill when you are ready.
Local tips
Always start with 'Bonjour'
Say 'Bonjour, Madame' or 'Bonjour, Monsieur' when you walk into a shop or café, and 'Au revoir' when you leave. Skipping it is seen as rude. After about 6 pm, say 'Bonsoir'.
Use 'vous' with strangers
French has a polite 'vous' and a familiar 'tu' for 'you'. Use 'vous' with anyone you do not know well, and wait for the other person to suggest 'tu'.
Service is included
Restaurant prices already include a 15% service charge ('service compris'). For good service, leaving a little extra or your small change is a kind gesture, but it is not required.
Sundays are quiet
Sunday closing is the norm in France, especially outside the big cities. Some tourist districts of Paris are exceptions. Plan your shopping for Saturday.
Check museum closing days
Many museums close one day a week. The Louvre, for example, is closed on Tuesdays. Check before you go and book a timed ticket online for the busiest sites.
Greeting with 'la bise'
Friends and family greet each other with light kisses on the cheeks: usually two, but from one to four depending on the region. With people you have just met, a handshake is fine.
Bring a small gift
If you are invited to a French home, bring wine, chocolates or flowers. Avoid chrysanthemums, which are the flowers of funerals and graves.
Take your time at table
Meals are not rushed, and nobody will hurry you out. When you are ready to pay, ask for the bill: 'L'addition, s'il vous plaît'.
Dishes to try
- Baguette: The long, crusty stick of bread bought fresh every day from the local boulangerie. A traditional baguette is made only from flour, water, salt and yeast or leaven.
- Croissant: A flaky, buttery crescent of layered dough, eaten at breakfast with coffee.
- Crêpes: Very thin pancakes, eaten sweet with sugar, butter, jam or chocolate. In Brittany, savoury versions made with buckwheat flour are called galettes.
- Quiche lorraine: A savoury tart of shortcrust pastry filled with smoked bacon and a creamy egg custard. Purists say the original has no cheese.
- Ratatouille: A slow-cooked stew of summer vegetables: aubergine, courgette, peppers, onion and tomatoes, with garlic, olive oil and Provençal herbs.
- Croque monsieur: A hot toasted sandwich of ham and melted cheese, usually Gruyère, sometimes covered with béchamel sauce. With a fried or poached egg on top it becomes a croque madame.
- French onion soup (Soupe à l'oignon gratinée): A rich soup of slowly browned onions in beef stock, topped with toasted bread and melted cheese and browned under the grill.
- Boeuf bourguignon: Beef stewed for hours in red Burgundy wine with bacon, mushrooms and small onions, until it is tender enough to cut with a spoon.
Cities to see
- Paris (capital): The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Cafés and boulevards.
- Marseille: The Old Port, Bouillabaisse, Notre-Dame de la Garde.
- Lyon: Gastronomy and bouchons, The Festival of Lights in December, The Lumière brothers and early cinema.
- Toulouse: Pink brick buildings, Airbus, Cassoulet.
- Nice: The Promenade des Anglais, Its winter carnival, Salade niçoise.
- Bordeaux: Wine, Place de la Bourse and its water mirror, 18th-century stone buildings.