If you're planning on visiting Paris, then you need to know at least a little bit of French. You don't need to be perfectly fluent. As long as you can say some basic phrases, then you should be able to have a fun vacation. Here are a few of the things that are important to know:
This means, "hello," which you probably already knew. You don't want to rely on waving. You need to know how to greet new people.
This means, "goodbye." After all, you don't want to walk away when you're done having a conversation. You want to be polite by saying goodbye.
This means, "please." Just because you're not a native speaker doesn't give you the right to be rude. If you're going to order food or ask for directions, you should add "please" to the end of your request.
This means, "Thanks." If you want to be polite, it's a word that you need to remember.
This means, "I’m sorry." If you accidentally bump into someone, or if you fumble your words, you can rely on this phrase.
This means, "How are you?" If you're not sure what to say during a conversation, then this is a safe phrase to use.
If you ask someone how they're doing, they're probably going to ask you the same question. That's why it's important to know this phrase, which means, "Very well, thanks."
This means, "My name is..." It's the best way to make an introduction.
This means, "I live in…" Plenty of people will be asking where you come from, so it's important to remember these words.
This is an extremely important phrase to remember. It means, "Do you speak English?" If you're lucky, they will, and then you won't have to remember the rest of these phrases.
If someone talks too quickly, or uses a word that you've never heard of, you can use this phrase. It means, "I don’t understand."
This means, "I’m hungry." If you're trying to ask someone where a restaurant is, then you should probably remember this phrase.
This means, "I’m cold." It can help you out if you need to ask someone to lower the air conditioning.
This means, "Could you please write it down?" If someone is trying to give you an address, or any other type of information, it's best to have them write it down. It's hard enough to remember French. You shouldn't have to remember addresses, too.
This one means what it sounds like. It's how the French say, "Excuse me."
If you're embarrassed abut not knowing how to respond to someone, just use this phrase. It means, "I don’t speak French very well."
If you don't understand someone, use this phrase. It means, "Could you repeat that please?" You could also ask them to speak more slowly by saying, "Pourriez-vous parler plus lentement, s’il vous plaît?"
Even if you don't have enough money for a plane ticket right now, it can't hurt to learn another language. What other French phrases do you think women should learn before vacationing in Paris?