Learning a new language - whether for enjoyment, business or travel - can feel intimidating, but taking a "building blocks" approach and setting a good foundation helps you feel more at ease.

To kick-start your French language learning journey, I've put together this collection of simple but useful phrases you can whip out in various situations. C'est parti!

Greetings & Goodbyes

1. "Bonjour": Hello (morning and evening use)

2. "Bonsoir": Good evening (also a way of saying "hello" in the evening)

3. "Salut": Hi

4. "Bonne journée" /  "Bon soirée": Good day / Good evening (a way of saying goodbye rather than hello)

5. "Au revoir": Goodbye

6. "À bientôt": See you soon

7. À tout à l'heure: See you later

Small Talk

1. "Comment allez-vous?": How are you? (formal)

2. "Comment ça va? / Comment vas-tu?": How are you? (informal)

3. "Bien, merci, et vous/toi?": I'm good, thanks, and you? (vous = formal, toi = informal)

4. "Comment vous appelez-vous?": What's your name? (formal)

5. "Comment tu t'appelles?": What's your name? (informal)

6. "Je m'appelle...": "My name is..."

Tip: One thing you may have noticed is that in French, the way you say something changes depending on whether a situation is formal or informal. "Vous" is for formal situations (but it's also plural so is used when referring to more than one person), whereas "tu" is for informal situations.

For example, you may use "vous" when speaking to strangers or pretty much any time you need to be formal, like when talking to someone in administration, a doctor or a teacher. On the other hand, you use "tu" with friends, family, kids and animals. 

Politeness

1. "Merci": Thank you

2. "Merci beaucoup": Thank you very much

3. "S'il vous plaît" / "S'il te plaît": Please (vous = formal / te = informal)

4. "Excusez-moi": Excuse me

5. "Pardon": Sorry/Excuse me (like when you bump into someone)

6. " Désolé(e)": Sorry (a more sincere form - if the speaker is a female, this word is written "desolée" with an extra "e")

7. "De rien": You're welcome

Addressing People

1. "Madame" - Mrs./Madam (Example: "Bonjour Madame")

2. "Monsieur" - Mr./Sir

3. "Mademoiselle" - Miss

Asking for Help

1. "Parlez-vous anglais?": Do you speak English?

2. "Je ne comprends pas": I don't understand

3. "Pouvez-vous m'aider, s'il vous plaît?": Can you help me, please?

4. "Au secours!": Help!

5. "Merci pour votre aide": Thanks for your help

Asking for Directions

1. "Où est...": Where is... (Example: "Où est le marché?" - "Where is the market?")

2. "Où sont...": Where are... (Example: "Où sont les toilettes?")

3. "Je cherche...": I'm looking for... (Example: "Je cherche le métro." - "I'm looking for the metro.")

4. "Tournez à gauche/droite": Turn left/right

5. "Allez tout droit": Go straight ahead

6. "À côté de...": Next to

7. "Devant": In front of

8. "Derrière": Behind

At the Restaurant 

1. "Une table pour une/deux/trois personne(s), s'il vous plaît": A table for one/two/three, please.

2. "La carte, s'il vous plaît?": (Can I see) the menu, please?

3. "Je voudrais...": I would like... (Example: "Je voudrais les pâtes, s'il vous plaît." - "I would like the pasta, please."

4. "L'addition, s'il vous plaît": The bill, please.

Shopping

1. "Combien ça coute?" / "C'est combien?": How much is it?

2. "Avez-vous des...": Do you have any...? (Example: "Avez-vous des sandales?" - "Do you have any sandals?")

3. "Avez-vous ces chaussures en taille 39?": Do you have these shoes in size 39?

4. "Je cherche...": I'm looking for... (Example: "Je cherche des chaussettes" - "I'm looking for some socks.")

5. "Je paie par carte": I'm paying by card

6. "Je paie en espèces": I'm paying in cash

Useful Vocabulary for Travelers

Finally, here is a little bank of useful vocabulary - especially for travelers - that you can tag on to some of the phrases we've looked at in this guide.

Tip: You'll notice some words begin with "le" and others with "la". French is a gender-based language, with "le" used to refer to masculine nouns and "la" used to refer to feminine nouns.

1. le restaurant: the restaurant

2. l'hôtel: the hotel

3. la gare: the train station

4. le centre-ville: the city centre

5. le métro: the metro

6. l'aéroport: the airport

7.  le café: the coffee shop

8. le marché: the market

9. le musée: the museum

10. l'hôpital: the hospital

11. la plage: the beach

12. le théâtre: the theater

13. l'avion: the plane

14. le bus: the bus

Final Thoughts

In this guide, we've covered simple phrases and vocabulary in a variety of categories. As with other languages, there are many often many ways to express the same thing, but I've picked the most basic forms possible as I believe it's important not to overload yourself at first. 

I hope you've found this guide useful and feel ready to start taking your first steps in learning French.