π 20 expressions essentielles – 20 key phrases
Les 20 phrases les plus importantes à connaitre en français
The 20 most important phrases to know in French
Γcrit par / Written by: Anthony Lucas
Dernière révision / Last update: 30 August 2024
The goal of this lesson is not so much to understand every word you pronounce or the grammatical structure of these sentences but to memorise key words and expressions that will help you to survive.
C’est parti ! Here we go!
I hope you’re ready for your first French lesson! You’ll see, these are just 20 expressions or phrases, so not too many to start with. But these phrases will be super useful for the rest of your French life π«π·π.
Listen carefully to the audio clips π§ and try to repeat them as accurately as possible, as many times as you like.
ππΌ Oui, non, d’accord : the 3 most important words for this first French lesson for beginners
| π§ | π«π· French | π¬π§ English |
|---|---|---|
| oui | yes | |
| non | no | |
| d’accord | ok |
π€· Quoiiii ? – Whaaaat?
From the French movie Les 3 Frères
π«π· Didier Bourdon est un humoriste et acteur franΓ§ais connu depuis les annΓ©es 90 avec le trio comique Les Inconnus.
π¬π§ Didier Bourdon is a French comedian and actor known since the 90s with the comedy trio Les Inconnus.
For you first French lesson, you need to learn the essential French phrases, allowing you to say at least that you do not speak French!
| π§ | π«π· French | π¬π§ English |
|---|---|---|
| Je suis dΓ©solΓ©, je ne comprends pas. | I’m sorry, I don’t understand. | |
| Je ne sais pas. | I don’t know. | |
| Je ne parle pas franΓ§ais. | I don’t speak French. | |
| Je ne parle pas franΓ§ais trΓ¨s bien. | I don’t speak French very well. | |
| Je parle un peu français. | I speak a little French. | |
| Vous parlez anglais ? | Do you speak English? | |
| Vous pouvez rΓ©pΓ©ter s’il vous plait ? | Can you repeat please? | |
| RΓ©pΓ©tez s’il vous plait. | Repeat please. | |
| Pardon ? | I beg you pardon? | |
| Parlez moins vite s’il vous plait. | Speak slower (less fast) please. |
π«π· Dans l’Γ©pisode 21 de la saison 17 de la sΓ©rie Les Simpson, Bart Γ©crit “Je ne parle pas franΓ§ais.” sur le tableau noir pendant le gΓ©nΓ©rique.
π¬π§ In episode 21 of season 17 of The Simpsons, Bart writes “Je ne parle pas franΓ§ais.” on the blackboard during the credits.
Bart Simpson writes (without fail) in French that he doesn’t speak French
ππ½ Phrases franΓ§aises incontournables pendant les cours de franΓ§ais – Must know French phrases during French lessons
| π§ | π«π· French | π¬π§ English |
|---|---|---|
| Γa veut dire quoi “merci” ? | What does “merci” mean? | |
| Comment on dit “thank you” en franΓ§ais ? | How do you say “thank you” in French? |
π¨ Phrases franΓ§aises indispensables en cas d’urgence ! – Essential French sentences in case of emergency!
French comedian at Montreux Comedy Festival
π«π· Le Montreux Comedy Festival a Γ©tΓ© fondΓ© en 1989. C’est un festival d’humour se dΓ©roulant chaque annΓ©e au dΓ©but du mois de dΓ©cembre Γ Montreux dans le canton de Vaud, en Suisse.
π¬π§ The Montreux Comedy Festival was founded in 1989. It is a comedy festival that takes place every year at the beginning of December in Montreux in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland.
| π§ | π«π· French | π¬π§ English |
|---|---|---|
| Γ l’aide ! Au secours ! | Help! | |
| Stop ! ArrΓͺtez ! | Stop! | |
| OΓΉ sont les toilettes ? | Where are the toilets? |
π«΄πΌ Je voudrais … – I would like…
This first French lesson for beginners also gives you the tools to express what you want by saying the magic words Je voudrais. Then you can point at what you want and say Γ§a π«΅πΌ.
| π§ | π«π· French | π¬π§ English |
|---|---|---|
| Je voudrais ⦠| I would like⦠| |
| Je voudrais Γ§a. | I would like that. |
Γ RETENIR
WORTH REMEMBERING
Congratulations! You’ve just completed your first French lesson π₯³
You’re off to a great start as you can already tell that you don’t speak (or speak little / or badly) French. You can at least say yes (oui) or no (non) and you can ask very useful questions.
Come back to this lesson and listen to the pronunciation as often as you need to.
Nothing can stop you now π
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