French small talk vocabulary: 299 words
Everyday greetings, polite phrases and small talk to sound natural fast (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese). This page lists 40 of them with their French translations, then lets you practise the full set in either direction with spaced repetition.
English to French: the first 40 words
| English | French | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| hello | bonjour | A casual word said when greeting someone on meeting them. |
| goodbye | au revoir | What you say to someone as you part from them. |
| good morning | bonjour | A greeting used in the early hours of the day. |
| good afternoon | bon après-midi | A greeting used in the hours after midday. |
| good evening | bonsoir | A greeting used when meeting someone late in the day. |
| good night | bonne nuit | Said when someone is going to bed, not a greeting. |
| please | s'il vous plaît | A polite word added to a request to soften it. |
| thank you | merci | What you say to show gratitude for a favour or gift. |
| you're welcome | de rien | A polite reply given when someone expresses gratitude. |
| excuse me | excusez-moi | What you say to get attention politely or to pass by someone. |
| sorry | désolé | What you say to express regret for a fault or bad news. |
| yes | oui | The word used to affirm or agree with something. |
| no | non | The word used to deny or refuse something. |
| maybe | peut-être | Used to say something is possible but not certain. |
| of course | bien sûr | Used to show that something is obvious or readily agreed to. |
| How are you? | Comment ça va ? | A question asking about someone's state or well-being. |
| I'm fine | je vais bien | A reply stating that you are in good health and spirits. |
| And you? | Et toi ? | A short question turning the same topic back to the listener. |
| nice to meet you | enchanté | What you say on being introduced to someone for the first time. |
| What's your name? | Comment tu t'appelles ? | A question asking how someone is called. |
| My name is... | je m'appelle... | A phrase used to tell others how you are called. |
| Where are you from? | D'où viens-tu ? | A question asking about someone's home country or town. |
| I'm from... | je viens de... | A phrase stating your country or town of origin. |
| How old are you? | Quel âge as-tu ? | A question asking the number of years someone has lived. |
| Do you speak English? | Parles-tu anglais ? | A question asking whether the other person can use the language of England. |
| I don't understand | je ne comprends pas | A phrase stating that the meaning of something is unclear to you. |
| Can you repeat that? | Peux-tu répéter ? | A request asking someone to say the same thing again. |
| Speak slowly, please | parle lentement, s'il te plaît | A polite request for someone to talk at a reduced pace. |
| What do you do? | Que fais-tu dans la vie ? | Asking about someone's job or profession. |
| How's the weather? | Quel temps fait-il ? | A question asking about current conditions outside, like sun, rain or temperature. |
| It's sunny | il fait soleil | Said when the sky is clear and bright light shines down. |
| It's raining | il pleut | Said when water is falling from the clouds. |
| It's cold | il fait froid | Said when the air temperature is low and unpleasantly chilly. |
| It's hot | il fait chaud | Said when the air temperature is very high. |
| Have a nice day | bonne journée | A friendly parting wish for pleasant hours ahead. |
| See you later | à plus tard | A casual goodbye to someone you expect to meet again soon. |
| See you tomorrow | à demain | A goodbye to someone you will meet again the next day. |
| Take care | prends soin de toi | A warm parting phrase wishing someone to stay safe and well. |
| Welcome | bienvenue | A greeting said to someone who has just arrived somewhere. |
| Congratulations | félicitations | What you say to someone who has achieved something good. |
259 more words in the full “Small Talk & Greetings” library, each aligned across seven languages and scheduled for you by spaced repetition. Add it to your account and start drilling English to French in one click.
What to watch out for in French
- Accents count. Answers are graded accent-sensitively, so you need
àâçéèêîïô— LinguaSwap shows a one-tap keypad for them while you type. - 299 words carry a usage note in the full library, for the cases where a direct translation would mislead you.
Practise French small talk vocabulary
Words come back just before you would forget them, and every language direction is tracked separately.