6 Basic Phrases If You're Traveling in France But Don't Speak French

[@dfsimon]

This video should be required watching for Americans visiting France.

[@karenbussen]

Bonjour ! Merci merci for watching and for your kind comment. I hope this video will help those traveling to France have an even better visit :-)

[@JimmyBrock]

Great tips

[@gg13308]

Thank you . I plan on visiting France this year and I don't know the language yet. This was very helpful

[@karenbussen]

Bonjour ! Merci for your comment. I am so happy you found it helpful. Wishing you a wonderful visit et bienvenue en France !

[@mwilder000]

Bonjour Karen! I’m just finding you as I begin my journey to revive and expand my French (4yrs instruction in high school many years ago). I’ve always used “Je voudrais” instead of “Je veux” as an assumed more polite way of asking for something. Recently, my mother in law, who has lived in Paris the last decade or so, indicated that “Je besoin” is what’s used in Paris. Can you comment on that? Was your example of “Je vais prendre” focused more on the “s’il vous plait” at the end? Merci!

[@karenbussen]

Bonjour et bienvenue ! Congrats on returning to your French. That's exactly what I did in 2015 and look at me now :-) As to politely asking for things, if you're in a restaurant, you can say "je voudrais" or "je vais prendre" or some variation of that, always with a "bonjour" first and a "s'il vous plaît" of course. In a market or store, you'd say, "je vais prendre" or "je vais vous prendre" and then the item, or if the item is already clear, as in if you already said, "Avez-vous des courgettes ?" You might say, "je vais en prendre trois" (I'll take three of them). Of course there are many other options, but these are solid for most situations. If someone asks you if you want a coffee, a bite of something, etc., it is absolutely OK to say, "Oui je veux bien." As to your question about "j'ai besoin de" (I need) you can use that "Bonjour madame, j'ai besoin de crème solaire s'il vous plaît" (I need some sunscreen) or "je cherche" in a shop with no problem. If you want to say that you want to do something, "J'ai envie de" is great, as is "J'aimerais bien aller au ciné" (I'd like to go to the movies) for example. I hope this helps and bonne continuation ! There are so many great actual French teachers here on KZbin--wishing you the best. If there are any native French speakers here, feel free to chime in!

[@lauriebley4527]

This is so useful and helpful! Thank you for taking the time to explain but also give context and repeat for us who are still learning. Super Grateful!

[@karenbussen]

Merci ! I am so happy you liked it :-)

[@joyannesloan8384]

What a great and natural teacher you are. I subscribed to your channel and I'm so glad I found it!

[@karenbussen]

Bonjour ! Thank you so much for being here and for this comment that made my day :-)

[@fayefouladi2973]

That is so true about starting any conversation with french people with Bonjour. One time in a supermarket I started with asking my question without saying Bonjour and the employee said D'abord Bonjour 😊😊

[@karenbussen]

Such a great example--thank you for taking the time to share to help others! Greetings from Paris :-)

[@fayefouladi2973]

@@karenbussen Any time. Glad I have met you. I will move to France in mid 2027 when I retire.

[@tyronelewis4187]

Great information. Wish I had seen this before I travelled to France.

[@karenbussen]

Thank you and hope you can use it next time you visit! Greetings from Paris😃

[@drnicolebeaumont7884]

Great thank you

[@karenbussen]

You're most welcome and merci for stopping by! Greetings from Paris :-)

[@ariannewdnotbe]

Merçi! I’ve been married to a 🇫🇷 guy for many years. We live in the US but go back and forth to 🇫🇷 a lot. I speak decent French & can travel alone speaking French, but I’m not at all fluent. I find your videos & tips very on point & helpful.

[@karenbussen]

Merci merci ! I really appreciate your comment. As to the French language, it is a never-ending pursuit ha ha! My teacher currently has me transcribing French movie trailers and that is a killer!!

[@helenlyons4887]

Thank-you Karen - just joined your channel and found this very helpful.

[@karenbussen]

Thank you for watching and for taking the time to leave a comment! Bonjour from Paris :-)

[@ahlamtaha5188]

Amazing ❤❤❤

[@karenbussen]

Thank you for this sweet comment, you made my day ❣️

[@violamezei6193]

Thanks, it was very helpful for my French studies! I find your language learning tips very practical. You gained a new subscriber... Also, because I'm European but I live in a different country, it is very interesting to see what an American finds unusual in France, all the cultural differences etc. Keep up the good work!

[@karenbussen]

Hello! Thank you so much for the comment and for subscribing. Your kind words make me very happy. Bonne continuation ❣️

[@ProfClaudeBalls]

Scissors, pliers, pants -- English also has "false" plurals.

[@JulianLopes]

This is very helpful, thank you!

[@karenbussen]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching :-)

[@CathyDahut]

GREAT TIPS!!!! MANY THINGS!!!!❤!!!

[@karenbussen]

Merci merci !

[@CathyDahut]

@@karenbussen AND, MANY THANKS!!!🤗!!!!

[@gegemgeremie]

Hello. I think that politeness in France have been extremely attached to it. From a very young age they have learned four words that sound: hello, goodbye. Thank you, please. Even at the table at 44 years old if I ask my little nephews for the jug of water, I would say first please and end the sentence with thank you. It's like I've gotten used to it

[@karenbussen]

Bonjour ! This is something I personally really love about France and le français. Thank you so much for your comment and long live politeness :-)

[@synkaan2167]

Le fait de dire bonjour pour entamer toute interaction (ou même simplement quand on rentre dans un magasin par exemple) c'est aussi une façon de montrer qu'on reconnait l'autre comme une personne à part entière avec qui on aimerait échanger et pas simplement comme un serviteur/robot dont on veut juste obtenir certaines réponses ou une aide et c'est tout. Et c'est vrai que les américains, qui notamment ne prennent généralement pas la peine de dire bonjour et ont en plus une conception beaucoup plus verticale du service client (le client est roi quoi qu'il arrive aux États-Unis, alors qu'en France les employés sont la pour nous aider mais ils doivent aussi être respectés) peuvent se montrer très impolis sans s'en rendre compte. A partir de la ils seront aussi très mal reçu et auront l'impression à leur tour que les français sont impolis et peu serviables. Vous avez donc raison d'insister sur l'importance de dire bonjour quand on est en France ^^

[@karenbussen]

Merci pour cet excellent commentaire ! C'est super d'avoir le perspectif français :-) For those who don't read French, the commenter is making a great point that when cultural traditions don't quite align, such as when Americans don't say bonjour--because they don't know they're supposed to do that--they may not be well-received in certain situations and then stereotypes of each side being impolite perpetuate. I am so happy to have the French point of view represented here!

[@synkaan2167]

​@@karenbussen I forgot that your channel is primarily aimed at English speakers, perhaps I should have written my comment in English. Thx for the reply.

[@maittlen]

Love your videos!

[@karenbussen]

Thank you thank you! It means so much to me that you took the time to leave a comment xo

[@dbaker3751]

Is it OK to say "Je voudrais" instead of "je vais prendre"?

[@karenbussen]

Hi! Yes, absolutely. I'd say I hear "Je vais prendre or je vais vous prendre" more often at the market (and I mean by this the real marché, not other stores or situations). But je voudrais is polite sans aucun doute (without a doubt). Bonne continuation and thanks for taking the time to watch and write me!

[@jodiehebert8285]

Thank you! I need this for my trip to Nice. Comment allē vous? Is that too casual to say to store keeper/waiter?

[@karenbussen]

It really depends on the shopkeeper. The best if you're walking into a new shop is just to say Bonjour Madame or Bonjour Monsieur. Why? Because Comment allez-vous ? is "how are you" which in French we wouldn't really say unless we know the person, but if we knew them in a formal way, then yes, that's correct and a very polite way to address them :-)

[@aestheticedits7109]

Bonjour madame, Merci beaucoup pour cette video.. Je'mapple Anita. Je vien d'inde, mais j'habite en Angleterre. Enchante'.. Tu es jolie 😊.. J'apprends le francais, parce que j'aime la langue francaise. .j'aime l'amerique ❤.. Sil vous plait apprenz moi le francais.. Merci beaucoup pour votre aide.. J'aime apprendre des langues..bonne nuit.. A bein tot..au revoir😊

[@karenbussen]

Bonjour Anita et merci pour votre message ! Moi aussi, j'aime la langue française, et je vois que vous avez pris un bon départ. Bonne continuation et bonne journée :-)

[@karenbussen]

Bonjour et merci pour votre commentaire. Je ne suis pas prof de français mais je suis ravie de savoir que la vidéo vous a plu. Bonne continuation ! :-)