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French grammar Part of Chapter 1

CEFR A1

4 min read

Test yourself (26 questions)

French Greetings and Basic Phrases: Say Something Today

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 11 October 2026

You can hold your first French conversation before you have conjugated a single verb. Greetings and courtesies are fixed phrases: learn the ones below as whole things to say, the way you learned thank you as a child, and you can walk into a bakery or a this afternoon and take part.

SituationFrenchEnglish
Arriving, .Hello (to a woman)
With a friend !Hi! / Bye!
Leaving !Goodbye!
How are you? ?How are you? (casual)
The answer , .I'm fine, thanks.
Your name Marie.My name is Marie.
Asking for , .A coffee, please.
Thanking !Thank you very much!
The reply .You're welcome.
A real apology .I'm sorry.
Lost .I don't understand.

Quick check

Now use it: three quick questions on the chart above. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Pick the right phrase for each situation.

  1. Someone asks how you are and you feel fine. What do you say?

  2. You want to tell someone your name.

  3. You didn't catch what someone said. How do you tell them?

So today, these are just things to say.

Inside a bakery with a striped awning: a customer holding out a coin stands at the counter; behind it a smiling baker in a chef's hat; on the counter a big loaf of bread, a steaming cup of coffee and a till, with more bread on the shelves behind.
  1. ! , .
  2. , .

Walking into a French bakery: bonjour first, then what you want, with s'il vous plaît. The baker greets her back.

Greetings

Three words open and close almost every French exchange. Learn first: walking into a French shop without it is genuinely rude.

FrenchEnglishWhen
Hello, good dayAnyone, any time until evening
Good eveningArriving after dark
Hi, or byeFriends, people your own age
GoodbyeLeaving, with anyone
Good nightGoing to bed, never as a hello
See you soonLeaving someone you will see again
Four panels of the same little house and garden: in the morning the sun has just risen above the horizon with an arrow pointing up; at midday a beaming sun sits high in the sky; in the evening an orange sun sinks into the horizon with an arrow pointing down; at night a sleepy crescent moon and stars shine over the lit-up house.

Bonjour covers the whole day; bonsoir is the hello once it gets dark; bonne nuit is only for bedtime, never a greeting.

With a stranger, add or . A bare is fine; the title makes it warmer.

  • , . - Hello. (to a woman)
  • , . - Good evening. (to a man)
  • , ! - Hi, !

is literally until the seeing-again. as a casual bye on the way out: , ! - Bye, see you soon!

Getting by

French has two words for you: for a friend, a child or a fellow student, and for a stranger, an official or anyone you would call madame or . Several phrases come in both forms, so this page colours them.

tu (a friend)vous (a stranger)What do the colours mean?
You askTo a friendTo a stranger
How are you? ? ?
What's your name? ? - ?
Please

When in doubt, use the form: nobody was ever offended by too much politeness. The full story is on French subject pronouns.

The answers barely change. Only the and you? follows the or of the question:

  • , . - I'm fine, thank you.
  • , . ? - Very well, thanks. And you?
  • Marie. ? - My name's Marie. And you?

Put your own name after and you have introduced yourself. Literally it is I call myself.

How are you? From friend to stranger
CasualPolite
  1. Ça va ?
  2. Comment ça va ?
  3. Comment allez-vous ?

Courtesies

These keep every exchange friendly. The trap is the apology: is the quick social sorry, and is the real one.

FrenchEnglishUse it for
Thank youAnything at all
Thank you very muchWhen you mean it
You're welcomeThe reply to
Excuse me, sorrySqueezing past, bumping, not hearing
Excuse meCatching a stranger's attention
I'm sorryA real apology
/ Yes / NoEverything else

Two examples of the difference:

  • , . - Excuse me. (squeezing past her on the bus)
  • , . - I'm sorry, I'm late.

A woman writes , with an extra e you cannot hear: . - I'm sorry.

And the most useful sentence a beginner owns, because it keeps a conversation alive:

  • . - I don't understand.
  • ? . - Sorry? I don't understand.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
! !Arriving after dark: is for bedtime
. .You broke something: pardon is too light
, ., . is for friends
To a waiter: a stranger gets

A quiet promise for later

Most of these phrases come apart into pieces later. is your first reflexive verb; is the ... sandwich of French negation; is if it pleases you.

What to do next:

  1. Say , out loud five times.
  2. Learn and as a pair.
  3. Read how to say hello in French for more openers.

Practise: test yourself

Matching

0/5

Match each French phrase to what it means. These are the greetings and the name exchange.

Matching

0/5

Match each phrase to its meaning. These are the courtesies, the words that keep things friendly.

Sort into groups

0/8

Who would you say it to? Sort each phrase: a friend, or a stranger you would call madame or monsieur.

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Complete the story

0/3

Choose the phrase that fits each gap.

At the bakery

, madame. Ça, . Merci ! . Au revoir, madame !

Gap 1 of 3

Pick the right one

0/5

Pick the right phrase for each situation.

  1. Someone asks how you are and you feel fine. What do you say?

  2. You want to tell someone your name.

  3. You didn't catch what someone said. How do you tell them?

  4. You need to squeeze past someone.

  5. You have broken a stranger's glass. A real apology:

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French · Free printables

Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Infographics

  1. Key points infographic
  2. Table 1
  3. Greetings
  4. Getting by
  5. Courtesies
  6. Mistakes English speakers make

Other formats

  1. Listicle

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

How do you say hello in French?
. It works at any time of day, to one person or a room, to a friend or a stranger. With a stranger, add madame or : , madame. With friends, is the relaxed hi; after dark, is good evening. is goodbye.
How do you say thank you in French?
. The reply is , literally of nothing, which is the French you're welcome. To thank someone more warmly, say , thank you very much.
What is the difference between pardon and ?
Pardon is the quick social one: excuse me as you squeeze past, sorry when you bump into someone, or pardon? when you did not catch something. ( if you are a woman) is a real apology: , I am sorry. Use pardon for the small collision and when you have actually done something wrong.
How do you ask how are you in French?
To a friend, ? or ? To a stranger, an older person or anyone you would call madame or , ? The usual answer to all of them is , , or , , ?
Do I need to know grammar before I can speak French?
No. Every phrase on this page can be memorised as one unit and used correctly today, before a single conjugation. Greetings, thanks and apologies are fixed expressions in every language. The grammar opens up the rest of French later; it is not a toll you pay before you are allowed to say hello.