Common French Phrases: Polite Openings and Replies
Learn French greetings, polite requests, thanks and repair phrases through café and introduction examples, with practical notes on tu and vous.
Updated 2026-11-13
Use Bonjour as a polite daytime opening, then make a clear request and listen for the reply. Learn vous forms first for unfamiliar adults and service encounters, while recognising tu in informal relationships.
Start before the request
In a shop or café, begin with Bonjour rather than immediately naming the item. Bonsoir is an evening greeting. Salut is informal and commonly used with friends. The choice depends on the relationship and situation, so the shortest phrase is not automatically suitable everywhere.
A greeting is only the opening turn. Practise saying it, pausing for the response and then continuing. This matters because a memorised stream of words can sound less like an interaction if you leave no space for the other person. A small pause also gives you time to hear which language and level of formality they use.
Keep a compact phrase set
| French | Meaning | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Bonjour. | Hello / good day. | Polite daytime opening |
| Bonsoir. | Good evening. | Evening opening |
| Merci. | Thank you. | Acknowledge help |
| S’il vous plaît. | Please. | Polite request |
| Excusez-moi. | Excuse me. | Get attention / apologise |
| Au revoir. | Goodbye. | End the exchange |
| Je voudrais… | I would like… | Make a request |
Learn the complete sound of s’il vous plaît rather than reading each written component with English letter values. For a first practice, attach it to one request you can use. Add a farewell at the end so the exchange has a natural close.
Choose vous or tu deliberately
Vous can address one person politely or several people. Tu is informal singular. If you do not know an adult in a service setting, vous is a useful starting point. Friends and family may use tu, but relationships and local conventions affect the choice.
The pronoun influences other forms, so do not switch randomly within a memorised phrase. S’il te plaît belongs with informal singular address, while s’il vous plaît belongs with vous. Learn the expressions as complete pairs before trying to generate every variation from a grammar rule during a conversation.
Practise a café exchange
A simple request is Bonjour. Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît. After the server replies, listen for a confirmation or price. Then respond appropriately and say merci. Changing café to thé gives you a substitution without requiring an entirely new sentence.
Practise the other role too. If you learn only your own line, the actual response can make the scene feel unfamiliar. Hear the drink name, identify it and give a brief confirmation. Numbers are worth adding when you are ready to understand a price, rather than treating them as an unrelated list.
Give yourself a repair route
Je ne comprends pas means “I do not understand.” Pouvez-vous répéter, s’il vous plaît? asks for repetition. Plus lentement, s’il vous plaît asks for a slower pace. These phrases are useful when the answer goes beyond your prepared script.
After asking for repetition, focus on a specific piece of information. If you need a price, listen for the number; if you need a location, listen for the place or direction. Repeating a repair phrase without changing how you listen may not solve the problem. A written word or pointing gesture can also help clarify the immediate task.
Rehearse an introduction separately
Je m’appelle… gives your name. Comment vous appelez-vous? asks politely for the other person's name. Practise the question and response before adding where you live or what you do. A short coherent exchange is easier to retrieve than a long introduction assembled from unfamiliar structures.
Test yourself with the text hidden and a different name or drink each time. Notice whether you are responding to what you hear or simply saying the next memorised line. Keep pronunciation practice connected to those changes so the phrases remain recognisable when the speaker's pace varies.
Where to play
Jigu French offers beginner French learning on HarmonyOS, with pronunciation and words supported by pictures and audio. Explanations are in Simplified Chinese. Use the vocabulary material alongside short greeting and request rehearsals.