Welcome to your very first French lesson on Introductions. This learning journey will introduce you to the basics of the French language and provide you with the foundational skills to start simple conversations in French. You'll be using these frequently in everyday communication, making them essential to your French language learning. We're going to focus on:
But before we dive right into these topics, take note of these important details.
Just like English, French has 26 letters. However, some of these letters are pronounced differently. Here is a quick run through for the pronunciation of the French Alphabet:
A: ah
B: bay
C: say
D: day
E: uh
F: ef
G: zhay
H: ash
I: ee
J: zhee
K :ka
L: el
M: em
N: en
O: oh
P: pay
Q: ku
R: er
S: es
T: tay
U: yu
V: vay
W: doobla-vey
X: eeks
Y: ee-grek
Z: zed
In French, "My name is..." translates to "Je m'appelle…" For instance, "Je m'appelle John." means "My name is John". Here's the breakdown of how it's said:
Now you can introduce yourself to anyone in French. Try it!
To ask someone for their name in French, use either "Comment vous appelez-vous?" or "Tu t'appelles comment?" The first is formal, used in professional settings or when speaking to someone older as a sign of respect, while the second is casual, used among friends, younger people, or in less formal situations.
How to say "Hello" in French
The most common way to say "Hello" in French is "Bonjour". This is used during the day. In the evening or night, you can say "Bonsoir". When leaving, you can say "Au revoir" which is "Goodbye" in French.
For a casual greeting among friends or peers, you can say "Salut".
How to ask "How are you?"
To ask someone how they are, you can say "Comment ça va?" You can respond with "Ça va bien" (I'm well), "Ça va mal" (I'm not well), or "Comme-ci, comme-ça" (so-so).
How to say "Please" and "Thank you"
The words for "Please" are "S'il vous plaît" in a formal setting and "S'il te plaît" in a casual setting. To say "Thank you", it's "Merci", and you can add "beaucoup" to say "Thanks a lot".
That's it for Lesson 1! Now that you're familiar with basic French introductions, you're on your way to having better conversations in French. Keep practicing these phrases and tune in for our next lesson, where we'll learn about French verbs and conjugation. À bientôt!