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Language Tips :

Parlez-vous français? (Do you speak French?)

Parisians are self-assured and proud. Don’t expect them to speak your language. They naturally expect the rest of the world to speak French. Bon courage! (Don’t lose heart!)

Polite Phrases:

Good morning - bonjour
Good evening - bonsoir
How are you? - ça va bien?
Goodbye - au revoir
Have a nice day! - bonne journée!
Have a nice evening! - bonne soirée!
Thank you very much indeed - merci (vous de même)

Street/Travel/Underground:

(To the) left - à gauche
(To the) right - à droite
straight ahead - tout droit
where is (the nearest underground station)? - où est (la prochaine station de métro)?
The station - la gare
The airport - l’aéroport
Arrival - l’arrivée
Departure - le départ
The exit - la sortie
(Underground) Ticket for ten rides - un carnet

Restaurant/Café:

The restaurant - le restaurant
The waiter - le garçon
The menu (card) - la carte
The (set) dish/menu of the day - le plat du jour
Starter - hors d’oeuvre
Main dish - plat principal
Dessert - dessert
White wine - vin blanc
Red wine - vin rouge
Coffee with milk - café au lait
Meat - la viande
Fish - le poisson
The bill - l’addition
Where are the toilets,please? - où sont les toilettes?

Cinema/Theatre:

(Admission) ticket - le billet
The play - la pièce de théâtre
The cinema - le cinéma
Subtitled - sous-titré

Post:

The post office - le bureau de poste
The letter - la lettre
The picture postcard - la carte postale
The stamp - le timbre
I would like to - je voudrais
Make a (telephone call) - téléphoner
Dialling code - l’indicatif

Motoring:

The petrol station - le station de service
The car park - le parking
To fill up - plein
Unleaded - sans plomb
I’ve broken down - je suis tombé en panne
Towing service - service de dépannage
The brakes - les freins
The traffic-jam/tailback - le bouchon
A driver’s licence - le permis de conduire

Argot:
Paris possesses a slang that you’d well be well advised to leave alone when studying at the Sorbonne or dining out at Fouquet’s. Make up your mind when the following jargon would be polite or not…

Chap - mec
Lass - nana
Banger - la bagnole
Loot - le fric
Havoc - le bordel
Swell - chouette
Job - le boulot
Beddybyes - dodo
Nosh - la bouffe
To eat - aller bouffer
Thing - le truc
I’m fed up - j’en ai marre

 

 

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