French 101: Learn How to Speak French!

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Why Learn French?

Bonjour et bienvenue! Hello and welcome!

Do you want to learn to speak French? Maybe you're a foodie or a wine connoisseur. Maybe you're a film, literature or art aficionado. Maybe you're a world traveler. Or perhaps you just love the sound of la langue française.

There are plenty of great reasons to learn french, whether for practical uses or just for fun. Once you learn French, you'll be able to converse with people from all over the world. Over 200 million people speak French, and it is the official language of 28 countries.

From Paris to Montreal to Morocco to Tahiti, the French language is alive and well. French has remained an important language in the areas of diplomacy, international business and technology. So, whether you want to boost your résumé or just be able to read the ménu, French is a great language to learn!

For some, learning french comes naturally. But many people find it difficult to learn a new language. Don't be intimidated! Remember, there are many different approaches to learning a language, and everyone has a style that works best for them.

Whether you learn best by sitting down with a grammar book, watching French films, using a computer program or listening to tapes, there are a TON of great resources for learning French. Just make sure to practice, practice, practice!

You'll learn french the fastest if you just let go and have fun. I've put together some basic lessons and found the best resources for you to get started learning French now. So, pour yourself a glass of wine and give it a try!

French for Beginners

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French 101: The Basics

Ready to learn some basic French words? Here are some simple and essential phrases to get you started. I've provided my own phonetic spelling to give you an idea of how it sounds.

Greetings
With this handful of phrases, you can have a simple conversation with anyone you meet!

Bonjour (baw-joor) Hello
Ça va? (sah vah) How's it going?/How are you?
Ça va bien (sah vah bee-yeh) It's going well/I'm doing well
Et vous? (ay voo) And you?
Au revoir (ohr-vwah) Goodbye
Bonne journée! (bun joor-nay) Have a good day!
Bonne soirée! (bun swah-ray) Have a good night!
Á plus (ah ploose) See you later

Manners
Just like Mom says, mind your manners! This is especially true when you're in a foreign country. Be polite with these easy words.

S'il vous plaît (see voo play) Please
Merci (mair-see) Thank you
De rien (duh ree-yeh) You're welcome
Pardon (par-daw) Excuse me
Après vous (ah-pray voo) After you
Á vos souhaits (ah voh sway) Bless you (sneeze)
Madame (mah-dam) Ma'am/Mrs.
Monsieur (muh-syur) Sir/Mr.
Mademoiselle (mad-uh-mwah-zell) Miss
Bon appétit! (bon-ap-pay-tee) Enjoy your meal!

Love
Everyone knows that speaking French increases your sex appeal. Want to whisper sweet nothings in French? Here are some romantic phrases.

Je t'aime (juh tem) I love you
Je t'adore (juh tah-door) I adore you
Moi aussi (mwah oh-see) Me too
Tu es belle (too ay bell) You're beautiful (woman)
Tu es beau (too ay boh) You're handsome (man)
Je tombe amoureux (juh tom-buh ah-more-ruh) I'm falling in love

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Learn French in Your Car!

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French 101: More Basics

Directions
Getting lost is no fun when you don't speak the language. Here are some basic words for asking directions in French. If you're asking a stranger, be sure to say bonjour first!

Où est ... ? (ooh ay) Where is ... ?
la banque (lah baunk) the bank
le musée (luh myoo-zay) the museum
l'hôtel (low-tell) the hotel
l'hôpital (low-pee-tall) the hospital
le supermarché (luh soo-pear-mar-shay) the supermarket
la pharmacie (lah far-mah-see) the drugstore
Á droit (ah dwah) To the right
Á gauche (ah goash) To the left
Tout droit (too dwah) Straight ahead
C'est loin (say luh-wah) It's far (away)
C'est près (say prey) It's nearby

Numbers
It's pretty simple, but it's a good idea to learn to count (at least to ten!) in French.

Un (uh) One
Deux (duh) Two
Trois (twah) Three
Quatre (kat) Four
Cinq (senk) Five
Six (seese) Six
Sept (set) Seven
Huit (weet) Eight
Neuf (noof) Nine
Dix (deese) Ten

Basic Needs
Learn how to express your basic needs (think food, water, and shelter) in French.

J'ai soif (jay swoff) I'm thirsty
J'ai faim (jay faah) I'm hungry
Où sont les toilettes? (ooh saw lay twa-lett) Where is the restroom?
Je suis fatigué (juh swee fah-tee-gay) I'm tired

The Best French Language Software

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French 101 Guestbook

Do you have questions? Did you learn something? Just want to say bonjour? Leave your comments here!

  • Yo Yo it is bubble m-uint Oct 26, 2009 @ 6:20 pm | delete
    Bonjour Mme. Nobody !!!!
  • HannaH Jan 6, 2009 @ 7:24 pm | delete
    Où sont les toilettes? Where is the restroom?
  • tayla Sep 11, 2008 @ 12:43 am | delete
    bonjor
  • Sep 7, 2008 @ 10:46 am | delete
    Ce verre de vin me donne soif (=that glass of wine is making me thirsty).

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