Foreign Language French - Basic key terms

The standard daytime greeting used when arriving somewhere or starting a conversation with anyone, formal or informal. Used until early evening; the usual reply is the same word.

Greeting used from late afternoon or early evening onward, when meeting someone or arriving at a place. It replaces bonjour for the rest of the day and is also used when leaving in the evening.

Informal greeting meaning 'hi' between friends, family, or people of the same age. It works both when meeting and when parting, but should not be used with strangers or in formal situations.

The standard way to say goodbye when leaving a place or ending a conversation. Polite and neutral, suitable for shops, offices, and strangers as well as people you know well.

Polite phrase added to a request when speaking to someone you address as vous, such as a shop assistant or stranger. It means 'please' and often starts or ends a request for an object or service.

Word used to thank someone for a service, gift, or help. The common polite reply is 'je vous en prie' in formal settings or 'de rien' among friends and in casual situations.

Polite formula used to get someone's attention, to ask for information, or to apologise for a small disturbance such as bumping into someone. The informal version is 'excuse-moi'.

Polite conditional form meaning 'I would like', used to order food, ask for an item, or make a request in shops and restaurants. Softer and more polite than 'je veux', which states a wish directly.

The bill in a restaurant or café, requested at the end of a meal. The phrase 'l'addition, s'il vous plaît' is the standard way to ask the server for it.

The menu listing all dishes and drinks available in a restaurant, as opposed to a fixed set menu. Asking for 'la carte' means you want to choose freely from the full list.

A fixed-price meal in a restaurant, usually combining a starter, main course, and dessert for a set price. Distinct from 'la carte', which lists individually priced dishes.

Opening or operating times of a shop, service, train, or office. Notices and timetables use this word to state when something is open, closed, or departing.

Word on a sign or notice indicating that a shop or service is currently open for business. Often appears with times, as in 'ouvert de 9h à 18h'. The opposite is 'fermé'.

Word on a sign meaning closed, telling customers the shop or service is not available. It may appear alone or with a reason and date, such as 'fermé le dimanche' or 'fermé pour congés'.

The way out or exit of a building, station, or car park. Signs use it to direct people toward the door they should leave by; the opposite word is 'l'entrée'.

The entrance of a building or place, or the way in. On signs it directs people toward the door used to go inside; it also names the first course of a meal.

A railway station where trains arrive and depart. The word appears on timetables, tickets, and signs; 'la gare routière' is the separate term for a bus station.

The platform in a station where passengers wait for and board a train. Announcements and tickets state the platform number, as in 'départ quai 4'.

A ticket for a train, bus, plane, or a show. You buy it, show it, and sometimes validate it; the word also appears on signs for ticket offices and machines.

A bank card used to pay for goods or withdraw money. Shops display signs saying whether card payment is accepted, and payment machines ask you to insert or tap the card.

Official seasonal sales periods when shops reduce prices, regulated by law and held twice a year. Signs in windows announce discounts during these fixed dates.

A shop selling bread and often pastries, a daily stop in French life. It typically closes one day a week, and the word appears on shopfronts and in directions people give.

A person who shares a rented flat or house with others, common among students in French cities. The word appears in housing adverts and in conversations about where someone lives.

The monthly rent paid for a flat, house, or room. It appears in housing adverts and rental contracts, often alongside charges for utilities and a deposit.

A flat or apartment, a set of rooms within a larger building. In addresses it is followed by a floor or door number, and adverts describe its size in rooms.

A multi-storey building containing flats or offices. The word appears in addresses and directions, often with a floor number and a door code needed to enter.

A printed or online form with blank fields to fill in, such as for a subscription, hotel check-in, or administrative request. Fields usually ask for name, address, and date of birth.

A person's family name or surname, as opposed to the first name. Forms ask for it in capital letters and it appears on identity documents and official records.

A person's first name, given at birth and used by family and friends. Forms ask for it separately from the family name, and official documents show both.

The day, month, and year a person was born, requested on forms and identity documents. In French the day comes first, then the month, then the year.

The country a person legally belongs to, written on forms and identity papers. It is expressed with an adjective that changes form for men and women, such as français and française.

The verb tense used for current actions, habitual events, and general truths. Basic French relies on it heavily, and its endings differ across the three main verb groups.

The main past tense for completed actions, formed with a helping verb (avoir or être) plus a past participle. Most verbs take avoir; movement verbs and reflexive verbs usually take être.

The helping verb avoir or être used before a past participle to build compound tenses such as the passé composé. The choice of auxiliary affects agreement of the participle.

The verb form used after a helping verb in compound past tenses, or alone as an adjective. Regular forms end in -é, -i, or -u depending on the verb group.

The base form of a verb, as listed in dictionaries, ending in -er, -ir, or -re. It appears after another verb or a preposition, as in 'je veux partir'.

The word le, la, les, or l' placed before a noun to refer to something specific or already known. Its form agrees in gender and number with the noun it introduces.

The word un, une, or des placed before a noun to refer to something not yet identified or one of a group. It contrasts with the definite article, which points to a known item.

The grammatical category of a French noun as masculine or feminine, which controls the form of articles and adjectives. Gender is not predictable from meaning and must be learned with each noun.

The matching of grammatical features such as gender and number between a noun and its article or adjective, and between a subject and its verb. It is a common source of written errors.