Being in France can be an adventure in itself. The culture, architecture and food, amongst many other aspects, can make your trip to France one to remember. We would not want you to miss out on any of this adventure, so today, we are giving you some helpful basic French questions and answers to help you get by during your stay in France.
The Basics:
Questions
Answers
How are you? – Comment allez-vous?
I’m doing well, and you? – Je vais bien, et vous?
How are you? (shorter version) – Ça va?
Fine, thanks, and you? – Bien, merci. Et vous?
Good, thanks. – Bien, merci
Not bad – Pas trop mal
Introductions:
Questions
Answers
What’s your name? – Comment tu t’appelles?
My name is… – Je m’appelle
Where are you from? – D’où viens-tu?
I’m from… – Je viens de
How old are you? – Quel âge as-tu?
I’m _ years old – J’ai _ ans
What do you do for a living? – Tu fais quoi comme metier?
I’m a/am – Je suis un (m) /une (f)
Difficult Situations:
Questions
Answers
Do you speak English? – Est-ce que vous parlez anglais?
Yes, I speak English – Oui, je parle anglais
A little bit – Un peu
Can you translate for me? – Pouvez-vous traduire pour moi?
Do you understand? – Est-ce que tu me comprends?
I don’t understand – Je ne comprends pas
I don’t speak French very well – Je ne parle pas bien français
Could you speak slower? – Pouvez-vous parler plus lentement?
Could you repeat that please? – Pourriez-vous répéter, s’il vous plaît?
Small Talk:
Questions
Answers
What’s the weather like? – Quel temps fait-il?
It’s cloudy – Le temps est couvert
It’s cold – Il fait froid
It’s hot – Il fait chaud
It’s raining – Il pleut
It’s snowing – Il neige
It’s windy – Il fait du vent
Everyday Life Questions:
Questions
How much is it? – C’est combien?
Where can I find…? – Où est-ce que je peux trouver. . .?
Where are the bathrooms? – Où sont les toilettes?
Do you have…? – Avez-vous…?
What’s happening? / What’s going on? – Qu’est-ce qui se passe?
We hope these basic French questions will help you during your stay in France. If before or during your stay, you decide that you want to join like-minded people, who are also interested in the French language, contact us by filling our form here. Our staff and teachers at French in Normandy will be happy to help you improve your French language skills, whilst showing you around the beautiful region of Normandy.
The phrase est-ce que (literally, "is it that") is the inversion of c'est que ("this is that"). In reality, est-ce que has no meaning at all – it simply goes in front of a statement to turn it into a question. This is the most common way to ask questions.
The phrase est-ce que (literally, "is it that") is the inversion of c'est que ("this is that"). In reality, est-ce que has no meaning at all – it simply goes in front of a statement to turn it into a question. This is the most common way to ask questions.
Some useful opinion phrases in French include 'Je pense...' or 'Selon moi'. You can express agreement by saying 'Je suis d'accord' or disagreement by saying 'Je pense que tu as tort'.
By ThoughtCo Team. Updated on January 31, 2019. Est-ce que (pronounced "es keu") is a French expression that is useful for asking a question. Literally translated, this phrase means "is it that...," although in conversation it rarely is interpreted that way.
Est-ce que means literally "is it that," and can be placed at the beginning of any affirmative sentence to turn it into a question. Est-ce que vous dansez? Do you dance? Est-ce que tu veux voir un film?
So stick to “S'ìl vous plaît, où sont les toilettes” or the alternatives below, and you'll be just fine. Useful: In restaurants or public places, you might see signs with “toilettes” or “WC”.
Qu'est-ce que is a French way to start a question. Literally, it's built with three French words: Que + est + ce → “What + is + it/that?…” As a French question, it's a longer way to ask: “What… ?” It's correct French, but in real, everyday spoken French, we tend to ask shorter questions.
Using these verbs and expressions in the negative or interrogative, however, indicates doubt: thus the subjunctive is required. Je pense qu'il est sympa. I think he's nice. Je ne pense pas qu'il soit sympa.
Introduction: My name is Duane Harber, I am a modern, clever, handsome, fair, agreeable, inexpensive, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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