French Phrases to Try Out on Holiday

It’s well-known that the best way to learn any language is to practise it as much as possible — after all, practice makes progress.  A top-tier way for children to learn French is by practising with native speakers in France.  So, without further ado, here are some French phrases they can try out en vacances (on holiday).  Allons-y

The basics — greetings and manners in French

The most basic French phrases that people use all the time are greetings.  You’ll hear them in shops, bakeries, cafés, restaurants, museums…the list goes on.  So, it’s important to be able to confidently say ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in any situation:

• Bonjour ! — Hello! / Good morning! (or afternoon)
• Bonsoir ! — Hello! / Good evening!
• Au revoir ! — Goodbye!

For a fun way to remember some key French greetings, check out this catchy song on CGP+.

A few other basic bits of French vocabulary that will help to keep things polite are:

• S’il vous plaît — Please
• Merci (beaucoup) — Thanks (a lot) / Thank you (very much)
• Pardon — Sorry / Excuse me
• Excusez-moi — Excuse me

‘Excusez-moi’ is a good phrase to use if you’re trying to get someone’s attention to ask them something, or if you’re trying to get past them to reach your seat for a long coach trip.  ‘Pardon’ is more for those awkward moments when you accidentally bump into someone, or you don’t catch what they’ve just said.  Also, fun fact — ‘s’il vous plaît’ literally means ‘if it pleases you’, and it’s a pretty key phrase for ordering in French (more on that later).
 

French phrases to help you get around

OK, now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to look at some French phrases for travel.  Firstly, here’s some French vocab that your children can use on holiday to ask the locals for help navigating around a city or town:  

• Excusez-moi, pouvez-vous m’aider ? — Excuse me, can you help me?
• Je cherche… — I’m looking for…
  E.g. “Je cherche le musée.” — “I’m looking for the museum.”
• Je veux aller à — I want to go to…
  E.g. “Je veux aller à la station de bus.” — “I want to go to the bus station.”
• Où est / sont… ? — Where is / are… ?
  E.g. “Où est le métro ?” — “Where is the underground?”
  E.g. “Où sont les toilettes ?” — “Where are the toilets?”
• Est-ce que c’est à gauche / à droite ? — Is it to the left / to the right?

For some extra practice with directions, have a look at resources like this fun game. And here are three more French travel phrases that kids can use when taking public transport:

• Un ticket, s’il vous plaît. — One ticket, please.
• Combien ça coûte pour aller à… ? — How much does it cost to go to…?
• Est-ce que ce bus / ce train va à… ? — Does this bus / this train go to… ?

“Combien ça coûte ?” (“How much is that?”) is another important phrase to have up your sleeve when it comes to buying or ordering something in French.  Speaking of which…

How to order in French

When we order in English, we use some rather convoluted phrases to soften our requests and make them extra polite, e.g. ‘Please may I have…?’.  The French language takes a more direct approach — French speakers say that they ‘will take’ something, if it pleases you.  Here are a few common French phrases your children can use to order an ice cream:

• Je vais prendre une glace, s’il vous plaît. — I’ll take an ice cream, please.
• Deux boules de glace, s’il vous plaît. — Two scoops of ice cream, please.
  (Because, let’s be honest, who only eats one scoop?)
• Avez-vous des cornets ? — Do you have any cones?
• Je voudrais payer en espèces. — I would like to pay in cash.
• Est-ce que je peux payer par carte ? — Can I pay by card?

French phrases for when you are ‘au restaurant’ 

I know what you’re thinking — what about ordering in a restaurant?  Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with even more French phrases kids can use to show off their ordering skills:

• Une table pour quatre personnes, s’il vous plaît. — A table for four people, please.
• La carte, s’il vous plaît. — The menu, please.
• Avez-vous une carte en anglais ? — Do you have a menu in English?
• Pour l’entrée / le plat principal / le déssert, je voudrais… — For starters / the main course / dessert, I would like…
• avec… / sans… — with… / without…
• Je voudrais un verre d’eau, s’il vous plaît. — I would like a glass of water, please.
• Encore de l’eau, s’il vous plaît. — More water, please.
• L’addition, s’il vous plaît. — The bill, please.

So, there you have it — enough basic French vocab to book a table in a restaurant and enjoy a delicious French meal. And you can find even more helpful restaurant vocab with resources like these flashcards. Bon appétit !
 

Funny French phrases

There are plenty of French phrases that sound pretty funny to an English speaker, especially if they’re translated literally.  Here are a couple of kid-friendly French phrases that your children or class could use to express themselves in a livelier way:

• les doigts dans le nez — This expression literally means ‘fingers in your nose’, and you can use it to say that something is ‘easy-peasy’.  E.g. “J’ai trouvé cet endroit les doigts dans le nez !” (“It was easy-peasy for me to find this place!”)
   
• Il pleut des cordes. — This phrase literally means ‘it’s raining ropes’, and it’s the French equivalent of ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’ (which is stranger, if you ask me…).

If you’re looking to inspire your children or class to practise their French on holiday, hopefully these phrases will come in handy. And, if they get really stuck, you could always encourage them to ask, “Parlez-vous anglais ?” (“Do you speak English?”).

For more information on all things French-related, check out the CGP+ KS2 French Scheme of Work, where you can find lots of helpful lesson plans and resource packs.  And make sure you keep up to date with everything new at CGP+ on our Facebook and Instagram pages.