May 31st 2008
French words to learn
Let’s begin:
Bonjour!…..Hello/Good morning…..pronounced “bon-joo“. You say this to everybody you would come across with (waiter/shopkeeper/bus driver/hotel staff/etc). It’s considered rude if you don’t.
Bonsoir!…..Good Evening…………pronounced “bon-swa“. You say this after 6pm
Merci!…….Thank you…………..pronounced “mer-si“.
Like in English, you say this everytime someone has done something for you like a waiter giving you your order, or even in cases where someone lets you enter a door first, or after a bus driver hands you your ticket. As above, it’s considered rude if you don’t.
Au revoir!….Goodbye……………pronounced “au-vwa“.
you say this to anybody whom you have just dealt with and you are about to leave:
example: to the waiter when you leave the restaurant (if he’s there), or to the shopkeeper, after paying your bill, or to the bus driver before getting off the bus. It’s a natural thing to say.
S’il vous plait…..Please……….pronounced “sil-voo-plaeh“.
when buying a bar of chocolate, for example, you just say the number + the thing + “s’il vous plait”.
“Un snicker, s’il vous plait!”,
“une baguette, s’il vous plait!”,
un sandwich, s’il vous plait!”,
“un ticket, s’il vous plait!”
So, the order of things should be:
Bonjour! —une baguette, s’il vous plait! —-Merci —– Au Revoir!
Voila! Have a nice trip in Paris!
