If you’re planning a trip to France or Canada, or if you simply want to improve your conversational French, you’ll want to have this French phrasebook by your side! Guess what? Those pronunciation "rules" you just read have a ton of exceptions! For example, the rule that a final r is pronounced is not true in the combination "-er", normally found in verb infinitives; this letter combination is pronounced ay. The plural ending "-ent" for verbs is silent (except for the t, in cases of liaison), even though it is pronounced when it appears in other words. Sometimes, whether to pronounce the final consonant of a word is denoted by its grammatical function; for example, the final "s" in tous (all) is silent when used as an adjective, but pronounced when used as a pronoun, while the final "f" in nouns such as cerf (deer) and œuf (egg) is pronounced in the singular form, but in the plural form ( cerfs, œufs) the "f" and the "s" are both silent.

WikiPedia:French language This is a guide phrasebook. It covers all the major topics for traveling without resorting to English. But please Plunge forward and help us make it a star! In the combinations "gue" and "gui", the "u" should not be pronounced: it is there only to force the prononciation of "g" as in "go". If the "u" is pronounced, a diaeresis is added on the 2nd vowel: aiguë (sharp). char" is very informal. "auto" is more formal in Quebec, while "voiture" is used the least. In France, un char is 'a tank'. Voiture and auto are feminine; char is masculine.Il y a du vent (It’s windy) Est-ce que vous pourriez prendre ma photo, s’il vous plaît ? (Could you take my photo, please?) Again, travel French isn’t just about getting around, eating well and having fun. There are also French phrases to know in case of emergency. The final consonant of a word is usually silent except for c, f, l, q, and r. Thus, allez (go) is pronounced al-AY, not al-AYZ; tard (late) is pronounced tar, not tard. Don’t worry if you don’t understand. Simply excuse yourself, say that you don’t understand and if you would like to continue the conversation, try the following French phrase:

Wherever you go in France, you’ll find a whole host of things that make the area unique. Whether it’s local French cooking, events or linguistic differences, it pays to research the place you’re going and, if necessary, learn a few basic French phrases relating to whatever may be going on around you. Use this phrase when you roll up to the office de tourisme (tourist office). You can also ask for a public transit map specifically: For its size, France is quite a linguistically-diverse country. Aside from languages which are very clearly separate from French (e.g. Basque and Breton), there is a whole slew of local parlers (e.g. Angevin, Lorrain, Norman, Picard, Savoyard...) which are just similar enough to standard French that, depending on whom you ask, they can be considered either separate languages in their own right, or simply dialects ( patois) of the mother tongue. These local languages/dialects also influence the accents of standard French within their region, from the strange vowels and increased nasalisation of the far north to the 'singing' accents of the deep south. Je cherche is another handy French travel phrase, especially if you’re traveling for the first time in a French city. A great tip is to try and memorize a few essential words before you go, such as bonjour (hello), merci (thank you) and s’il vous plaît (please). Getting these under your belt will also help with pronunciation down the road.For many French words, it is impossible to write something which, when pronounced as English, sounds like the French word. Use the transliteration as a guide to liaison and the French spelling to pronounce the vowels.

And of course, your French phrasebooks or regional travel guides can offer you insight into customs, culture, etiquette and holidays. Make a list of activities International varieties of French [ edit ] "Levez le pied, il y a des enfants qui jouent ici!" - Lift your foot [off the gas pedal], there are children playing here! (Guadeloupe Creole) Getting home in France when public transport has stopped running can be a real worry, and unless you’re right next to a taxi stand, it can be very difficult to find a cab. If you’re at a venue late, ask this question to one of the staff. January janvier ( ZHO(N)-vee-yeh) February février ( FEH-vree-yeh) March mars ( mars) April avril ( av-REEL) May mai ( meh) June juin ( zh-WAH(N)) July juillet ( zh-WEE-eh) August août ( oot) September septembre ( sep-TOMBR) October octobre ( oc-TOBR) November novembre ( no-VOMBR) December décembre ( deh-SOMBR) Seasons [ edit ] spring le printemps ( luh PRAH(N)-toh(m)) summer l'été ( LAY-tay) autumn l'automne ( loh-TOMNUH) winter l'hiver ( LEE-vair) Holidays [ edit ] France has many beaches, and they are popular destinations during les vacances d'été Enjoy your holiday/vacation! Bonnes vacances! ( bon vah-KOH(N)S) Happy holidays! (festival) Bonnes fêtes! ( bon fet) Happy birthday! Joyeux anniversaire! ( ZHWY-yeuz-AN-ee-vair-SAIR) Happy New Year! Bonne année! ( BON-a-NAY) New Year's Day le jour de l'an ( luh zhoor duh lah(n)) Shrove Tuesday le mardi gras ( luh MAR-dee grah) Easter les Pâques ( lay pak) Passover la Pâque juive / le Pessa'h ( lah pak zh-WEEV / luh pess-AKH) Ramadan le Ramadan ( luh RAH-mah-doh(n)) (the other Muslim festivals are also called by their Arabic names) Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (24 June, Quebec) la Fête de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste ( lah fet duh lah sa(n)-JOH(N)-bap-TEEST) Canada Day (1 July) la Fête du Canada ( lah fet duu CA-na-DA) Bastille Day (14 July, France) le Quatorze Juillet / la Fête Nationale ( luh kat-ORZ zh-WEE-eh / lah fet nah-syon-NAL) summer holidays les vacances d'été ( lay vah-KOH(N)S DAY-tay) school holidays les vacances scolaires ( lay vah-KOH(N)S skoh-LAIR) beginning of the school year la rentrée ( lah roh(n)-TRAY) Thanksgiving (2nd Su of Oct, Canada) l'Action de grâce ( LAC-sio(n)-duh-GRASS) All Saints' Day la Toussaint ( lah TOO-sahn) Hanukkah Hanoucca ( ah-NOO-kah) Christmas Noël ( noh-EL) Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noël! ( ZHWY-euh noh-EL!) Colours [ edit ]It is not always easy to tell at a glance which gender a noun is but, in general, if it ends in a consonant, or by the letter combinations -age, -au, -é, -ège, ème, or -isme / -iste, or is a foreign (particularly English) loanword, it's likely to be masculine. On the other hand, if a noun ends in -ace, -ance / -ence, -ée, -elle / -erre / -esse / -ette, -ie, -ice, -ine, -ise, -que, or -tion / sion, it's probably feminine. There are plenty of exceptions, however! point – "Perfectly cooked", and the most popular among the French, but still rare by British or American standards. A final e is also usually silent if the word has more than one syllable, except in parts of southern France and when singing or reciting poetry, when it can appear as a schwa or é sound (see below).