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French 1 Unit 1: Greetings and numbers

Start talking right away: greet people, introduce yourself and count.

Covers: Greetings, introductions, tu vs vous, numbers 0–100, pronunciation basics

Study guide

French greetings depend on the time and the relationship. Bonjour (hello, good day) is the standard greeting; bonsoir is used in the evening, and salut (hi or bye) is informal. Ask Comment allez-vous ? (formal) or Comment vas-tu ? / Ça va ? (informal), and answer Ça va bien, très bien, comme ci comme ça or pas mal. Goodbyes include au revoir, à bientôt (see you soon), à demain and salut. Polite words: s'il vous plaît / s'il te plaît (please), merci (thank you) and de rien (you're welcome).

To introduce yourself, say Je m'appelle… (my name is…). Ask Comment tu t'appelles ? (informal) or Comment vous appelez-vous ? (formal). Respond with Enchanté(e) (nice to meet you). Je viens de… means "I come from…"

French has two words for "you." Tu is informal and singular, for friends, family, children and classmates. Vous is formal for one person (adults you don't know well, teachers, strangers) and is also the plural "you" for any group. When in doubt with an adult, use vous.

Numbers 0–20: zéro, un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix, onze, douze, treize, quatorze, quinze, seize, dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf, vingt. The tens are vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante. Use "et un" for 21, 31, 41, 51 and 61, and hyphens otherwise (vingt-deux). From 70 the system changes: 70 is soixante-dix (60 + 10), 80 is quatre-vingts (4 × 20) and 90 is quatre-vingt-dix (4 × 20 + 10). 100 is cent.

Pronunciation basics: final consonants are usually silent (except often c, r, f and l); the r is pronounced in the throat; nasal vowels in on, an and in are distinctive; and liaison links a final consonant to a following vowel sound (vous‿avez).

French phone numbers have ten digits and are said in pairs: 06 12 45 78 90 is "zéro six, douze, quarante-cinq, soixante-dix-huit, quatre-vingt-dix." Listening for the pairs, especially the 70s and 90s, is key on tests. Cent becomes cents in exact multiples (deux cents) but not when followed by another number (deux cent cinq). Mille never adds -s (trois mille). Prices are read with the euro in the middle: 3,50 € is "trois euros cinquante."

Seventy-one is soixante et onze, but 81 and 91 drop the et: quatre-vingt-un, quatre-vingt-onze. Quatre-vingts keeps its -s only when nothing follows it.

Key ideas

• Bonjour (hello), Salut (hi, informal), Au revoir (goodbye), Bonsoir (good evening).
• Comment tu t'appelles ? Je m'appelle… (What's your name? My name is…)
• Use tu with friends; vous with adults or groups.
• 70 = soixante-dix (60 + 10); 80 = quatre-vingts (4 × 20); 90 = quatre-vingt-dix.
• Final consonants are often silent: petit, Paris.

Formulas and rules

Common mistakes

• Using tu with a teacher.
• Saying 'septante' and 'nonante' in a class that uses France's numbers (those are used in Belgium and Switzerland).

Words to know

bonjour

hello

salut

hi / bye (informal)

bonsoir

good evening

au revoir

goodbye

à bientôt

see you soon

à demain

see you tomorrow

à plus tard

see you later

à tout à l'heure

see you later (today)

ça va ?

how's it going?

comment allez-vous ?

how are you? (formal)

comment vas-tu ?

how are you? (informal)

très bien

very well

pas mal

not bad

comme ci, comme ça

so-so

et toi ?

and you? (informal)

et vous ?

and you? (formal)

comment tu t'appelles ?

what's your name?

je m'appelle

my name is

enchanté / enchantée

nice to meet you

je te présente

let me introduce (to a friend)

je vous présente

let me introduce (formal)

tu viens d'où ?

where are you from?

je viens de

I'm from

monsieur

sir / Mr.

madame

ma'am / Mrs.

mademoiselle

miss

s'il vous plaît

please (formal)

s'il te plaît

please (informal)

merci

thank you

de rien

you're welcome

excusez-moi

excuse me

pardon

sorry / pardon me

oui

yes

non

no

zéro

zero

un

one

deux

two

trois

three

quatre

four

cinq

five

Sample practice questions

21 more questions like these, from level 1 to 5, are in the practice set.