French greetings stay warm under formality — la bise is a verb before it is a gesture. French social etiquette reads politeness through "tu/vous" boundaries and queuing. French idioms dress everyday actions in vivid images — small metaphors that color a sentence. (Audio for this section is in production — the phrases are below.) French slang is regional and fast — but a handful of words have made it across France and beyond. (Audio for this section is in production — the phrases are below.)
Greetings
French greetings stay warm under formality — la bise is a verb before it is a gesture.
Bonjour ! Comment allez-vous ?
Hello! How are you? (formal)
Use vous with strangers, elders, or anyone you have just met. Switch to tu only when invited.
Audio: Bonjour, comment allez-vous ? Très bien, merci. Enchanté.
Enchanté.
Delighted / a pleasure to meet you.
Said by both speakers after introductions — replies are also Enchanté, no need to vary the word.
Audio: Bonjour, comment allez-vous ? Très bien, merci. Enchanté.
Etiquette
French social etiquette reads politeness through "tu/vous" boundaries and queuing.
Pardon, excusez-moi.
Excuse me.
Excusez-moi (formal) vs pardon (neutral); lean formal when the room is mixed or unfamiliar.
Audio: Pardon, excusez-moi. S'il vous plaît. Merci beaucoup. De rien.
S'il vous plaît.
Please.
The polite counterpart to "pardon" — both always expected over a counter or in a casual service line.
Audio: Pardon, excusez-moi. S'il vous plaît. Merci beaucoup. De rien.
Common idioms
French idioms dress everyday actions in vivid images — small metaphors that color a sentence. (Audio for this section is in production — the phrases are below.)
avoir le cafard
to have the cockroach — feeling a little blue.
A quiet kind of melancholy, not clinical; suits a gray Parisian morning more than a crisis.
Audio: avoir le cafard. coûter les yeux de la tête. coup de foudre.
coup de foudre
a bolt of lightning — love at first sight.
Romantic lightning-struck feeling; can also apply to discovering a city, a record, a book.
Audio: avoir le cafard. coûter les yeux de la tête. coup de foudre.
Regional slang
French slang is regional and fast — but a handful of words have made it across France and beyond. (Audio for this section is in production — the phrases are below.)
C’est ouf ! (verlan)
It's crazy! (back-slang of fou)
Verlan reverses syllables — ouf = fou (crazy). Common in Île-de-France youth and rap lyrics.
Audio: C’est ouf ! C’est stylé. T’inquiète !
T’inquiète !
Don't worry about it!
Casual reassurance — colloquial, friendly, almost a hug in three syllables.
Audio: C’est ouf ! C’est stylé. T’inquiète !
Living language
French — Greetings · Etiquette · Common idioms · Regional slang
French module: vous before tu, queue politely, idioms dressed in weather and romance, and verlan slang that flips syllables for fun.
The four big doors into a language — greetings, etiquette, idioms, and the words only locals know. Listen, read the transcript, then try it out loud.
French greetings stay warm under formality — la bise is a verb before it is a gesture.
Listen to a native clip
TRANSCRIPTBonjour, comment allez-vous ? Très bien, merci. Enchanté.
Bonjour ! Comment allez-vous ?
Hello! How are you? (formal)
— Use vous with strangers, elders, or anyone you have just met. Switch to tu only when invited.
Enchanté.
Delighted / a pleasure to meet you.
— Said by both speakers after introductions — replies are also Enchanté, no need to vary the word.
Etiquette
French social etiquette reads politeness through "tu/vous" boundaries and queuing.
Listen to a native clip
TRANSCRIPTPardon, excusez-moi. S'il vous plaît. Merci beaucoup. De rien.
Pardon, excusez-moi.
Excuse me.
— Excusez-moi (formal) vs pardon (neutral); lean formal when the room is mixed or unfamiliar.
S'il vous plaît.
Please.
— The polite counterpart to "pardon" — both always expected over a counter or in a casual service line.
Common idioms
French idioms dress everyday actions in vivid images — small metaphors that color a sentence. (Audio for this section is in production — the phrases are below.)
Listen to a native clip
TRANSCRIPTavoir le cafard. coûter les yeux de la tête. coup de foudre.
avoir le cafard
to have the cockroach — feeling a little blue.
— A quiet kind of melancholy, not clinical; suits a gray Parisian morning more than a crisis.
coup de foudre
a bolt of lightning — love at first sight.
— Romantic lightning-struck feeling; can also apply to discovering a city, a record, a book.
Regional slang
French slang is regional and fast — but a handful of words have made it across France and beyond. (Audio for this section is in production — the phrases are below.)
Listen to a native clip
TRANSCRIPTC’est ouf ! C’est stylé. T’inquiète !
C’est ouf ! (verlan)
It's crazy! (back-slang of fou)
— Verlan reverses syllables — ouf = fou (crazy). Common in Île-de-France youth and rap lyrics.
T’inquiète !
Don't worry about it!
— Casual reassurance — colloquial, friendly, almost a hug in three syllables.
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