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How Are You in French | Rosetta Stone®

Learn how to say “How are you?” and other common French phrases with Rosetta Stone’s award-winning app.

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How to Say “How Are You?” in French

If you’d like to say, “How are you?” in French, you would generally say, “Comment allez-vous ?” (formal singular or informal plural) or “Comment vas-tu ?” (informal singular). Another common informal version is to ask, “Ça va ?” That loosely translates to, “How’s it going?” There are a number of common French expressions that make up the bulk of the language, and getting comfortable with these will give you a great foundation. And it’s not just the usual enchanté, bonsoir, merci, salut, or s’il vous plaît that you might need in common, everyday situations. Those are vital, but it’s also good to learn the words and phrases that the French often mix into their sentences, like et toi ?, ça marche, de rien, combien. To build towards fluency in French, you should start your French lessons with the basics of common words and pronunciations. Then you can scale naturally towards a much more complex understanding of the French language. That’s why Rosetta Stone’s French language program has an immersive approach that introduces words alongside both visual and audio cues that help you learn vocab in the context of true-to-life conversations. The bite-sized lessons are grouped into units that highlight common French conversational phrases you will need for everyday interactions, coupled with practical review that helps learners solidify their French language skills.

Speak Confidently

Your approach to learning French depends on your experience with the language and your goals for learning it. Many language learners are just beginning their French journey, picking up common French words and phrases sprinkled into conversation, and attempting to replicate the famous French accent. They may know words such as au revoir, baguette and amour. Other language learners may have more experience with French—maybe from considerable exposure to the French language in their academic careers. These learners may want to brush up on their language skills and develop them further. Whatever your experience and goals for learning French, it’s important that you carefully consider choosing a French language learning program designed with your goals in mind.

One of the most notable aspects of the French language is its je ne sais quoi, which is a somewhat indefinable quality that makes the French accent sound so alluring. But what may at first seem to be an elusive aspect of the appeal of French is actually just the nuance of French pronunciation. Some of the specific sounds of spoken French can be quite challenging, because they are much more nasal-sounding than other languages. That’s why it’s important to learn French pronunciation early on, beginning with the sounds in the French alphabet.

You can develop skills and build confidence by starting with some basic French words and phrases:

Bonjour / Hello, Good morning

Au revoir / Goodbye

Oui / Yes

Non / No

Merci / Thank you

Merci beaucoup / Thank you very much

Fille / Girl

Garçon / Boy

Femme / Woman

Homme / Man

Amour / Love

Français / French

S’il vous plaît / Please

Bonsoir / Good evening

Bonne Nuit / Good night

Excusez-moi / Excuse me

De Rien / You’re welcome (casual, informal way)

Je vous en prie / You’re welcome (formal)

Temps / Time

Jour / Day

And here are more common French phrases:

Je suis désolé(e) / I’m sorry

Comment vous appelez-vous ? / What is your name?

Parlez-vous anglais ? / Do you speak English?

Je m’appelle / My name is

Comment allez-vous? / How are you doing?

Quelle heure est-il ? / What time is it?

Pouvez-vous m’aider ? / Can you help me?

Combien ça coûte ? / How much is this?

Je t’aime / I love you

Rosetta Stone has unparalleled experience in developing language-learning programs that help learners acquire the skills to speak and understand French with confidence. Regardless of your previous experience, whether you’re a beginner or an intermediate French speaker, Rosetta Stone language lessons can help you. Rosetta Stone’s immersive approach focuses on contextualised learning. Rosetta Stone offers an award-winning mobile app (for smartphone and tablet) that provides brief, and bite-sized lessons to help you learn French virtually anytime and anywhere.

Try Our Award-Winning App

Surround yourself with French whenever, wherever with the Rosetta Stone app.

Download a unit and knock it out on the train or a flight. Select a 5-10 minute lesson and sneak it in while you wait in line or for your ride to show up. And explore dynamic features, like Seek and Speak, where you can point at an object in the real world and get a translation.

The best part? You don’t have to choose between app or desktop. Both come with your subscription and sync, so you can switch between devices seamlessly.

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