Rick Steves - Rick Steves French Phrase Book & Dictionary

PHRASE BOOK & DICTIONARY Hi, Im Rick Steves. Im the only monolingual speaker I know whos had the nerve to design a series of European phrase books. But thats one of the things that makes them better. You see, after more than 30 years of travel through Europe, Ive learned firsthand: (1) whats essential for communication in another country; and (2) whats not. Ive assembled the most important words and phrases in a logical, no-frills format, and Ive worked with native Europeans and seasoned travelers to give you the simplest, clearest translation possible. But this book is more than just a pocket translator.

The words and phrases have been carefully selected to help you have a smarter, smoother trip in France. The key to getting more out of every travel dollar is to get closer to the local people, and to rely less on entertainment, restaurants, and hotels that cater only to foreign tourists. This book will not only help you order a meal at a locals-only Parisian restaurantbut also help you talk with the family who runs the place...about their kids, travel dreams, and favorite fromage. Long after your memories of chteaux have faded, youll still treasure the personal encounters you had with your new French friends. While Ive provided plenty of phrases, youll find it just as effective to use even just a word or two to convey your meaning, and rely on context, gestures, and smiles to help you out. To make harried postal clerks happy, dont say haltingly in French: I would like to buy three stamps to mail these postcards to the United States. All you really need is timbres (stamps), les Etats-Unis (USA), and sil vous plat (please).

Smile, point to the postcards, hold up three fingers...and youve got stamps. (For more advice, see the Tips for Hurdling the Language Barrier chapter.) To get the most out of this book, take the time to internalize and put into practice my French pronunciation tips. But dont worry too much about memorizing grammatical rules, like the gender of a nounforget about sex, and communicate! This book has a nifty menu decoder and a handy dictionary. Youll also find tongue twisters, international words, telephone tips, and two handy cheat sheets. Tear out the sheets and tuck them in your beret, so you can easily memorize key phrases during otherwise idle moments. A good phrase book should help you enjoy your travel experiencenot just survive itso Ive added a healthy dose of humor.

And as you prepare for your trip, you may want to read the latest edition of one of my many guidebooks on destinations in France. Adjust those cultural blinders. If you come to France expecting rudeness, you are sure to find it. If you respect the fine points of French culture and make an attempt to use their language, youll find the French as warm and friendly as anyone in Europe. Your experience will be enriched by a basic understanding of French etiquette. Heres the situation in a nutshell: The French feel that informality is rude and formality is polite, while Americans feel that informality is friendly and formality is cold.

So, ironically, as the Americans and French are both doing their best to be nice, they accidentally offend one another. Remember youre the outsider, so watch the locals and try to incorporate some French-style politeness into your routine. Walk into any shop in France and you will hear a cheery, Bonjour, Monsieur / Madame. As you leave, youll hear a lilting, Au revoir, Monsieur / Madame. Always address a man as Monsieur, a woman as Madame, and an unmarried young woman or a girl as Mademoiselle (leaving this out is like addressing a French person as Hey, you!). For good measure, toss in sil vous plat (please) whenever you can. My goal is to help you become a more confident, extroverted traveler. If this phrase book helps make that happen, or if you have suggestions for making it better, Id love to hear from you at .

Bon voyage! Have a good trip!

Challenging, Romantic French is spoken throughout Europe and thought to be one of the most beautiful languages in the world. Half of Belgium speaks French, and French rivals English as the handiest second language in Spain, Portugal, and Italy. Even your US passport is translated into French. Youre probably already familiar with this poetic language. Consider: bonjour, cest la vie, bon apptit, merci, au revoir, and bon voyage! The most important phrase is sil vous plat (please), pronounced see voo play. Use it liberallythe French will notice and love it.

You can communicate a lot with only a few key French words: a, a va, je peux, and voil. Heres how: a (pronounced sah) is a tourists best friend. Meaning that or this, it conveys worlds of meaning when combined with pointing. At the market, fromagerie, or ptisserie, just point to what you want and say a, sil vous plat, with a smile. a va (sah vah), meaning roughly it goes, can fit almost any situation. As a question, a va? (Does it go?) can mean Is this OK? When combined with a gesture, you can use a va? to ask, Can I sit here? or Can I touch this? or Can I take a picture? or Will this ticket get me into this museum?...and much more.

As a statement, a va (which basically means Yes, its OK) is almost as versatile. When the waiter asks if you want anything more, say a va (Im good). If someones hassling you and youve had enough, you can just say a va (Thats enough.). Je peux? (zhuh puh, means Can I?) can be used in many of the a va? situations, and more. Instead of saying, Can I please sit here?, just gesture toward the seat and say Je peux? Instead of asking Do you accept credit cards? show them your Visa and ask Je peux? While English speakers use Voil (vwah-lah) only for a grand unveiling at a special occasion, the French say it many times each day. It means Yes or Exactly or Thats it or There you go.

Unsure of how much your plums cost, you hold a euro coin out to the vendor and say a va? He responds with a cheery Voil...and youre on your way, plums in hand. While a number of French people speak fine English, many dont. The language barrier can seem high in France, but locals are happy to give an extra boost to any traveler who makes an effort to communicate. As with any language, the key to communicating is to go for it with a mixture of bravado and humility. French pronunciation differs from English in some key ways: sounds like S in sun.