How to Get To Know Someone in French

If you're traveling to France soon or meeting a French person in the near future, you may be hoping to get past the basic "bonjour" when having a conversation in French. The following steps will teach you how to ask and answer some simple questions so that you can feel confident when getting to know someone in French.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Greet a person with, "Comment vous appelez-vous?" to find out what her name is. Respond with, "Je m'appelle," which means, "My name is," and then add the name.

2. Inquire, "Vous êtes d'où" to ask a person where he is from. To tell him where you are from, you can say, "Je suis de" which means, "I am from," and then add the place. For example, to tell someone that you are from the United States, say "Je suis des États-Unis."

3. Use the phrase, "Où habitez-vous?" to find out what city someone lives in. To tell her what city you live in say, "J'habite à" plus the name of the city. For example, to say that you live in Washington, DC, respond by saying, "J'habite à Washington, DC."

4. Ask a person how old he is by saying, "Quel âge avez-vous?" To tell someone that you are 35 years old for example, say, "J'ai trente-cinq ans." Learn the number for your age, and insert it between "j'ai" which means "I have" and "ans" which means years.

5. Say, "Etes-vous mariée?" to ask a person if she is married. To inquire if she has children, ask her, "Avez-vous des enfants?"

Tips & Warnings

• Find an instructional French language CD at the library or at the bookstore. Listen to the CD to hear the correct pronunciation of these phrases. Repeat each phrase until you feel comfortable saying them on your own, without the help of the CD.