Everyday conversation

Everyday conversations in French often depend on short questions and responses as much as longer sentences.

You can use a small number of expressions to start a conversation, respond to someone, show interest, and keep talking when you do not understand everything.

Starting a conversation

After saying hello, a simple question can open the conversation. Some are neutral, while others are more informal:

Comment allez-vous ? uses vous and is useful in a more formal situation. Ça va ? is very common in everyday conversation.

Quoi de neuf ? asks what is new in someone's life, so it can lead naturally to a longer conversation.

Responding to someone

You do not need a long answer when someone asks how you are. These short responses cover several common situations:

You can return the question with Et toi ? or Et vous ?:

Use Et toi ? with someone you address as tu. Use Et vous ? with someone you address as vous.

Showing interest

Short reactions show that you are listening. They can also encourage the other person to say more:

Ah bon ? is a common reaction when someone tells you something new or surprising. D'accord can show that you understand or accept what someone has said.

You can follow a reaction with another question:

Asking simple follow-up questions

A follow-up question lets you ask for one more piece of information. It does not always need to be a complete sentence:

You can also repeat an important part of what someone said as a question:

These short questions are useful because you can keep a conversation moving without having to build a longer question each time.

When you don't understand

Not understanding one word or sentence does not have to end the conversation. You can ask the other person to repeat, slow down, or explain:

Pardon ? is useful when you simply did not hear something. Je ne comprends pas tells the other person that you did not understand it.

If the problem is speed, Plus lentement, s'il vous plaît asks the person to speak more slowly.

Taking a moment to answer

You may sometimes need a few seconds to understand a question or decide what to say. These short expressions can help:

Alors... and Eh bien... can give you a moment before you continue speaking.

Attends is used with someone you address as tu. Attendez is used with vous.

Ending a conversation

When you need to leave, you can say that you have to go and then choose a goodbye that fits the situation:

À demain is useful when you expect to see the person the next day. Bonne journée and bonne soirée wish the other person a good rest of the day or evening.

You can also combine expressions:

For conversations related to this lesson, see Everyday conversations.

From learning to practice

When you have a conversation in French, try to keep it going a little longer than usual. Ask one more question, react to the answer, or ask the person to repeat something you did not understand.