Talking on the phone

Phone calls in French have some expressions that are specific to speaking on the phone, including Allô ? and Ne quittez pas.

Knowing a few common phrases will help you answer a call, identify yourself, ask for someone, deal with a poor connection, and end the call.

Answering the phone

The usual way to answer a phone call in French is Allô ?:

Allô is associated with telephone conversations. When you greet someone face to face, use a greeting such as bonjour or salut instead.

Saying who is calling

After someone answers, you may need to identify yourself or find out who is calling:

C'est qui ? is informal. Qui est à l'appareil ? is useful when you do not know the caller or the situation is more formal.

Asking to speak to someone

When another person answers the phone, you can ask to speak to the person you are calling:

Je voudrais parler à + person

For example:

Je voudrais parler à... works well when you need to be polite. With someone you know, a shorter question such as Marie est là ? is more informal.

When someone is unavailable

If the person the caller wants cannot come to the phone, you can explain that they are unavailable or offer to take a message:

If you are the caller, you can leave a message or say that you will call again:

Asking someone to wait on the phone

If you need a moment to find someone or check something, you can ask the caller to wait:

Ne quittez pas is a phone expression meaning "Please hold" or "Don't hang up." You may hear it when someone is transferring your call or asking you to wait.

When you cannot hear or understand

A poor connection can make a phone conversation difficult. These expressions let you explain the problem or ask the other person to repeat:

With someone you address as tu, you can say:

Ça coupe is particularly useful when you can hear the other person only intermittently because of a poor phone or internet connection.

Calling someone back

The verb rappeler is used when you call someone back:

You might call someone back because you are busy, the connection is poor, or you need to continue the conversation later.

Ending a phone call

You can signal that the conversation is ending and then use a familiar goodbye:

Je dois vous laisser is a polite way to signal that you need to end the conversation before saying goodbye.

From learning to practice

The next time you make or receive a phone call, think about how you would handle the same call in French. Practice the part that matches the situation, such as answering with Allô ?, asking for someone, explaining that you cannot hear clearly, or saying that you will call back.