Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Fun &Easy French by FrenchPod101.com!
Do you know that there are different forms of greeting someone that you just met in French?
Salut, je suis Laureen.
Hi everyone! I’m Laureen.
In this lesson, you’ll learn all about how to introduce yourself in French.
Learning how to introduce yourself in French is very important when making new French friends, especially if you’re looking into leaving a great first impression with them.
It’s also not necessary for you to be fluent in French when introducing yourself in any situation - you only need to learn the right tips and tricks to make sure people don’t forget about you once they get to know you.
In this video, you'll learn...
how to get started when introducing yourself,
how to learn about each other,
some specific introduction lines,
how to leave an impression, and
how FrenchPod101 can help you.
Let’s start with how to get started.
Do you want to make friends with the people in France and create a long-lasting first impression?
Then you need to know what formal greetings in French are!
There is a French etiquette that you need to follow when greeting someone in French.
Here’s the first useful word:
Bonjour
"Hello" or "Good day"
[SLOW] Bonjour
Bonjour
is used from morning to sundown. It’s not too formal nor too relaxed.
Another way to start a conversation is by greeting someone with:
Bonsoir
"Good evening"
[SLOW] Bonsoir
Bonsoir
It’s the night-time version of Bonjour and can be used professionally and with your friends.
You may also greet by saying:
Salut
"Hi"
[SLOW] Salut
Salut
It’s the casual version of Bonjour that you can use at any time of the day.
There are two forms of "you" in French.
Vou
[SLOW] Vou
Vou
, for formal encounters or when meeting someone for the first time,
and
Tu
[SLOW] Tu
Tu
, for more casual interactions or when meeting friends and acquaintances.
Another formal greeting in French is shaking someone’s hands or using
La bise,
“the kiss,”
[SLOW] La bise
La bise
What are their differences? Let me explain.
La bise, or the typical French custom of kissing on the cheeks, can be used when greeting someone of the opposite sex in a casual way, for example after using Salut and Tu
But if you’re not sure what to do, go for a handshake instead.
Next is useful expressions to learn about each other.
Now, let’s learn about the classic questions and answers that usually come up when you meet someone. Others will not only get to know you, but you’ll be able to get to know them as well.
But before we begin, you first need to remember that questions have two forms: formal and casual. Answers, on the other hand, mostly have one form only.
Let’s start with the question, "What’s your name?"
Giving your name or asking someone’s name in French uses the verb
S’appeler.
[SLOW] S’appeler
S’appeler
The casual form of "What’s your name?" is
Comment tu t’appelles ?
[SLOW] Comment tu t’appelles ?
Comment tu t’appelles ?
Or
Tu t’appelles comment ?
[SLOW] Tu t’appelles comment ?
Tu t’appelles comment ?
The formal form on the other hand is
Comment vous appelez-vous ?
[SLOW] Comment vous appelez-vous ?
Comment vous appelez-vous ?
Here’s an example of an answer:
Je m’appelle Bob.
"My name is Bob."
[SLOW] Je m’appelle Bob.
Je m’appelle Bob.
It literally means: "I call myself Bob."
This is the most common way to state your name and it works in both formal and casual situations.
Now, it’s your turn to ask the same question:
You can casually say:
Et toi ?
"And you?"
[SLOW] Et toi ?
Et toi ?
Or formally say:
Et vous ?
"And you?"
[SLOW] Et vous ?
Et vous ?
When you’re being asked back in a casual situation, you can answer:
Moi, c’est Bob.
"I’m Bob."
[SLOW] Moi, c’est Bob.
Moi, c’est Bob.
Next, I’m going to teach you how to ask and to answer back in French with the question, "Where are you from?"
The casual form of this question is like this:
D’où tu viens ?
"Where are you from?"
[SLOW] D’où tu viens ?
D’où tu viens ?
Other forms are
Tu viens d’où?
[SLOW] Tu viens d’où ?
Tu viens d’où ?
Or
Tu es d’où?
[SLOW] Tu es d’où ?
Tu es d’où ?
Another example is,
De quel pays tu viens?
"From what country are you from?"
[SLOW] De quel pays tu viens ?
De quel pays tu viens ?
Or
Tu es de quelle nationalité?
"What is your nationality?"
[SLOW] Tu es de quelle nationalité ?
Tu es de quelle nationalité ?
The formal way, on the other hand, is like this:
D’où venez-vous?
"Where are you from?"
[SLOW] D’où venez-vous ?
D’où venez-vous ?
or
De quel pays venez-vous ?
"From what country are you from?"
[SLOW] De quel pays venez-vous ?
De quel pays venez-vous ?
Another example is:
Quelle est votre nationalité ?
"What is your nationality?"
[SLOW] Quelle est votre nationalité ?
Quelle est votre nationalité ?
If you’re from another country, say China, you can answer with
Je viens de Chine.
"I’m coming from China."
[SLOW] Je viens de Chine.
Je viens de Chine.
Or
Je suis Chinois, if you’re male.
Je suis Chinoise, if you’re female.
It means "I am Chinese."
[SLOW] Je suis Chinois
or
[SLOW] Je suis Chinoise
Je suis Chinois
Or
Je suis Chinoise
If you feel like giving the city where you’re currently living, you can say:
Je viens de Paris.
"I’m coming from Paris."
[SLOW] Je viens de Paris.
Je viens de Paris.
Or
J’habite à Paris.
"I’m living in Paris."
[SLOW] J’habite à Paris.
J’habite à Paris.
Next up, we’re going to learn the casual and formal way of asking the question, "What’s your profession?" and how to answer it in French.
Don’t worry. In France, it’s very common to ask about other people’s job in the early conversation. So feel free to ask this question or answer back if you’re being asked!
The casual way of asking about someone’s profession is like this:
Tu fais quoi dans la vie ?
"What are you doing in life?"
[SLOW] Tu fais quoi dans la vie ?
Tu fais quoi dans la vie ?
or
Tu fais quel métier ?
"What is your job?"
[SLOW] Tu fais quel métier ?
Tu fais quel métier ?
In a formal setting, you can ask it like this:
Quel travail faites-vous ?
"What is your occupation?"
[SLOW] Quel travail faites-vous ?
Quel travail faites-vous ?
If you’re being asked about your profession, you can answer in any of these ways:
Je suis étudiant(e).
"I’m a student."
[SLOW] Je suis étudiant(e).
Je suis étudiant(e).
Or
J’étudie la biologie.
"I’m studying biology."
[SLOW] J’étudie la biologie.
J’étudie la biologie.
Another one is:
Je travaille dans l’informatique.
"I’m working in IT."
[SLOW] Je travaille dans l’informatique.
Je travaille dans l’informatique.
You can also answer with:
Je suis dans la finance.
"I’m working in finance."
[SLOW] Je suis dans la finance.
Je suis dans la finance.
Or if you’re a carpenter, you can say:
Je suis charpentier.
"I’m a carpenter."
[SLOW] Je suis charpentier.
Je suis charpentier.
By the way, the keywords here are
Travail or Métier
which means
"Occupation" or "Profession"
[SLOW] Travail Métier
Travail Métier
During casual conversations you can replace them with some slang expressions, for example:
Boulot
[SLOW] Boulot
Boulot
or
Taf
[SLOW] Taf
Taf
or
Job
[SLOW] Job
Job
When meeting someone for the first time, asking about their relatives isn’t really too common, but just in case someone asks you, you might as well learn how to ask or answer it in French.
Here are some examples in casual French:
Tu es marié(e) ?
"Are you married?"
[SLOW] Tu es marié(e) ?
Tu es marié(e) ?
Tu as des enfants ?
"Do you have kids?"
[SLOW] Tu as des enfants ?
Tu as des enfants ?
Tu as des frères et soeurs ?
"Do you have brothers and sisters?"
[SLOW] Tu as des frères et soeurs ?
Tu as des frères et soeurs ?
In a formal setting, you can ask it this way:
Vous êtes marié(e) ?
"Are you married?"
[SLOW] Vous êtes marié(e) ?
Vous êtes marié(e) ?
Vous avez des enfants ?
"Do you have kids?"
[SLOW] Vous avez des enfants ?
Vous avez des enfants ?
Vous avez des frères et soeurs ?
"Do you have brothers and sisters?"
[SLOW] Vous avez des frères et soeurs ?
Vous avez des frères et soeurs ?
Then, you may find yourself answering in any of these ways:
Oui, je suis marié(e).
"Yes, I’m married."
[SLOW] Oui, je suis marié(e).
Oui, je suis marié(e).
Non, je suis célibataire.
"No, I’m single."
[SLOW] Non, je suis célibataire.
Non, je suis célibataire.
Non, je suis divorcé(e).
"No, I’m divorced."
[SLOW] Non, je suis divorcé(e).
Non, je suis divorcé(e).
J’ai deux enfants.
"I have two kids."
[SLOW] J’ai deux enfants.
J’ai deux enfants.
J’ai un petit frère et une grande soeur.
"I have a little brother and a big sister."
[SLOW] J’ai un petit frère et une grande soeur.
J’ai un petit frère et une grande soeur.
French people are a bit more sensitive about asking someone else’s age, especially for women. But if you meet a young girl or a woman who’s comfortable about answering just about any questions, then you may ask about her age.
The casual way of asking someone’s age is:
Tu as quel age ?
"How old are you?"
[SLOW] Tu as quel age ?
Tu as quel age ?
Asking in a formal manner is:
Quel age avez-vous ?
[SLOW] Quel age avez-vous ?
Quel age avez-vous ?
Then you can answer it with:
J’ai 30 ans.
It means, "I’m 30 years old."
[SLOW] J’ai 30 ans.
J’ai 30 ans.
Next question you may ask or might be asked of you is a question about your hobbies.
The casual way of asking is:
C’est quoi tes hobbies or passe-temps ?
"What are your hobbies?"
[SLOW] C’est quoi tes hobbies / passe-temps?
C’est quoi tes hobbies / passe-temps?
Or you can also ask,
Tu fais quoi dans ton temps libre ?
"What do you do with your free time?"
[SLOW] Tu fais quoi dans ton temps libre ?
Tu fais quoi dans ton temps libre ?
The formal way, on the other hand, is:
Quels sont vos hobbies ?
"What are your hobbies?"
[SLOW] Quels sont vos hobbies ?
Quels sont vos hobbies ?
or
Que faites-vous de votre temps libre ?
"What do you do with your free time?"
[SLOW] Que faites-vous de votre temps libre ?
Quels sont vos loisirs ?
Here are some examples of answering this question in French:
Je joue au tennis.
"I’m playing tennis."
[SLOW] Je joue au tennis.
Je joue au tennis.
Je joue du piano.
"I’m playing piano."
[SLOW] Je joue du piano.
Je joue du piano.
Je passe mes nuits sur HBO.
"I spend my nights on HBO."
[SLOW] Je passe mes nuits sur HBO.
Je passe mes nuits sur HBO.
J’écris un journal de voyage.
"I’m writing a travel diary."
[SLOW] J’écris un journal de voyage.
J’écris un journal de voyage.
Next, let’s see some specific introduction lines.
Now that you know the most common questions and answers in French, let’s now start learning how to introduce yourself with useful French phrases in certain situations.
When traveling, you may find yourself conversing with friendly locals. The conversation could go this way:
Tu voyages depuis longtemps ?
You’re being asked,
"Have you been traveling for a long time?"
[SLOW] Tu voyages depuis longtemps ?
Tu voyages depuis longtemps ?
Then you can answer with,
Je voyage depuis deux mois.
"I have been traveling for two months."
[SLOW] Je voyage depuis deux mois.
Je voyage depuis deux mois.
If you are asked,
Tu as visité quels autres pays ?
"What other countries did you visit?"
[SLOW] Tu as visité quels autres pays ?
Tu as visité quels autres pays ?
You can answer with,
Je suis allé(e) en Espagne et en Italie.
"I have been to Spain and Italy."
[SLOW] Je suis allé(e) en Espagne et en Italie.
Je suis allé(e) en Espagne et en Italie.
But what about when you’re meeting with your co-workers? You may be asked:
Tu travailles dans quel service ?
Which means,
"In which division are you working?"
[SLOW] Tu travailles dans quel service ?
Tu travailles dans quel service ?
Then you can answer with,
Je travaille aux ressources humaines.
"I’m working with HR."
[SLOW] Je travaille aux ressources humaines.
Je travaille aux ressources humaines.
Another question could be,
Tu bosses sur quoi en ce moment ?
"What are you working on right now?"
[SLOW] Tu bosses sur quoi en ce moment ?
Tu bosses sur quoi en ce moment ?
You may answer it with,
Je viens de commencer un nouveau projet.
"I have just started working on a new project."
[SLOW] Je viens de commencer un nouveau projet.
Je viens de commencer un nouveau projet.
When you’re in a casual social event, someone might ask you,
Tu fais quoi demain soir ?
"What are you doing tomorrow night?"
[SLOW] Tu fais quoi demain soir ?
Tu fais quoi demain soir ?
You may answer with:
Je vais au cinéma avec un pote.
"I’m going to a movie with a pal."
[SLOW] Je vais au cinéma avec un pote.
Je vais au cinéma avec un pote.
Another question you may come across is:
Tu as un copain ? or Tu as une copine ?
"Do you have a boyfriend / girlfriend?"
[SLOW] Tu as un copain ? or Tu as une copine ?
Tu as un copain ? or Tu as une copine ?
You may answer with,
Non, on a rompu il y a deux semaines.
"No, we broke up two weeks ago."
[SLOW] Non, on a rompu il y a deux semaines.
Non, on a rompu il y a deux semaines.
Another situation you might get into while in France is participating in a family meeting. So if a family member asks you,
Vous vous êtes rencontrés comment ? Meaning,
"How did you meet?"
[SLOW] Vous vous êtes rencontrés comment ?
Vous vous êtes rencontrés comment ?
You can answer it with,
J’ai rencontré Julie à l’université.
"I met Julie at the university."
[SLOW] J’ai rencontré Julie à l’université.
J’ai rencontré Julie à l’université.
Another question that might be asked of you is,
Comment tu connais Bastien ?
"How do you know Bastien?"
[SLOW] Comment tu connais Bastien ?
Comment tu connais Bastien ?
You may answer it with,
On travaille ensemble.
"We work together."
[SLOW] On travaille ensemble.
On travaille ensemble.
Next is how to leave an impression.
We would like to share with you a couple of tips that you can use if you want to leave a great impression when making new friends.
We would like to share with you a couple of tips that you can use if you want to leave a great impression when making new friends.
The first tip is to never make it all about yourself!
When someone asks something about you, there’s really no need to tell that person everything about you. It’ll make you more interesting and appealing if you let that person find out what else you can offer or can do.
Talk less about yourself - ask them questions instead! Learn more about their culture or find what they like to do - focus on getting to know them more. It’ll make them feel you are interested in them and they will soon feel comfortable to be around you.
Another thing you may want to do if you want to leave a great impression is showing your interest by dropping a word of appreciation once you hear that person’s name. This can take different forms:
Here are some examples:
Enchanté(e).
Which means "Delighted."
[SLOW] Enchanté(e).
Enchanté(e).
Ravi(e) de vous rencontrer or Heureux.
Or
Heureuse de vous rencontrer.
"Happy to meet you."
[SLOW] Ravi(e) de vous rencontrer or Heureux.
or
[SLOW] Heureuse de vous rencontrer.
Ravi(e) de vous rencontrer or Heureux.
or
Heureuse de vous rencontrer.
C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer.
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
[SLOW] C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer.
C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer.
You can cut it down to
Un plaisir de vous rencontrer.
"Pleased to meet you"
[SLOW] Un plaisir de vous rencontrer.
Un plaisir de vous rencontrer.
or even,
Un plaisir.
"A pleasure."
[SLOW] Un plaisir.
Un plaisir.
Other forms to show your interest when greeting in French are:
Je m’appelle Julie.
"My name is Julie."
[SLOW] Je m’appelle Julie.
Je m’appelle Julie.
You can then say,
C’est un très joli prénom.
"It’s a really pretty name."
[SLOW] C’est un très joli prénom.
C’est un très joli prénom.
Another example is,
Je suis photographe.
"I’m a photographer."
[SLOW] Je suis photographe.
Je suis photographe.
You can respond with,
Génial ! Quel genre de photos ?
"Great! What kind of photos?"
[SLOW] Génial ! Quel genre de photos ?
Génial ! Quel genre de photos ?
And,
J’ai 40 ans.
"I’m 40 years old."
[SLOW] J’ai 40 ans.
J’ai 40 ans.
You may then say,
Vraiment ? Tu fais beaucoup plus jeune.
"Really? You look so much younger."
[SLOW] Vraiment ? Tu fais beaucoup plus jeune.
Vraiment ? Tu fais beaucoup plus jeune.
The last tip we want to share with you is for you to start the conversation in French.
You’re likely to make a good first impression if you at least try to converse in French. It doesn’t matter if you’re French isn’t polished - they will appreciate you for trying.
Saying Bonjour,
"Hello"
[SLOW] Bonjour.
Bonjour.
or
Je ne parle pas français.
"I don’t speak French."
[slow] Je ne parle pas français.
Je ne parle pas français.
Is better than not being able to speak any French words at all.
Now on to part 5: How can FrenchPod101 help you?
By teaching you French and getting you to speak from your very first lesson.
FrenchPod101's lessons build you up from your first words to mastering the entire conversation.
And you get lessons for all levels, from absolute beginners to advanced, enough to take you from knowing zero to speak fluently.
You can also learn with your own teacher with the Premium Plus plan, they'll correct your French, tell you how to improve your speaking, writing, and grammar; and even help you practice for job interviews in French. In this lesson, you learned how to greet in French in casual and formal manner, the most common types of questions and answers, example of introduction lines, and how to leave a good first impression when meeting a French person for the first time.
That’s it for today! A la prochaine! See you next time!

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