Learn "merci," the most common way to say "thank you"
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Hello and welcome to French survival phrases. Again, this course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to France. So join us for French survival phrases. You'll be surprised at how far a little French will go. |
| Hello. My name is Julian, and I will be your language teacher and cultural guide throughout this introductory course. In France, the language and culture are like its wine and cheese, rich delicate, and complex. We'll learn all the right phrases and tips to make sure your trip is a feast. |
| Wherever your destination may be, manners are a must. And, in this respect, France is no different. So, in our very first lesson, we'll be taking a look at a phrase there is no excuse not to bring with you to France. Again, I'll stress this over and over. A little bit of the language can go such a long way. |
| GRAMMAR POINT |
| In French, “thank you” is Merci. Merci. Let's break it down by syllable: Mer-ci. Now, let's hear it once again, Merci. For very special occasions, when someone goes above and beyond the call of being kind, when someone is extremely generous, or for any other time you're extremely grateful, we have the following phrase to express extreme gratitude. |
| In French, the stronger way of expressing gratitude is "Thank you very much," or Merci beaucoup. Let's break it down by syllable: Mer-ci beau-coup. Now, let's hear it once again, Merci beaucoup. The first word means "thank you." |
| Let's break this word down and hear it one more time, Mer-ci. Merci. This is followed by "beaucoup," which in French is "very much" or "a lot." Beaucoup, beou-coup, and beaucoup. |
| So, altogether, we have "Merci beaucoup," which means "thank you very much." |
| In France, "Merci" could not be used enough. With strangers, friends, taxi drivers, waiters, any interaction can and ought to end with this polite touch which the French will appreciate. Don't worry too much about pronouncing that tough French "ech." "Merci" is used so much, everyone will understand what you're saying. If it's too hard or you just don't want to worry about it, you can flip the R, like in Italian, and say "Merci." Merci. |
Outro |
|---|
| Okay. To close out today's lesson, we'd like for you to practice what we've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for saying it out loud in French. You'll have just a few seconds before I give you the answer. So, bonne chance. That means "good luck" in French. Okay. here we go. |
| "Thank you." |
| Merci. |
| Merci. |
| Merci. |
| "Thank you very much." |
| Merci beaucoup. |
| Merci beaucoup. |
| Merci beaucoup. |
| This is the end of today's lesson. See you soon. À bientôt! |
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