French Phrases for Tourists: Why a Plain Merci Means No More Wine
Picture a dinner in France. Your host lifts the bottle to top up your glass, you smile and say "merci", and the bottle goes back down. Your glass stays empty. Nobody is being rude: on its own, at that moment, "merci" means "no, thank you", and you have just turned down the wine you wanted.
The phrases below are part of the free French Trip Kit, fifty phrases in five days with pronunciation, and each one fixes a mistake like that.
"Merci" can mean no
Merci (mehr-SEE) is thank you, and most of the time it works as you expect. The trap is the moment someone offers you more: wine, bread, a second helping. A plain "merci" there means "no, thank you", and the offer is withdrawn. To accept, say "oui, merci" or "volontiers". "Merci beaucoup" is thanks a lot.
The reply you will hear in shops and restaurants is "je vous en prie", or the casual "de rien", it's nothing. In the south-west you may hear "avec plaisir".
"Un café" is an espresso
Order un café, s'il vous plaît (uhn kah-FAY, seel voo PLEH) and a small espresso arrives. That is what the word means. If you wanted milk, ask for "un café crème", or just "un crème": espresso with steamed milk, the closest thing to a latte. "Un café au lait" is understood, but it is really the breakfast bowl people drink at home.
"Un allongé" is a long black, "un noisette" an espresso with a dash of milk, "un déca" decaf. And the same coffee costs more at a table ("en salle") or on the terrace than standing at the counter, so the difference is not a mistake on the bill.
The bill will not come until you ask
Being left alone at a table in France is politeness, not neglect, and the bill will not appear on its own. Catch the waiter's eye and say l'addition, s'il vous plaît (lah-dee-SYOHN, seel voo PLEH), or mime signing in the air. They bring a card terminal to the table. In a café you can also ask "je vous dois combien ?", what do I owe you, and pay the server directly. One word to avoid: "la note" is a hotel bill.
"Service compris" is not an invitation to tip
Most French menus and bills carry the line "prix nets, service compris" (sehr-VEESS kohn-PREE). By law the price you see already includes service, traditionally counted as 15%, and there is no cover charge. A tip, "pourboire", is optional: rounding up or leaving a euro or two in coins for good service is plenty, and skipping the tip screen on a card terminal is normal. If you see "couvert" on a menu, it means a place setting, not a fee.
The receipt you have to ask for
Since 2023 French shops no longer print receipts automatically. The cashier asks "vous voulez le ticket ?" and a "non" means you walk out without one. If you might return the item, or need it for expenses, say "oui", or ask outright: le ticket de caisse, s'il vous plaît (luh tee-KEH duh KESS, seel voo PLEH).
Non-EU visitors have a second reason to care: you can claim the VAT back, "la détaxe", on purchases over 100 euros in one shop on one day: ask for the "bordereau de détaxe" and show your passport.
"Excusez-moi" gets attention, "pardon" gets you through
Two words English speakers tend to merge. Excusez-moi (ex-kew-zay-MWAH) is for catching a waiter's eye, stopping a stranger for directions, or apologising for a small bump. It is the formal "vous" form, right for anyone you do not know. When you are starting a conversation, put "bonjour" first: "bonjour, excusez-moi".
Pardon (par-DOHN) is the word for squeezing through the métro at rush hour, a crowd or a market. Say it as you move and people step aside. It also covers a light apology for a bump and, with rising intonation, "sorry, what did you say?". Keep the nasal ending; the English "pardon" with a hard "n" sounds odd. For a real apology, the phrase is "je suis désolé" ("désolée" if you are a woman).
Validate your ticket, every time
The fine that catches tourists is on buses and trams. Validez votre billet (vah-lee-DAY votr bee-YEH): tap or insert your ticket or pass in the machine every time you board, even on a transfer, or the inspector fines you on the spot, roughly 35 to 60 euros depending on the city, and more if you do not pay immediately.
Trains are different: the old yellow "composteur" stamping machines are disappearing since tickets went digital. E-tickets never need it, but a paper TER ticket from a station machine may still say "à composter" where a validator exists, so follow the sign. "Titre de transport" is the official word for any ticket or pass.
The other forty-two
These eight are spread across days one to four of the French Trip Kit: ten phrases a day for five days, each with a respelling you can read aloud, a tip like the ones above and audio. Day one works in the browser without an account, and the whole sheet prints on three pages.