Essential French Basics

Greetings and everyday expressions are your first step into French conversations. Start with salut (hi) for casual situations and bonjour (hello) for more formal ones. When someone asks "ça va?" (how are you?), you can respond with "ça va bien" (I'm good) or just "ça va" (I'm okay).

Numbers from 11-21 might seem tricky at first, but they follow patterns. Remember onze (11), douze (12), and treize (13) as your base. From 17-19, you're literally saying "ten-seven," "ten-eight," and "ten-nine" - dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf. Vingt (20) starts a new pattern, and 21 becomes vingt et un (twenty and one).

Describing people uses simple structures with avoir (to have). J'ai means "I have," tu as is "you have," il a is "he has," and elle a is "she has." For eyes, use les yeux followed by colours like noisette (hazel).

Top Tip: Practice saying "J'ai [age] ans" (I am [age] years old) and "Quel âge as-tu?" (How old are you?) - these come up in almost every introductory conversation!

Hair descriptions combine les cheveux (hair) with colours like blonds (blonde) or roux (ginger), plus styles like courts (short), longs (long), or frisés (curly). Mix and match these to describe anyone!