A Basic French Conversation, Fully Annotated Line by Line
A complete, annotated French conversation for beginners - meeting someone new - plus the toolkit phrases that keep any conversation going.
A basic French conversation follows a simple arc: greeting (salut / ça va ?), names (je m’appelle…), small talk (tu fais quoi dans la vie ?), and a natural close (bon, je dois y aller). Reaction phrases like ah bon ? and et toi ? keep it flowing without needing advanced vocabulary.
Quick answer
A basic French conversation follows a simple arc: greeting (salut / ça va ?), names (je m’appelle…), small talk (tu fais quoi dans la vie ?), and a natural close (bon, je dois y aller). Reaction phrases like ah bon ? and et toi ? keep it flowing without needing advanced vocabulary.
Study a full real conversation, with native audio. Get it on the App Store or Google Play.
The full model conversation
- Salut ! Ça va ? (Hi! How’s it going?) - opens casually, see how to say hello in French.
- Ça va, et toi ? (Good, and you?) - see how are you in French for the full reply bank.
- Ça va ! Je m’appelle Marie, et toi ? (I’m good! My name is Marie, and you?) - see my name is in French.
- Moi c’est Paul. Enchanté ! (I’m Paul. Nice to meet you!)
- Tu fais quoi dans la vie ? (What do you do for a living?)
- Je suis étudiant. Et toi ? (I’m a student. And you?)
- Ah bon ? Moi aussi ! (Oh really? Me too!) - the reaction-phrase moment that keeps momentum going.
- Bon, je dois y aller. C’était sympa de parler avec toi ! (Well, I have to go. It was nice talking with you!)
- À bientôt !
Keeping the conversation going (toolkit)
ah bon ? (oh really?), c’est vrai ? (is that right?), et toi ? (and you?), moi aussi (me too) - these four phrases alone extend nearly any exchange.
Changing the subject politely
au fait… (by the way), sinon… (otherwise/so), tu sais quoi ? (you know what?).
Ending naturally
bon, je dois y aller (well, I should go), c’était sympa de parler avec toi (nice talking with you) - then any of the goodbye family covered in how to say goodbye in French.
Real conversation, fully modeled
LexiFr teaches French conversation phrases with native audio and real dialogue context.
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Questions about this note
How do I start a conversation in French?
A greeting plus a simple question: Salut, ça va ?
What keeps a French conversation going?
Reaction phrases like ah bon ? (oh really?), c'est vrai ? and et toi ? (and you?).
How do you politely change the subject in French?
Au fait… (by the way) or sinon…
How do you end a French conversation naturally?
Bon, je dois y aller - c'était sympa de parler avec toi.
Do I need advanced grammar for basic conversation?
No - a handful of reaction and connector phrases cover most everyday exchanges.