Emily in Paris French: 12 phrases to say like a Parisian
The café order, the first day at a Paris office, the evening out: the situations the show is built on are the ones every new arrival in Paris faces. Here are twelve everyday phrases for them, with audio. Say each one and the AI scores every word against a native French reference.
TonePerfect is not affiliated with Emily in Paris or Netflix. The show is named only to describe the setting; every phrase on this page was written for it, none is quoted from the series.
At the café and the bakery
Start every exchange with bonjour. In Paris, skipping it is ruder than any pronunciation mistake.
Bonjour, un café, s'il vous plaît.
Hello, a coffee, please.
Bonjour: the n is not pronounced, the on is nasal. Plaît rhymes with “eh”; the t is silent.
Je voudrais un pain au chocolat.
I would like a pain au chocolat.
Pain is a nasal “an” with no n; au is a pure “oh” with no w glide.
L'addition, s'il vous plaît.
The bill, please.
Addition ends in a nasal “yon”: no n sound, and the stress is light and at the end.
C'est délicieux, merci beaucoup.
It’s delicious, thank you very much.
Délicieux ends with eu, a rounded “uh”; the x is silent. Merci: r at the back of the throat.
Bonjour, un café, s'il vous plaît.
Hello, a coffee, please.
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At the office
French offices start formal (vous) and switch to tu when the other person offers. These phrases cover the first week.
Enchantée, je suis la nouvelle collègue.
Nice to meet you, I’m the new colleague.
Enchantée: two nasal vowels, “ahn-shahn-tay”. Nouvelle: ou is “oo”.
On peut se tutoyer ?
Shall we use tu with each other?
Tutoyer: French u twice. Say “ee” with tightly rounded lips, not “oo”.
J'ai une idée pour la campagne.
I have an idea for the campaign.
J’ai is “zhay”. Une: French u again. Campagne: gn is the ny of canyon.
La réunion commence à quelle heure ?
What time does the meeting start?
Réunion: “ray-ü-nyon”. Quelle heure: link the l into heure, “keh-lur”.
Enchantée, je suis la nouvelle collègue.
Nice to meet you, I’m the new colleague.
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An evening out
Dinner, a glass of wine, and the honest admission every learner needs.
On se retrouve devant le restaurant ?
Shall we meet in front of the restaurant?
Restaurant: the final t is silent and -ant is nasal. Retrouve: the throat r twice.
Tu veux un verre de vin ?
Do you want a glass of wine?
Veux: rounded “uh”, the x silent. Vin: nasal, no n.
Je ne parle pas très bien français.
I don’t speak French very well.
Bien: nasal “byan”. Français: the ç is s, the final s silent, “frahn-say”.
Excusez-moi, je suis un peu perdue.
Excuse me, I’m a bit lost.
Suis: a quick “swee”. Peu: rounded “uh”. Perdue ends in French u.
On se retrouve devant le restaurant ?
Shall we meet in front of the restaurant?
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The traps for English speakers
- Final consonants are usually silent: restaurant, plaît, français. Pronouncing them is the most common learner tell.
- Nasal vowels (bonjour, pain, vin, enchantée) are vowels said through the nose, with no n or m at the end.
- French u (tu, une, tutoyer) is not English “oo”: say “ee” and round your lips.
- The r is made at the back of the throat, close to a soft gargle. Never the English r.
- No strong stress on one syllable per word: French adds a light stress on the last syllable of the phrase.
Keep going
- French pronunciation — every French sound explained, with a recorder.
- French pronunciation test — five words, scored, with your weakest sound named.
- French Christmas carols — Il est né and Minuit, chrétiens to say line by line.
FAQ
Are these phrases from the show?+
No. They are everyday phrases for the situations the show is set in, written for this page. Nothing is quoted from the series.
Is Emily in Paris good for learning French?+
It is good for motivation and for hearing Paris settings, but most of the dialogue is in English. Pair it with short spoken practice: say a phrase, get a score, fix the word that scored lowest.
How is my French scored?+
The AI compares your recording with a native French reference and scores every word. It measures pronunciation, not grammar or accent origin.
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