Excuse me.
Use pardon for a small apology or to get someone’s attention politely.
FREE BEGINNER LESSON 4 · FRENCH
French: A little politeness
Learn to use a little politeness in a practical conversation and understand a natural reply.
Neutral · polite everyday expressions. Learn the meaning, listen to the pronunciation, then practise in the interactive lesson.
Practise this lessonOpening vocabulary referenceUseful French phrases and their meanings
Please.
Vous can address one person politely or several people. With a friend, use s’il te plaît.
You are welcome.
This is a common short reply to merci. Literally, it means of nothing.
No problem.
This everyday expression reassures someone about a small problem or apology.
How the sentence works
S’il vous plaît is the normal please with a stranger, a formal contact or several people. S’il te plaît addresses one person informally. Pardon can get someone’s attention or apologise. De rien is a common reply to thanks.
A short conversation in French
Excuse me.
No problem.
Thank you.
You are welcome.
Words to recognise
sorry / pardon
please (polite or plural)
nothing
worry / problem
Listen to the whole phrase before focusing on each word. You can replay as often as you like, and the interactive lesson uses pictures and a short exchange to put the meaning in context.
Open the interactive lessonThe opening six teaching lessons are free, including the mini-tests after lessons three and six. A test accepts any answer and shows the score and corrections at the end. No typing or speaking aloud is required.
Keep learning French
Free five-minute audio lesson and MP3 · Language learning games
The pronunciation uses prepared synthetic voices. Credits and licences explain the free voice models. Independent native-speaker certification is not claimed.