Translate French to English
French text appears everywhere: business emails from Paris, menus at bistros, academic papers from francophone universities, EU documents, shipping labels from French brands, and messages from friends in Montreal or Dakar. Whether the text uses European or Canadian French, paste it above and the English translation will appear in seconds.
Common French to English translations
| French | English | Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonjour | Hello | heh-LOH | ||
| Bonsoir | Good evening | good EEV-ning | ||
| Merci | Thank you | thank yoo | ||
| S'il vous plaît | Please | pleez | ||
| Combien ça coûte? | How much does this cost? | how much duz it kost | ||
| Où est la gare? | Where is the train station? | wehr iz thuh trayn STAY-shun | ||
| Je ne comprends pas | I do not understand | ay doo not un-der-STAND | ||
| Pouvez-vous m'aider? | Can you help me? | kan yoo help mee | ||
| Je voudrais un café | I would like a coffee | ay wood lyk uh KAW-fee | ||
| L'addition, s'il vous plaît | The bill, please | thuh bil pleez | ||
| Enchanté | Nice to meet you | nys too meet yoo | ||
| Au revoir | Goodbye | good-BY | ||
| J'ai besoin d'un médecin | I need a doctor | ay need uh DOK-ter | ||
| Excusez-moi | Excuse me | eks-KYOOZ mee |
Tips for French to English translation
French silent letters are everywhere. Final consonants are usually not pronounced (petit sounds like “puh-TEE,” not “puh-TIT”), and the letter H is always silent. However, liaison rules can reactivate final consonants before vowels: les amis sounds like “lez-ah-MEE.” Translators handle meaning correctly regardless, but knowing this helps when listening to the audio.
French uses two past tenses where English often uses one. The passé composé (j'ai mangé) describes completed actions, while the imparfait (je mangeais) describes ongoing or habitual past actions. Both may translate as “I ate” in English, but the French distinction carries additional information about whether the action was finished or ongoing.
The French subjunctive mood appears in clauses expressing doubt, desire, necessity, or emotion: il faut que je parte (it is necessary that I leave). English has a subjunctive too but uses it rarely. French uses it constantly, and translators must decide whether to render it as a simple English statement or preserve the nuance.
French negation wraps around the verb: ne…pas (not), ne…jamais (never), ne…rien (nothing). In casual spoken French, the ne is frequently dropped. If the source text is informal and omits ne, the translator still identifies the negation correctly in most cases.
About the French language
French evolved from Vulgar Latin in northern Gaul and became the language of the French court, diplomacy, and international law for centuries. It remains one of the most studied foreign languages worldwide and is an official language in 29 countries spanning Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania. The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie connects 88 member states.
Africa is now home to the majority of French speakers, with rapidly growing populations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Madagascar. By 2050, projections suggest up to 700 million French speakers worldwide, most of them in Africa. Canadian French (Quebec) preserves features of 17th-century French and has its own vibrant cultural identity in music, cinema, and literature.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. No sign-up, no fees, unlimited use.
Both are processed correctly. Written French is standardized, with only minor vocabulary differences between regions.
Yes. Click the speaker icon.
French pronunciation evolved to drop many final consonants and certain interior sounds over centuries. The spelling preserved the original Latin-derived forms.
Good for everyday use. For legal, medical, or published texts, use a professional.
Standard written French from any region works well. Heavy local vocabulary or slang may be less precise.
Visit our English to French translation page.
No. Real-time processing.
French has gendered nouns, complex verb conjugations, and subjunctive mood. But its SVO word order is familiar to English speakers.
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