4 Useful French Words for kids

1. 4 Useful French Words for kids

2. Inroduction One way to get your kids excited about their upcoming trip to New Orleans is to teach them a little about our history and culture. New Orleans has a great deal of French influences and many locals still speak some variation of the language.Here are four fun French words and phrases for kids that are easy to teach, easy to learn and useful in common daily circumstances.

3. 1. Thank you: merci (pronounced mair-see) In French, as in English, politeness counts, and by learning to say merci, kids can express gratitude and appreciation. In informal social settings, thank you is a very common phrase in most languages. When a child can say it in French, he or she will be seen as a polite young boy or girl.

4. 2. You’re welcome: de rein (pronounced du-rhee-en) Most people are polite and say thank you often. The correct response to someone thanking you is “you’re welcome.” When children learn that merci means that someone is thanking them, teach them to say de rein right away to acknowledge the thanker. Merci and de rein will come in handy in all kinds of social situations.

5. 3. Yes/no: oui (pronounced whee) no (pronounced no, the same as in English) We would be amazed at how often the words yes and no come up in our daily conversation, so the French versions of these words are always good to know. Oui is easy to learn and say to express the affirmative: “Oui, I like oysters,” “Oui, I’m glad school is out.” The word no in French is the same as in English, so that will be easy to remember.

6. 4. Please: s’il vous plait (pronounced see voo play) When a little one says, “I want a cookie,” what is the parent’s response? Often, it is “What do we say?” Then the child knows to add the word please. In French, the word is s’il vous plait. It might go like this: “I want a cookie.” “What do you say?” “S’il vous plait.” “Oui, you may have a cookie.”