Parlez-vous français?

Bonjour! Are you ready to learn a little French?

According to Babbel, about 300 million people around the world can speak this language. And most of them don’t live in France — French is an official language in countries on five different continents.

Speaking French can be a little weird for English speakers. Not all of the letters are always pronounced. This is especially true at the endings of words, where there is often a silent letter. Just trust your guts, soon you will get used to it.

Ready? Let’s go — allons-y!

“Ça va?” means “how are you?” or “how is it going?” It’s pronounced like “sah-vaah.”

“Ça va bien” is one way to answer if someone asks you “Ça va?” It means “I am doing well.” It sounds like “sah-vaah bee-en.”

“Ça va mal,” on the other hand, means “I am not doing so well” or “it’s going badly.” It’s pronounced “sah-vaah mall.”

“Pourquoi?” is how you ask “why?” in French. It sounds like “pour-kwah.”

“Oui” means yes and sounds like “wee.”

“Non” means no, and it sounds almost exactly like the English word.

“Excusez-moi” means “excuse me.” It’s pronounced “ehk-skew-zay mwah.”

“Qu'est-ce que c'est?” is how you ask “What is this?” or “What is that?” It’s easier to say than you might think: “kess kuh say.”

“Je ne sais pas” means “I don’t know.” It sounds like “juh nuh say pah.”

“S’il vous plaît” means “please” and sounds like “seel voo play.”

“Merci” is how you say “thanks” in French. It’s pronounced like “mare-see.”

“De rien” means “you’re welcome.” It sounds like “duh ree-en.”

“Au revoir” means “goodbye!” It sounds like “oh rev-wah.”

Now it is your turn to share your new knowledge in another language. Don’t forget to explain to friends and family what these new words and phrases mean.

Mishka MohamedNour is a student at West High School and an editor, reporter and designer for the West Side Story.