🇫🇷 Paris · French
Learn French in Paris
Choose your first conversation
Parisian café French runs on ritual: the «Bonjour» that must come first, the «Je vous écoute» that means you're up, the vous that keeps its distance until it doesn't. Camille teaches you the choreography by putting you through it — including the moment your order comes out wrong and you fix it politely.
Bonjour ! Je vous écoute.
How Paris actually talks
What you'll pick up
- The vous/tu line and how not to trip over it
- Real café ordering: «un petit café», «l'addition», «ça marche» and what they actually signal
- Parisian pace with repair phrases ready — «pardon, je n'ai pas compris» is a superpower
Where you'll practise in Paris
96 missions across 13 scenes and 2 guided tours. Each mission is a real errand with a goal, a person who talks back, and a debrief afterwards in your own language.
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Aux Deux Ardoises bistrot
Serge, Career waiter at a small neighbourhood bistro in Paris · 6 missions · A1–C1
- Order the plat du jour A1 — Your first meal in a Paris bistro: greet the waiter, take a table, and order the dish of the day. One dish, that's all.
- Order a two-course lunch A2 — Entrée, plat, and a drink at a Paris bistro — pick your courses, answer «quelle cuisson ?», and pay the bill.
- Get to know Serge B1 — The room is empty and the coffee is on. Draw out the Aveyron, thirty-four years in service, the waiters' race, and the son who left Paris for Bordeaux.
+ 3 more at this scene
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Boutique Camille boutique
Élodie, Salesperson at a Paris clothing boutique · 6 missions · A2–B2
- Buy a garment A2 — Tell Élodie what you're after, find your size and colour, and pay for it.
- Say hi to Élodie A2 — No shopping — just chat. Find out where she's from, how long she's worked here, and what she likes about the shop.
- Meet Élodie A2 — Ask Élodie a couple of simple questions about herself while you browse.
+ 3 more at this scene
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Café du Merle café
Camille, Owner of a small Paris café, and its weekend food-tour guide · 11 missions · A1–C1
- Order at the counter A1 — Order a coffee and a croissant at the counter and pay.
- Breakfast A2 — Sit down for a Parisian breakfast — a drink, something to eat, and the bill.
- Lunch special B1 — Sit down for lunch, order the plat du jour, and settle the bill.
+ 8 more at this scene
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Explore all 13 scenes
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Canal Saint-Martin quai
Léa, A local your age by the Canal Saint-Martin · 11 missions · A2–C1
- Meet Léa A2 — Grab a spot on the canal edge and get to know Léa — the evening, where you're from, why you're in Paris.
- Your day A2 — Tell Léa about your day — a few simple sentences, beginning to end.
- Make a simple plan A2 — Invite Léa (or accept her invite), agree a day, a time and a place, and lock it in. Simple, in French.
+ 8 more at this scene
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Cabinet du Dr Roche cabinet médical
Dr Roche, GP at a small Paris practice · 6 missions · A1–C1
- When it started A1 — Tell Dr Roche briefly, in a couple of simple sentences, when your cold started.
- A cold and a sore throat A2 — You've got a cold. Tell Dr Roche how you feel, answer a couple of easy questions, and follow her simple advice.
- Get to know Dr Roche B1 — A quiet moment after the appointment — just chat. Find out about her father the country doctor, her daughter in med school, and the boulangerie below the cabinet.
+ 3 more at this scene
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Maison Tourvel bureau des ressources humaines
Béatrice, Head of HR at a mid-sized Paris catering company, running interviews and first-day paperwork · 6 missions · A1–C1
- Arriving A1 — Turn up for your interview: greet Béatrice, say who you are and why you're here, and spell your name.
- About yourself A2 — Answer the basic interview questions: where you're from, what you've done, what you can do, and when you can start.
- Your questions B1 — She asks if you have questions. Find out about the house, about her, and why the last person left.
+ 3 more at this scene
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Hôtel Sainte-Marthe hôtel
Julien, Receptionist at a small Paris hotel · 7 missions · A1–C1
- Wake-up call A1 — Ask Julien for a wake-up call and agree on a time.
- Check-in A2 — Arrive at a small Paris hotel — give your name, get your key, and find your floor.
- Get to know Julien B1 — A quiet evening at the desk — just chat. Find out where he’s from, why he left the big chain hotel, and what he does on his days off.
+ 4 more at this scene
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Marché d'Aligre marché
Marc, Fruit-and-vegetable trader on the marché d'Aligre in Paris · 8 missions · A1–C1
- One piece of fruit A1 — Your first trip to the Paris market — ask Marc for one apple, hear the price, and pay.
- A bruised tomato A1 — Point out simply that one of the tomatoes looks bruised.
- A kilo, please A2 — Ask the price, order by weight — un kilo, une livre, une barquette — handle «Et avec ça ?» and pay the total.
+ 5 more at this scene
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Station République station de métro
Fabrice, RATP station agent at the ticket window of Station République, Paris · 8 missions · A1–C1
- Buy one ticket A1 — Buy a single métro ticket from Fabrice with one set phrase — and meet the polite «vous».
- Wrong train A1 — Tell Fabrice briefly, in a couple of simple sentences, what happened with the wrong train.
- Carnet or day pass A2 — Explain how long you're staying, weigh the ticket options with Fabrice, choose one and pay.
+ 5 more at this scene
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Bélouga Mobile boutique de téléphonie
Sofiane, Sales adviser at an independent mobile-plan shop in the 18th arrondissement of Paris · 6 missions · A1–C1
- A SIM card A1 — Your first French number. Ask for a SIM card, show your passport, pick one of two options, and pay.
- Prepaid or plan A2 — Compare pay-as-you-go with a monthly plan, find out what «engagement» means, and choose.
- Meet Sofiane B1 — Quiet afternoon in the shop. Ask Sofiane about his job, his war with two-year contracts, and his worst phone bill.
+ 3 more at this scene
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Pharmacie du Marché pharmacie
Sophie, Pharmacist at a Paris pharmacy · 8 missions · A1–B2
- Wrong box A1 — The box on the counter isn't what you asked for. Say so in three easy words, and leave with the right one.
- A quick pharmacy errand A1 — Ask Sophie for one everyday item — a plaster or paracetamol — hear the price, and pay. Your first pharmacy visit.
- How it started A2 — Tell Sophie briefly, in a few simple sentences, how the last few days went.
+ 5 more at this scene
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Salon Nadia salon de coiffure
Nadia, Coiffeuse and owner of her own hair salon in Belleville, Paris · 6 missions · A1–A2
- Meet Nadia A1 — While she cuts your hair, ask Nadia a couple of simple questions about herself.
- Your last haircut A1 — Tell Nadia briefly what happened the last time you got your hair cut.
- Your one fear A1 — Tell Nadia simply what you're afraid of, and set a clear limit before she starts.
+ 3 more at this scene
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Le taxi de Karim taxi
Karim, Paris taxi driver · 7 missions · A1–C1
- Book a pickup A1 — Ask Karim to book a taxi for tomorrow morning and agree on a time.
- A quick ride A2 — Hop in Karim's taxi: say where you're going, pick a route when he offers, find out roughly what it costs, and pay when you arrive.
- Get to know Karim B1 — A long ride, a driver who loves to talk. Find out how long he's driven, about his family and Samira's restaurant, and the charm on his mirror.
+ 4 more at this scene
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Tours
- Paris: une balade gourmande with Camille, Owner of a small Paris café, and its weekend food-tour guide — 4 stops: La boulangerie, La fromagerie, Le marché and La pâtisserie.
- Historic Paris walking tour with Camille, Owner of a small Paris café, and its weekend food-tour guide — 6 stops: Le Panthéon, Notre-Dame de Paris, La Sainte-Chapelle, La Conciergerie, Le Pont Neuf and Le Louvre.
Words that change in Paris
Camille speaks the way Paris does, not the way a textbook does. A few of the swaps you'll hear from the first minute — the full list lives in the app's «Talk like a Parisian» guide:
| They say | It means | You'll hear |
|---|---|---|
| bagnole | car elsewhere: voiture | Je gare la bagnole et j'arrive. Casual, everyday word for a car among friends. |
| boulot | work / job elsewhere: travail | Je pars au boulot, à ce soir. The default casual word for work; "métro, boulot, dodo" is the Parisian mantra. |
| fringues | clothes elsewhere: vêtements | J'ai acheté des fringues au marché. Casual for clothes. |
| thune / fric | money / cash elsewhere: argent | J'ai plus de thune jusqu'à la fin du mois. Both are casual for money; "thune" is very common. |
| bouquin | book elsewhere: livre | Un bon bouquin et un café, parfait. Affectionate casual word for a book. |
| resto | restaurant elsewhere: restaurant | On se fait un petit resto ce soir ? Most people shorten "restaurant" to "resto". |
| mec / meuf | guy / girl elsewhere: homme / femme | C'est un mec sympa, et sa meuf aussi. "Meuf" is verlan (back-slang) for "femme". Both extremely common. |
- kiffer — to love / really enjoy "Je kiffe" = I love it. Everyday among under-50s.
- ouf — crazy / wild Verlan for "fou" (crazy). "Un truc de ouf" = something insane (good or bad).
- relou — annoying / a pain Verlan for "lourd". Someone/something tiresome.
- bosser — to work (hard) Casual "to work", a notch more effortful than "travailler".
Questions people ask about Paris
Which French will I hear in Paris?
Parisian French. Camille and the other locals in the Paris scenes speak the way people in Paris actually speak — accent, pace, register and vocabulary. They'll say bagnole for car, boulot for work / job and fringues for clothes, and the coach tells you when a word is local rather than universal.
Do I need to speak French already?
No. Missions in Paris run from A1 (first words: greet, order, ask for the bill) to C1 (argue a point, handle a complication, hold a real conversation). You pick a level, the scene meets you there, and the coach explains anything you missed in your own language.
What will I actually do in the Paris scenes?
96 missions across 13 scenes — Aux Deux Ardoises, Boutique Camille, Café du Merle and Canal Saint-Martin and more. Each mission is an errand with a goal: order, negotiate, describe a symptom, get directions, small-talk your way through a wait. The person you're talking to has their own agenda, so it never goes exactly to script. There are also 2 guided tours — Paris: une balade gourmande and Historic Paris walking tour — where the guide talks and you ask.
Is it free?
You can start speaking without creating an account. A free account keeps your notebook and progress and comes with 10 minutes of live conversation a week, refilled every Monday; the app tells you where you stand.
How does the feedback work?
Camille answers in French, and a separate coach watches the conversation and flags what to fix — grammar, a word choice that isn't Paris's, pronunciation — in your language, without interrupting the scene. Words you didn't know go into your notebook with the Paris pronunciation, and after each mission you get a debrief you can review.