You may know much more French than you think! French and English are close cousins in the world family of languages, and have many thousands of words in common.
Within moments of your arrival, you could see any of the following words on signs in a French town. These will help you get your bearings.
hôtel
restaurant
garage
bar
cinéma
avenue
The same spelling doesn't mean the pronunciation is the same. Here are a few examples:
service
brochure
train
café
terrible
double
There are also many words in French that look like English words, but have taken on different meanings:
le parkingcar park le speakerannouncer
The way you emphasise a French word can take some getting used to. There's much more stress on the end of words than in English:
English parking
restaurant
French le parking
le restaurant
The order of words can also be the reverse of the English equivalents, as in the following examples:
la Place de la Bastille Bastille Square (lit. the Square of the Bastille)Rue de Rivoli Rivoli St (lit. the Street of Rivoli)