Friends while travelling · 5 minute read

French for the hostel kitchen and the next adventure

Salut ! Moi, c'est Alex. Tu viens d'où ? — “Hi! I'm Alex. Where are you from?” — is a simple opening with another traveller. From there, ask about their route, share a plan, or offer to make an extra cup of tea.

Merdi’s idea grew out of our founder’s time studying in London and taking solo hostel trips: languages became easier to care about when there was a person to talk to. The conversations below are written examples for your own trip, not transcripts of those encounters.

They use informal tu between fellow travellers. With staff or someone you don’t know, Bonjour and vous are a useful polite starting point. Follow the situation; staying in a hostel doesn’t make every interaction informal.

Introduce yourself without giving a speech

Use your own places. Je viens de… tells someone where you’re from; J’habite à… introduces the city where you live. They don’t have to be the same place.

If you want to ask about the journey instead, Tu arrives de quelle ville ? means “Which city are you arriving from?”

Ask where they’re going next

Stay with one detail. If you have been there, share a suggestion. If you haven’t, ask what they want to see: Tu veux visiter quoi là-bas ? — “What do you want to visit there?”

For more ways to move beyond an introduction, see French small talk.

Invite someone to join a low-pressure plan

If they already have plans, a friendly Pas de souci, une autre fois ! — “No problem, another time!” — lets the invitation end comfortably. If you’d rather decline, Merci, mais j’ai déjà quelque chose de prévu means “Thanks, but I’ve already got something planned.”

Use our making plans in French guide to practise agreeing on a time or changing it later.

Share the kitchen politely

The smallest exchanges can be the most useful:

Here en stands in for some tea, so you don’t need to repeat du thé. If someone offers you a cup, Oui, merci, c’est gentil — “Yes, thanks, that’s kind of you” — is enough.

For a request to staff, use a fuller polite question:

If you need to ask people to be quieter, Vous pourriez parler un peu moins fort, s’il vous plaît ? means “Could you speak a little more quietly, please?” Here vous can address a group, or one person politely.

Say you’re learning and ask for help

Asking about the last word gives the other person something specific to help with. If you miss the meeting time, repeat it back as a question: À neuf heures ? — “At nine?” That is more useful than pretending you understood.

Your turn: say yes and ask one question

Someone in the kitchen says Je vais me promener après le déjeuner. Tu veux venir ? — “I’m going for a walk after lunch. Do you want to come?” Accept and ask where they plan to go.