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French phrases for finding things in the supermarket in France

Catch a staff member’s eye and say “Excusez-moi”, then “Pouvez-vous m'aider, s'il vous plaît ?”. Ask “Où est la farine ?” or “Dans quel rayon sont les surgelés ?”. They’ll answer with directions such as “C'est sur votre droite” or “Allez tout droit”. Finish with “Merci pour votre aide”.

Try it · about two minutes

You can’t find the flour or the frozen aisle, so you stop a member of staff and ask.

Sound on: the shop assistant speaks French. You choose what to say back, and Frasa tells you why it works.

How does the conversation usually go?

  1. You’ve walked up and down the aisles and still can’t find the flour. A member of staff is stacking shelves nearby.

    You

    Excusez-moi, monsieur.

    Excuse me, sir.

  2. Shop assistant

    Bien sûr, je vous écoute.

    Of course, go ahead.

    You

    Excusez-moi, où est la farine ?

    Excuse me, where is the flour?

  3. Shop assistant

    C'est sur votre droite.

    It’s on your right.

    You

    Merci, j'ai compris.

    Thanks, I understand.

  4. Shop assistant

    Je peux vous aider pour autre chose ?

    Can I help you with anything else?

    You

    Oui, où est le rayon surgelés, s'il vous plaît ?

    Yes, where is the frozen aisle, please?

  5. Shop assistant

    C'est là-bas.

    It’s over there.

    You

    C'est bien par là ?

    Is it this way?

  6. Shop assistant

    Vous ne pouvez pas le rater.

    You can’t miss it.

    You

    Merci pour votre aide.

    Thank you for your help.

Which French phrases do you need?

  • Excusez-moi, monsieur.

    Excuse me, sir.

  • Pouvez-vous m'aider, s'il vous plaît ?

    Can you help me, please?

  • Excusez-moi, où est le pain ?

    Excuse me, where is the bread?

  • Pourriez-vous me dire où est le riz ?

    Could you tell me where the rice is?

  • Dans quel rayon sont les produits d'entretien ?

    Which aisle are the cleaning products in?

  • Où sont les caisses ?

    Where are the checkouts?

  • C'est sur votre droite.

    It’s on your right.

  • C'est là-bas.

    It’s over there.

  • C'est bien par là ?

    Is it this way?

  • Merci pour votre aide.

    Thank you for your help.

What is worth knowing in France?

Asking for help

  1. 1

    Catch a staff member’s eye and say “Excusez-moi”.

    Excuse me, sir.
  2. 2

    Name the product with “Où est…” or “Dans quel rayon est…”.

    Excuse me, where is the bread?
  3. 3

    Listen for “tout droit”, “à gauche”, “à droite” and “au fond”, then check you’ve understood.

    Is it this way?

Where things hide

In many supermarkets flour sits with the baking supplies, while rice and pasta are in the épicerie (dry goods) aisles. Frozen food is les surgelés, and fruit and veg is les fruits et légumes.

Vous, not tu

With staff

Pouvez-vous m'aider, s'il vous plaît ?

Can you help me, please?

Too casual

Tu peux m'aider, s'il te plaît ?

Can you help me, please? (informal)

Use vous with shop staff, even young ones, unless they use tu with you first.

Questions about this situation

Which French phrases matter most here?
“Excusez-moi, monsieur.” (Excuse me, sir); “Pouvez-vous m'aider, s'il vous plaît ?” (Can you help me, please); “Excusez-moi, où est le pain ?” (Excuse me, where is the bread). The full list is above.
Can I hear how they sound?
Yes: press the speaker next to a phrase to hear it, recorded for the Frasa app.
How can I practise this conversation?
Press “Start the conversation” above to play it through and choose your replies, with a note on why some fit better in France. Frasa, an iPhone app, lets you save these phrases and rehearse them out loud.

Related situations in French

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Practise these phrases in Frasa

Frasa is an iPhone app for the conversations in front of you. Save phrases like these, rehearse them out loud, and they come back until they stick.

AI-generated. May be inaccurate.