What language is spoken in Paris?

French — and not the careful, classroom-paced French of language courses. Parisian French comes fast, slightly nasal, and with vowels that get swallowed mid-sentence. The written script is Latin alphabet with accents (é, è, ê, ç), so you can read street signs and Métro maps without trouble. That said, spoken comprehension is another thing entirely. Even francophones from Québec or Brussels sometimes ask Parisians to slow down. The city has its own slang layer too: verlan flips syllables — 'femme' becomes 'meuf,' 'métro' becomes 'tromé.' You won't need verlan, but you'll hear it on Ligne 2 between Barbès and Belleville, mostly from anyone under 30.

English proficiency splits sharply by district and age. Around the 1st through 8th arrondissements — the Louvre, Champs-Élysées, Saint-Germain, the Marais — hotel reception, museum ticket counters, and restaurant hosts under 40 speak functional English. Move into the 10th, 11th, 18th, or 20th, and English drops off fast. The server at a zinc-counter bistro near Oberkampf will likely take your order in French only. Taxi drivers are a coin flip; Uber drivers tend to be slightly better because the app handles the address. The Métro is well-signed enough that you won't need to speak at all — just read the line numbers and terminus names on the maps. Worth noting: pharmacies are staffed by people who studied science in French universities, and most speak decent English. Useful when jet lag has you hunting for paracétamol at midnight.

The single most important word is 'bonjour.' Say it when you walk into any shop, café, bakery, or restaurant. Not saying it is the fastest way to get cold service in Paris — it reads as rude, full stop. Pair it with 'au revoir' on exit. That greeting-and-farewell ritual matters more than any phrase list. After that, 'l'addition, s'il vous plaît' gets you the bill without awkward hand-waving. 'Un café' at a bar counter — standing, not seated, which is cheaper — orders the default espresso shot that smells like burnt caramel and costs around €1.50 at the comptoir. 'Pardon' works for bumping into someone on the Métro or getting past a slow walker on Rue de Rivoli. Skip 'excusez-moi' — too formal for daily use.

One thing that catches people off guard: Parisians often reply in English the moment they detect an accent, even if your French is passable. This isn't rudeness — it's efficiency. If you want to practice, say 'je préfère parler français' and most will switch back without fuss. Google Translate's camera mode handles restaurant menus well enough for the handwritten daily specials chalked on blackboards outside brasseries, where the cursive can be tough to read even if you know the words. Download the French offline pack before you land — cell signal in the Métro tunnels is patchy at best.