World City Guide

Language

Nowadays, most Cannois speak French with a lilting southern accent. However, the inhabitants of Cannes spoke Cannois, a variant of Provenal-Maritime until 1914, when the language was banned to promote the speaking of French. 95% of place names in Cannes derive from this branch of Provenal, the language of southern France. Suquet means ‘hill-top’ in Cannois and Forville means outside the town. To hear Cannois nowadays, one needs to listen to the small fishing community at the Vieux Port and the boules players at the Alles de la Libert who call boules ‘bocho’ and the jack ‘boulien’; ‘au revoir’ becomes ‘ si revire’ and ‘adieu’ ‘adessias’.

Phrases

Yes - Oui
No - Non
Hello - Bonjour
Goodbye - Au revoir
Please - S’il vous plat
Thank you - Merci
My name is & -Je m’appelle ...
How are you? - Comment a va?
I’m very well - a va bien
I feel ill - Je ne me sens pas bien
How much does it cost? - Combien est-ce que a cote?
Do you speak English? - Est-ce que vous parlez anglais?
I don’t understand - Je ne comprends pas
Where is &? - O est &?
Entrance - Entre
Exit - Sortie
Danger - Danger
Open - Ouvert
Closed - Ferm
Toilets - Toilettes
Doctor - Mdecin
Hotel - Htel
Restaurant - Restaurant
Beer - Bire
Wine - Vin
Menu - Menu
Today - Aujourd’hui
Tomorrow - Demain
Monday - Lundi
Tuesday - Mardi
Wednesday - Mercredi
Thursday - Jeudi
Friday - Vendredi
Saturday - Samedi
Sunday - Dimanche
One - Un (Une)
Two - Deux
Three - Trois
Four - Quatre
Five - Cinq
Six - Six
Seven - Sept
Eight - Huit
Nine - Neuf
Ten - Dix
Twenty - Vingt
Thirty - Trente
Forty - Quarante
Fifty - Cinquante
Sixty - Soixante
Seventy - Soixante-dix
Eighty - Quatre-vingt
Ninety - Quatre-vingt dix
One Hundred - Cent
One Thousand - Mille