French · Greetings & Essentials

"How do you say…?" in French: Comment dit-on… ?

Comment dit-on… ?

Say it: koh-MAHN dee-tohnphrase/kɔ.mɑ̃ di.tɔ̃/

How do you say…? in French is Comment dit-on… ? Fill the blank: Comment dit-on « ticket » en français ? Keep the whole question shape.

Language exchange

Comment dit-on « umbrella » en français ?
How do you say “umbrella” in French?
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How to pronounce Comment dit-on… ?

Say it

koh-MAHN dee-tohn

/kɔ.mɑ̃ di.tɔ̃/

koh-MAHN dee-tohn. Dit-on links smoothly; rise at the end.

"How do you say…?" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
Comment dit-on… ?How do you say…?

Default learner ask.

Comment dit-on X en français ?How do you say X in French?

Full pattern.

Ça se dit comment ?How do you say that?

Casual.

Quel est le mot pour… ?What's the word for…?

Alternative.

How to use Comment dit-on… ? in real life

  1. 1Language exchange

    Comment dit-on « umbrella » en français ?

    How do you say “umbrella” in French?

    Full phrase with blank filled.

  2. 2Restaurant menu

    Comment dit-on ce plat en anglais ?

    How do you say this dish in English?

    Reverse direction.

  3. 3Class

    Prof, comment dit-on « polite » ici ?

    Teacher, how do you say “polite” here?

    Classroom ask.

Mistakes English speakers make with Comment dit-on… ?

Incorrect: Comment on dit… ?

Correct: Comment dit-on… ?

Inversion dit-on is the set learner phrase (on dit also exists casually).

Incorrect: Comment dit-on umbrella en français?

Correct: Comment dit-on « umbrella » en français ?

Put a space before ? in French.

Good to know

Learners live on Comment dit-on… ? Native speakers may answer with On dit… or Ça se dit…. Pointing at an object and asking works fine in shops.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Looking at a pharmacy shelf

  1. ChatPal

    Tu veux demander le mot ?

    Want to ask for the word?

  2. You

    Comment dit-on « band-aid » en français ?

    How do you say “band-aid” in French?

  3. ChatPal

    Dis : comment dit-on « band-aid » ?

    Say: how do you say “band-aid”?

  4. You

    Mercic'est un pansement.

    Thanks—it's a pansement.

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"How do you say…?" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "How do you say…?" in French

How do you say how do you say…?

Comment dit-on… ?

How do I complete it?

Comment dit-on « word » en français ?

Is there a casual version?

Ça se dit comment ?

How do you pronounce it?

koh-MAHN dee-tohn.

Learn a word, then use it out loud

  1. Step 1: See it in context
  2. Step 2: Say it out loud
  3. Step 3: Get feedback
  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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