How to call French numbers (and avoid embarrassing misdials)

It’s easy enough to log onto the internet and start spotting and using French internet slang. But what about calling a French number if you want to use some of your newly acquired French text message vocabulary in a text exchange with a friend?

Okay, if you’re overseas, you’ll probably be texting your French friends via platforms like iChat, WhatsApp, and Skype. But if you want to hear their voice, here’s how to do it, in three steps:

What is the country code of France?

The country code of France is 33 so you need to dial +33 or 0033 to call French numbers from abroad.

How to call French numbers From a mobile phone

1. Press “+” to show you’re making an international call.
2. Dial the country code for France: 33
3. Dial the phone number, without the first zero.  So for instance, if a French phone number is listed as 06.23.45.67.89, you would dial 6.23.45.67.89

How to call French numbers from a landline

1. Dial the international access code: 00
2. Dial the country code for France: 33
3. Dial the phone number, without the first zero.  So for instance, if a French phone number is listed as 06.23.45.67.89, you would dial 6.23.45.67.89

How to call French numbers from a French number

If you’re already in France, c cool – you can just call the number as it’s listed, including that first zero. So, if your friend gave you their number 06.23.45.67.89, you would just dial it that way .

Of course, if your phone isn’t a French one, default back to the previous instructions about dialing a French number from overseas.

You can find some more information about calling French numbers here.

A few other things to know about French phone numbers

Here are a few other things to keep in mind when it comes to French phone numbers:

• As you may have noticed from the examples, French phone numbers are ten digits long.
• French phone numbers are often written down in groups of two digits, separated by periods.
• When you say a French phone number aloud, you pronounce each two-digit group as a single number. So for instance, instead of saying “deux-trois” for “23”, you’d say “vingt-trois.” The only exception is if a group starts with zero. Then, you’d say each number individually. For instance, 06 would be said “zéro, six”.
• If you feel nervous about having to group numbers together into bigger ones in French, you can explain that you want to read them out chiffre-par-chiffre (digit-by-digit (like we do in English)). Just remember to practice grouping them whenever you can, so that you’ll end up getting used to and comfortable with it.
• As a general rule, if a French phone number begins with 01, 02, 03, 04, or 05, it’s a landline. If it begins with 06 or 07, it’s a mobile phone. Numbers that start with 08 are roughly equivalent to 1-800 numbers in the US; sometimes they’re free, although that’s not always the case.