French word for by the way


These examples may contain rude words based on your search.


These examples may contain colloquial words based on your search.

Suggestions


By the way, these places are called fontanel.



Au fait, ces endroits s’appellent fontanel.


By the way, they’re engaged now.



Au fait, ils sont fiancés maintenant.


By the way, the modular composition is convenient for beginners.



La composition modulaire est d’ailleurs pratique pour les débutants.


By the way, that’s edible.


By the way, conception can occur even without menstruation.



En passant, la conception peut se produire même sans menstruation.


By the way, my fixtures remain available for further inspection.



En passant, mes installations sont ouvertes pour inspection.


By the way, some capitalist signs are already appearing.



D’ailleurs, des signes capitalistes font déjà leur apparition.


By the way, you can check their educational talents.



En passant, vous pouvez vérifier leurs talents pédagogiques.


By the way, the product is subtly scented.



En passant, ce produit est subtilement parfumé.


By the way: photography wants to appropriate space.



D’ailleurs: la photographie veut investir l’espace.


By the way, the product is lightly scented.



En passant, le produit est légèrement parfumé.


By the way, sorry about your bracelet.



Au fait, désolé pour le bracelet.


By the way, your breath smells disgusting.


By the way, that pie was delicious.



Au fait, la tourte était délicieuse.


By the way, little bone of contention.



Au fait, petite pomme de discorde.


By the way 7d and 70d are virtually identical.



En passant 7d et 70d sont pratiquement identiques.


By the way, the rental income is also taxable.



D’ailleurs, les revenus locatifs sont également imposables.


By the way your ordnances are right here.



Au fait, votre matériel est juste là.


By the way, it is medically recognised.


By the way, you’re incredibly smart.



Au fait, tu es super intelligent.

No results found for this meaning.

Suggestions that contain By the way

Results: 33043. Exact: 33043. Elapsed time: 961 ms.

Documents

Corporate solutions

Conjugation

Synonyms

Grammar Check

Help & about

Word index: 1-300, 301-600, 601-900

Expression index: 1-400, 401-800, 801-1200

Phrase index: 1-400, 401-800, 801-1200

    • Voir également :
      • by and large
      • by chance
      • by contrast
      • by far
      • by heart
      • by means of
      • by no means
      • by now
      • by the end
      • by the time
      • by the way
      • by then
      • by way of
      • by-catch
      • by-election
      • by-product
      • by-street
      • by-your-leave
      • bye
      • bye-law
      • Byelorussia
    • Recherches récentes :
    • Voir tout

  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

by the way

  • WordReference
  • WR Reverse (9)

WordReference English-French Dictionary © 2023:

Principales traductions
Anglais Français
by the way expr (incidentally) au fait, à propos, d’ailleurs loc adv
  By the way, have you seen this before?
  Au fait (or: À propos), tu as déjà vu ça ?

by the way‘ également trouvé dans ces entrées :

Dans la description anglaise :

Français :

Publicités
Publicités
Signalez une publicité qui vous semble abusive.
Devenez parrain de WordReference pour voir le site sans publicités.

I want to translate a sentence that says something like “By the way, did you remember to get…?”

So far I’ve seen two options: au fait and à propos. Which one would be more appropriate for an informal talk?


J’aimerais traduire une phrase du type « By the way, did you remember to get…? », pour l’instant je vois deux possibilités, « au fait » et « à propos ». Laquelle est la plus adaptée dans le cadre d’une discussion informelle ?

Stéphane Gimenez's user avatar

asked Aug 26, 2011 at 11:07

jasalguero's user avatar

3

Both are correct.

  • Au fait : what you are going to say relates to what you’ve been talking about.
  • À propos : might indicate a switch to another subject.

Alenanno's user avatar

Alenanno

1,8331 gold badge17 silver badges26 bronze badges

answered Aug 26, 2011 at 11:11

zejam's user avatar

zejamzejam

1,6401 gold badge16 silver badges22 bronze badges

2

« Au passage, … » qui ressemble assez fortement à la version anglaise fonctionne plutôt bien à l’oral, et même parfois à l’écrit. En français, le sens littéral est plus souvent respecté qu’en anglais. Dans les cas où le « chemin » n’est pas suffisament matérialisé, plusieurs variantes existent :

  • Au fait, (introduction d’un nouvel élément factuel lié au sujet)
  • D’ailleurs, (introduction d’un sujet lié mais distinct)
  • À propos, (introduction d’un sujet qui peut avoir une influence sur la discussion précédente)
  • Tant qu’on y est, (quitte à parler de ça, autant pousser la discussion jusque là / jusqu’au bout…)
  • Puisque tu le dis, Maintenant que tu le dis, (oral)(introduction d’un fait ou d’une idée en tenant compte du propos de l’interlocuteur).

answered Aug 26, 2011 at 11:50

Stéphane Gimenez's user avatar

Stéphane GimenezStéphane Gimenez

30.1k13 gold badges70 silver badges148 bronze badges

1

In Canadian French, we use en passant.

En passant, t’es tu rappelé de prendre…

Stéphane Gimenez's user avatar

answered Aug 26, 2011 at 13:32

Xeon06's user avatar

Xeon06Xeon06

1,2612 gold badges11 silver badges14 bronze badges

1

In maybe a more familiar way, there’s also :

  • «Au passage«
  • «Tant qu’on y est» depending on the context. I think it refers mostly to actions like «Tant qu’on y est, on devrait laver la cuisine.» / «By the way, we should wash the kitchen» but I’m not quite sure of this one.

answered Aug 26, 2011 at 11:23

Louhike's user avatar

LouhikeLouhike

1,1758 silver badges14 bronze badges

1

There’s also tiens, which can precede about every answer mentionned yet:

Tiens, au fait, tu as pensé à acheter des galets ?

Tiens, à propos, as-tu pensé à acheter des galets ? (By the way, it’s grammatically better to say as-tu than tu as for a question, but that’s another question)

Tiens, en passant, as-tu pensé à acheter des galets ?

But it’s also worth noting that it’s also used on its own:

Tiens, tu y as pensé, cette fois ?

Although it’s quite informal (and somehow implies that’s you’re on a first-name basis) and I have no real clue why it’s used that way (worth yet another question) as you’re not actually asking the person to hold anything.

Community's user avatar

answered Aug 26, 2011 at 12:07

Joubarc's user avatar

JoubarcJoubarc

14.6k6 gold badges52 silver badges103 bronze badges

To add to the translations proposed by @zejam

  • Au fait
  • À propos (à ce propos)

I think some sentences could be translate with

  • D’ailleurs

answered Aug 26, 2011 at 11:27

M'vy's user avatar

M’vyM’vy

7,4702 gold badges30 silver badges53 bronze badges

I’m Belgian (Dutch part), and we have many dialects.

I’m from the the most westerly part, where the dialect uses a lot of French words.
We often use «à propos» to indicate what you are trying to achieve.

So even outside of French, «à propos» is used to say «by the way».

Jez's user avatar

Jez

10.1k19 gold badges59 silver badges107 bronze badges

answered Aug 26, 2011 at 15:07

Terry's user avatar

TerryTerry

2091 silver badge2 bronze badges

Yes, basically they are interchangable, it will depend only of your level of language :

  • Au fait — Everyday language, casual register
  • D’ailleurs — Everyday language too, less casual
  • A propos — Used also in everyday language too but less casual thant the two others

Stéphane Gimenez's user avatar

answered Aug 8, 2014 at 15:38

lour's user avatar

I’d say à propos is slightly more formal than the other two. But all in all, there are totally interchangeable.

answered Aug 8, 2014 at 15:32

Alexis Pigeon's user avatar

I see there is the Canadian French «En passant» among the answers.

In France, «En passant» is not common, one would rather say «Soit dit en passant».

answered May 19, 2019 at 23:11

3

By the way in English always introduces what is called an afterthought:
Here’s an example.

«We spent three weeks in the mountains camping, you know. It was so much fun. We hiked every day farther up the trails and also just hung out a lot. By the way, have you spoken to John recently?»

By the way is a subject shifter. The speaker is shifting to another idea that is completely unrelated to the previous subject he or she has been talking about.

Au fait and à propos can both be used like this. D’ailleurs cannot. It means besides.

Wikipedia: locution conjonctive: Se dit lorsqu’on vient à parler de quelque chose dont on se souvient subitement : introduit un changement de sujet, une idée secondaire ou une parenthèse dans un cheminement logique.

answered Oct 30, 2016 at 17:37

Lambie's user avatar

3

None.

  • Au fait, means: let’s get to the bottom of this. It is usually used as «by the way» but should not.

  • À propos, means: This subject is related to this new idea I’m going to talk about.

I would use «Au passage» or «Pendant qu’on y est«.

Alenanno's user avatar

Alenanno

1,8331 gold badge17 silver badges26 bronze badges

answered Aug 26, 2011 at 17:30

Kheldar's user avatar

9

It may have only two letters, but “by” is a big a word!  We use it in so many situations, from giving directions, to talking about art and literature, to expressions – and so much more.

But unlike many other words like this, “by” doesn’t have an exact, constant French equivalent.

Luckily, if by chance you want to learn how to say “by” in French, by Jove! you’ve come to the right place.

Let’s look at how to say “by” in French, how the word is used (and thought of) differently than it is in English, and how to translate some common “by” expressions.

How to say “by” in French

There is no single way to say “by” in French.

That may sound confusing or frustrating, but as you’ll see, it’s really just about rethinking how to phrase or express something. And that’s only in some cases; in others, “by” is simply replaced by another word or words.

Here are the French equivalents for the most common ways to use “by”:

1. to attribute a creation or action to someone

A typical way we think of and use “by” in this context is to show that someone created a work of art. For instance, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, or “This is my favorite album by The Beatles.”

You can also use a verb with “by” in this sense: “This was painted by Vincent Van Gogh.”

The same goes for French, but in each case, the word that’s used for “by” changes.

If you’re talking about someone who’s created something without using a verb, “by” is de.

For example :

Son livre préféré est L’Assommoir d’Émile Zola.

His favorite book is L’Assommoir by Emile Zola.

Il ne faut pas confondre La Femme au perroquet de Courbet et La femme au perroquet de Manet.

You mustn’t confuse Woman with a Parrot by Courbet and Lady with a parakeet by Manet.

C’est une chanson de ma groupe préférée.

It’s a song by my favorite band.

If you’re talking about someone who created something and use a verb, “by” is par.

For example :

L’Assommoir est un roman écrit par Émile Zola.

L’Assomoir is a novel written by Emile Zola.

Cette toile a été peinte par Manet pour se moquer de l’érotisme de celle de Courbet. 

This work was painted by Manet to mock the eroticism of Courbet’s painting.

Cette chanson a été écrite par Claude François.

This song was written by Claude François.

Par is used this way in non-art related statements, as well. For instance :

Le chat a été adopte par une gentille famille.

The cat was adopted by a nice family.

L’arbre a été déraciné par l’orage.

The tree was uprooted by the storm.

You’ve probably noticed that using a verb and par  means that a sentence is in the passive voice. Although the passive voice is used fairly often in French, as in English it’s generally preferable to use the active voice.

2. to indicate proximity

In English, we use “by” to suggest that something or someone is close to something or someone else.

For instance, “The post office is by the supermarket” or “He was standing by me.”

When using by to suggest proximity, the French are more a precise than us native English speakers, though. This means that they don’t use a sort of default word, but opt for something more exact.

So, in French, there’s no exact one-word equivalent of “by” when talking about proximity. Instead of by in French, you’d use phrases like:

à côté de (next to/beside)

près de (close to)

These are just two common examples; it also depends on if there’s an even more precise choice.

For instance, take the first example in this section, “The post office is by the supermarket.” You could use près de, but it sounds a bit vague, especially if you’re giving someone directions. À côté de would signify that the post office is to one side of the supermarket or immediately after it. But what if the post office and supermarket are across from each other? In that case, you’d opt for en face de.

Basically, when it comes to “by” as an expression of proximity, we English-speakers have to change our way of thinking entirely, opting for a more exact preposition.

It sounds complicated, but I promise that over time it will become automatic. I know that’s the case for me. If someone here in Paris asks me where the post office is, I would either give them directions, or use a precise preposition. I don’ t feel a need to default to something like “by”.

3. to explain how someone accomplished something (arrived somewhere, made or created something, etc.)

When you think about it, there are many expressions in English that use “by” to show how something was accomplished. For instance, if you made a journey, how did you do it? By car? By plane?

In French, as you may know already, you use different prepositions with different forms of transportation – for instance: Nous sommes venus en voiture, mais Lucie est venue à pied et Pierre a fait le trajet à velo.  You can read more about which prepositions go with which form of transportation here.

We talk about accomplishing other things with “by”, as well. For instance, “He made it by hand” or “She killed the witch by throwing a bucket of water at her.”

In French, think more “to” when it comes to expressions like these. Most of the time, you’ll see either à or en used. Here’s how those two examples in the previous paragraph would be translated into French: Il l’a fait à la main;  Elle a tué la sorcière en jetant un seau plein d’eau sur elle. 

4. as the equivalent of “via”

One of the most common phrases you’ll see on mail from France, as well as decorative French-themed items around the world is Par avion. The French equivalent of “Air Mail” actually indicates that a letter or package was sent “via airplane”.

This is an easy way to keep in mind that one of the many meanings of par is “via”.

You’ll commonly hear par used as “via” in phrases about travel, like On est passé par Strasbourg. (We came via Strasbourg.).

You’ll also hear it used to suggest how someone passed from one spot to another – for instance, Au moment où l’oiseau est entré par la fenêtre, Guillaume est entré par la porte. (Just as the bird came in through the window, Guillaume came in through the door.)

5. to indicate a deadline

In English, we’d say something like, “Have this report to me by Friday.” Or “Your assignment should be turned in by five o’clock today.”

This is another case of having to think differently when it comes to French. You can use expressions of time like jusqu’à, or even simply express the entire idea differently.

For instance, “Have these documents to me by Friday” can be expressed in several ways, including:

Vous devez me rendre ces documents pour vendredi.

Vous devez me rendre ces documents vendredi au plus tard.

Ces documents sont pour vendredi.

Il me faut ces documents pour vendredi.

For “Your assignment should be turned in by five o’clock today,” you could say Vous avez jusqu’à 17h pour rendre votre travail, or even come up with an entirely different phrase that still expresses this idea, if you prefer!

Again, it may seem complicated to have to completely rethink how to say what might otherwise be an almost automatic expression. But I promise that you will get used to it.

6. to show dimensions (measurements)

In English, we would say something like “the window is six by three feet.” This time, there’s an easy substitute in French: just use sur

So, translated into French (and the metric system), this sentence would be La fenêtre mesure 2 mètres sur 1.

7. to express “out of” in the sense of why something happened/is so

For instance :

Il se sont mariés par amour.

They got married out of/because of love.

Quelqu’un m’a envoyé cette lettre par erreur.

Someone sent me this letter by mistake.

Other ways to say “by” in French

The uses of “by” in this article are the most common ones you’ll come across, but there are many other ways to use “by” in English and French.

As a general rule, if what you want to say doesn’t fall into the categories above, you can usually just use the word par . Or, if you’re not sure about that, see if you can rephrase the sentence.

You can see translations of other “by” expressions here.  And you can learn more about the uses of the word par, which is often associated with “by”, here.

Some common phrases with “by” in French

Here are the French equivalents of some common phrases that use “by”.

by the way – au fait ,à propos, d’ailleurs. Example : Au fait, tu as vu « Koh-Lanta » hier soir ? (By the way, did you see “Survivor” last night?)

by and large – globalementC’était un grave accident, mais globalement elle va bien. (It was a bad accident but by and large she’s doing well.)

by hand – à la main. Example : Cette veste a été cousue à la main. (This coat was sewn by hand.) (Note that you could also hear cousu(e) main in spoken French.)

by itself/myself/ourselves, etc. – seul(e)(s)/ tout seul(e)(s). Example: Dans ce livre de Roald Dahl, Mathilda, une petite fille, apprend à lire toute seule. (In this book by Roald Dahl, Mathilda, a little girl, learns to read (all) by herself.

You can see how to say additional phrases with “by” in French here.  But keep in mind that in many cases, the translations are only one option. You can often rephrase these expressions, since they aren’t the same in French to begin with.

How can I practice using “by” in French?

As we’ve seen, using “by” in French isn’t usually a straightforward matter of word-for-word translation. That may seem intimidating, but with practice and time you will master it.

The best way to change your mindset and learn how to express “by” in French is to expose yourself to as much French as possible. This means reading, writing, watching, listening to, and speaking it. Here’s our list of mostly free or inexpensive resources and activities to help you practice these.

Expressing “by” in French may seem pretty complicated, but don’t get discouraged – by and by (avec le temps) you’ll get the hang of it!

french vocab

By
Last updated:

March 10, 2023

Learning vocabulary is one of the cornerstones of learning French.

By knowing the most common vocabulary, you’ll get better at everyday communication—which gets you closer to interacting with some of the 300 million people who speak French around the world. 

In this post, we’ll get you started with more than 250 easy and common French words!

You’ll be well on your way to having a solid base in the French language in no time. 

Contents

  • Most Common French Words
  • Important French Verbs
  • French Question Words
  • French Household Words
  • French Words for Food & Drinks
  • French Words for School or Work
  • French Words for Making Descriptions
  • French Words for Animals & Nature


Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Most Common French Words

hello in french

Let’s start with some essential vocabulary that you’ll end up using a lot in French conversations: 

  • Bonjour ! Hello / Good morning!
  • Bonsoir ! Good evening!
  • Oui — Yes
  • Non — No
  • Excusez-moi — Excuse me
  • Je suis désolé / Je suis désolée I’m sorry (with an extra e if you’re female)
  • S’il vous plaît Please 
  • Merci Thank you
  • À bientôt See you soon
  • Bonne soirée Good night (when saying goodbye)
  • Bonne nuit — Good night (when you’re about to sleep)
  • Au revoir — Goodbye

Important French Verbs

running up a mountain

Aside from the conversational words and phrases above, you’ve also got to know the absolute most common French verbs:

  • Être to be
  • Avoir to have
  • Aller to go

These verbs are irregular, meaning they don’t follow the same rules of usage (or conjugation) that so-called regular verbs do.

Most French verbs are regular, meaning you only have to learn the endings of their group.

In French, there are three groups of so-called regular verbs, denoted by their infinitive (unconjugated) endings: -er verbs, -ir verbs and -re verbs.

Here are the most common verbs in each group:

-Er Verbs

  • Parler — to speak
  • Aimer — to like
  • Chanter — to sing
  • Danser to dance
  • Fermer — to close
  • Demander — to ask
  • Étudier — to study
  • Regarder — to watch
  • Visiter — to visit (a place)
  • Habiter — to live
  • Jouer — to play
  • Laver — to wash
  • Penser — to think
  • Utiliser — to use
  • Trouver — to find
  • Manger to eat

-Ir Verbs

  • Finir — to finish
  • Bâtir — to build
  • Choisir — to choose
  • Remplir to fill
  • Grandir — to grow
  • Grossir — to gain weight
  • Obéir — to obey
  • Punir — to punish
  • Réfléchir — to reflect
  • Réussir — to succeed / pass (a test)

-Re Verbs

  • Vendre — to sell
  • Attendre — to wait
  • Détendre — to relax
  • Entendre to hear
  • Fondre — to melt
  • Descendre — to go down / descend
  • Pendre — to hang
  • Perdre — to lose
  • Prétendre — to claim
  • Répondre — to respond

With all these different kinds of verbs, it’s handy to have a verb conjugation tool, like the one from Reverso.

Another option is to study these verbs in action with FluentU, which features authentic French videos with interactive subtitles. Click on any French verb or other word used in the video to see its definition, along with grammar notes and examples.

You can then add new words to flashcards and take personalized quizzes to grow your French vocabulary. 

The language learning program is also available on iOS and Android, so you can take your French study with you wherever you go. 

French Question Words

French questions

Looking for directions? Do you want to know the price of something?

Whatever you do on your trip to France, you’re definitely going to need to ask for help or direction at some point.

Here are some common expressions to help you get around:

  • Où ? — Where?
  • Qui ? — Who?
  • Quoi ? — What?
  • Quand ? — When?
  • Comment ? — How?
  • Pourquoi ? — Why?
  • Combien ? — How much? / How many?

Of course, the beauty of learning language is to be able to communicate with native speakers, which means people might also ask you questions!

Key phrases:

  • Comment vous appelez-vous ? — What’s your name?
  •  Je m’appelle… — I’m called…
  • Quel âge avez-vous ? How old are you?
  • J’ai…ans — I’m… years old 
  • Vous venez d’où ? Where are you from?
  • Je suis… I am…

des États-Unis — from the United States

du Royaume-Uni — from the United Kingdom

d’Espagne — from Spain

d’Allemagne — from Germany

du Canada — from Canada

d’Australie — from Australia

Are you from a country that’s not included on this list? Take a look at this map of the world to learn your country’s name.

French Household Words

easy-french-words

It’s crucial to learn the French words that describe the places where we live.

Check out the following common words that denote specific rooms and spaces in our households.

  • La maison  the house
  • La salle  the room
  • La cuisine  the kitchen
  • La salle à manger  the dining room
  • Le bureau  the office
  • Le salon  the living room
  • La chambre  the bedroom
  • La salle de bain the bathroom (may not include a toilet)
  • Les toilettes the bathroom (includes a toilet, sometimes exclusively)
  • Le sous-sol the basement
  • Le grenier attic
  • La porte  the door
  • La fenêtre  the window
  • Le couloir the hall
  • L’escalier the stairs
  • Le mur  the wall
  • Le sol  the floor
  • Le plafond  the ceiling

Common words associated with rooms in the house:

  • Le bureau the desk
  • L’ordinateur the computer
  • L’étagère  the bookshelf
  • Le livre  the book
  • La télévision  the television
  • Le canapé / Le sofa  the couch
  • La chaise the chair
  • La lampe the lamp
  • Le rideau  the curtain
  • Le réfrigérateur  the fridge
  • Le four  the oven
  • La cuisinière  the stove
  • L’évier  the sink
  • La table  the table
  • Le lit  the bed
  • L’oreiller  the pillow
  • La commode  the dresser
  • L’horloge  the clock
  • La baignoire  the bathtub
  • La douche  the shower
  • Les toilettes  the toilet
  • La brosse à dents the toothbrush
  • Le dentifrice  the toothpaste
  • Le tapis  the rug
  • Le miroir  the mirror
  • Le téléphone  the telephone

French Words for Food & Drinks

easy-french-words

Hungry or thirsty? Check out the most common French words for food and drinks.

  • Le restaurant  the restaurant
  • Le café  the cafe / coffee
  • Le thé  the tea
  • Le jus  the juice
  • Le lait  the milk
  • Le vin  the wine
  • La bière  the beer
  • L’eau water
  • Le fruit  the fruit
  • La pomme  the apple
  • La banane the banana
  • L’orange the orange
  • La fraise — the strawberry
  • Le raisin the grape
  • Les légumes the vegetables
  • La salade  the salad
  • La carotte  the carrot
  • La pomme de terre  the potato
  • La tomate  the tomato
  • La laitue  lettuce
  • Le champignon  mushroom
  • La viande meat
  • Le poisson  fish
  • Le poulet chicken
  • Le bœuf  beef
  • Le petit-déjeuner breakfast
  • Le déjeuner lunch
  • Le dîner dinner
  • Le repas the meal
  • Le goûter the snack
  • L’assiette the plate
  • Le couteau the knife
  • La fourchette the fork
  • La cuillère the spoon
  • La tasse the cup

French Words for School or Work

easy-french-words

Headed to a French-speaking region for employment or to study? Then the following words are essential!

  • L’école  the school
  • Le crayon  the pencil
  • Le stylo  the pen
  • Le cahier  the notebook
  • La salle de classe  the classroom
  • La calculatrice  the calculator
  • La matière scolaire  the school subject
  • L’histoire  history
  • La géographie  geography
  • La musique  music
  • Les sciences the sciences
  • Les mathématiques mathematics
  • Le sport  sports
  • Le français French
  • L’anglais English
  • Les notes grades (marks)
  • Le professeur / la professeure  the teacher
  • L’étudiant(e) / L’élève  the student

The following are common words associated with jobs and work:

  • L’entreprise  the company
  • L’emploi  the job
  • Le travail  the work
  • Le dentiste  the dentist
  • L’écrivain  the writer
  • Le médecin  the doctor (medical)
  • Le serveur / la serveuse  the waiter / waitress
  • L’avocat  the lawyer
  • Le caissier / la caissière  the cashier
  • L’ingénieur(e)  the engineer
  • Le mécanicien / la mécanicienne the mechanic
  • Le plombier / la plombière the plumber
  • Le pompier / la pompière  the firefighter
  • Le policier / la policière  — the police officer
  • L’architecte the architect
  • Le travailleur / la travailleuse   the worker
  • Le boulanger / la boulangère  the baker
  • Le boucher / la bouchère  the butcher
  • Le coiffeur / la coiffeuse  the hairdresser

French Words for Making Descriptions

diverse people

The following are common words that can be used to describe yourself, others or inanimate things.

  • Grand(e) — big
  • Petit(e) — small
  • Chaud(e) — hot
  • Froid(e) — cold
  • Intelligent(e) — smart
  • Fâché(e) angry
  • Triste sad
  • Heureux / heureuse happy
  • Drôle funny
  • Jeune  young
  • Vieux / vieille   old
  • Nerveux / nerveuse   nervous
  • Beau / belle  beautiful
  • Facile  easy
  • Difficile hard
  • Effrayé(e) scared
  • Ennuyé(e)  bored
  • Ennuyeux / ennuyeuse  boring
  • Étrange strange
  • Fort(e)  strong
  • Possible  possible
  • Impossible  impossible
  • Sportif / sportive   athletic

Keep in mind that some adjectives change genders depending on the gender of the noun it describes.

In this list, the masculine forms are given first, with the feminine forms being either those with an added -e or the second form of the adjective.

Interested in more adjectives? Check out how to say common colors in French as well!

French Words for Animals & Nature

easy-french-words

The following are common French words that can be used to describe animals or nature.

  • Le chien the dog
  • Le chat the cat
  • Le lapin the rabbit
  • Le lion the lion
  • Le cheval the horse
  • La vache the cow
  • Le requin the shark
  • Le singe the monkey
  • Le cochon the pig
  • L’oiseau the bird
  • La souris the mouse
  • La tortue the turtle
  • Un canard the duck
  • Un crapaud the toad
  • Une grenouille the frog
  • Le soleil the sun
  • La pluie  the rain
  • Le vent the wind
  • La neige the snow
  • Le nuage  the cloud
  • L’éclair  the lightning
  • Le tonnerre  the thunder
  • L’orage the storm
  • La montagne  the mountain
  • La plage  the beach
  • La forêt  the forest
  • La terre soil / the earth
  • La colline  the hill
  • Le lac  the lake
  • L’océan  the ocean
  • La météo the weather forecast
  • Quel temps fait-il ? What’s the weather?
  • Il fait chaud It is hot
  • Il fait froid It is cold

And just like that, you have 250+ words to bring your French to the next level. Practice these words often and watch your French comprehension and production vastly improve!

Bonne chance ! (Good luck!)


Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Like this post? Please share to your friends:
  • French word for boys
  • French word for books
  • French word for better
  • French word for at least
  • French word for appreciate