French word for more than

Results: 583,
Time: 0.3681

There are some words that just seem perfect. Quoi (often misspelled qua)isn’t the prettiest word in French – at least not in my opinion – but when it comes to using it to express astonishment or outrage, there is nothing more satisfying. Quoi?! – it makes me think of an outraged cartoon bird honking in disbelief. 

That being said, quoi has also been used in countless beautiful French novels, essays, poems, and songs. 

I think this contrast actually sums up the French word for “what” quite nicely.  While it seems simple, maybe even silly, on the surface, quoi is a word with many facets. It’s actually kind of mysterious – which is fitting, since it does mean “what”, after all. 

Yes, quoi means “what” in French But so does que (in certain contexts), which means that you can’t just slip quoi into a sentence to replace its English equivalent, unfortunately.

Since it’s so common, it’s essential to understand and know how to use quoi in order to speak even basic French. Let’s try to get a handle on this often surprising word. 

The three main uses of quoi

On its own, quoi tends to be used in three main ways: 

#1 Quoi used as a stand-alone to say “what” in French

Note that when French people usually use quoi this way, it’s not neutral.  It’s typically an informal way to express incomprehension or astonishment – think “What?” or “What?!”.  

For example:

Danielle : Tu dis que tous les mecs du lycée veulent sortir avec toi, mais hier soir j’ai vu Maxence au cinéma…avec Lucille. (You say that all the guys at school want to go out with you, but last night I saw Maxence at the movies…with Lucille.)

Vanessa: Quoi ?!

In English, if you didn’t hear someone, simply saying “What?” would be considered informal or even rude, and the same goes for quoi.

As someone who’s slightly hard of hearing, I learned this the hard way. Instead of reacting to a statement you didn’t hear with Quoi?, opt for Pardon ? (Excuse me/I beg your pardon?) instead. Ideally, you should do this even with family, close friends, romantic partners, etc., since Pardon also sounds calmer and kinder in general (another hard lesson I learned).

#2 Quoi used as “what” in certain phrases or sentences

In official French grammar, quoi replaces an indirect object, which means it’s supposed to follow prepositions – for example, A quoi penses-tu ? (What are you thinking about?).  Notice that it never directly follows a verb.

BUT language is a living thing, which means that everyday, real French speakers don’t always follow this rule, especially in spoken language. It’s more common, especially among younger generations and in an informal context, to hear something like, Tu fais quoi ce weekend ? (What are you doing this weekend?) than the grammatically correct Que fais-tu ce weekend ? or Qu’est-ce que tu vas faire ce weekend ?

This means that when you want to learn how to speak and write French like a bona fide French person, there are no hard and fast answers.

Try to find out which is actually correct: Que faire? or Quoi faire? or Je ne sais pas quoi faire/Je ne sais que faire*, and you’ll get a myriad of answers from French people, not to mention French learning forums and websites.  The explanations here and here are the best concise ones I could find, and even certain points they make could be disputed.

*Bonus complication: You don’t always have to use pas in a negative statement with the verb savoir…but you do when you use quoi with a verb.

Ultimately, if you want to sound formal and/or professional, if you’re writing anything other than a text message or email to a friend, or if you just want to be sure your French is shiny and perfect, avoid using quoi directly after a verb, with the exception of the common quoi expressions you’ll see later in this article.

#3 Quoi used as a way to emphasize a statement and seek agreement

I have written about French reality megastar Nabilla’s iconic phrase, Non, mais allô, quoi  ! before. It literally translates to, “No, but, hello, what!” Which doesn’t make sense, since she wasn’t trying to be heard on a phone. Here, quoi is used for emphasis. 

For comparison, in American English, you would probably italicize “Hello!” You could also add a word, in some cases, like “um” at the start of the phrase. For fellow “Jersey Shore” fans: Think of Angelina’s “Umm, Hello?!”  

But using quoi for emphasis or agreement actually has a direct equivalent in British English. As you can see in this Oxford English dictionary entry, “what” is an outdated, informal way to emphasize a point, usually when you expect a person to agree with you. 

You’ve probably seen an old-timey movie or read an old British book where someone said a phrase like, “Lovely day for a drive, what?” or something along those lines.  

In French, as the Nabilla example shows, using quoi this way is far from outdated. You’ll often hear a statement like, Ce mec est trop beau, quoi !  (“This guy is sooo hot, you know/what?”)

If you’re looking for an equivalent in French, think n’est-ce pas?. 

UPDATE: In the comments at the end of this article, Kyle made a really good suggestion – you can also think of “quoi” as an equivalent of “innit?”/ “isn’t it?” – bearing in mind, of course, that you would only translate quoi as “innit” if the person saying it would be a lower class or young person.

So, as I replied in the comments, for Nabilla, absolutely!  On the other hand, for someone speaking in a formal setting or someone who wouldn’t use slang or modern/informal language, think of quoi as “isn’t it”, “don’t you think?”, “you know?” (a little more informal), etc.

Quoi’s cousins

In addition to being a word in its own right, quoi makes up part of – and gives meaning to – three other French terms you’ve probably used or seen:

Pourquoi

The main French word for “why” literally means “for what”. Example: Pourquoi aimes-tu le français ? (Why do you like French?). 

Quoi que (whatever) and  quoique (although/however)

For a long time, I found these very similar words pretty intimidating. Their association with the subjunctive just made them seem complicated and higher-level. But as I got better and French and then became fluent, they became familiar friends. 

I especially like the fact that quoique can work as a stand-alone word, sort of like if you just said “But…”  Example: Je ne devrais pas manger un autre pain au chocolat. Quoique… (I shouldn’t eat another pain au chocolat. But…)

Here are a few other examples: 

– Quoi que tu achètes, tu regretteras avoir dépensé de l’argent. (Whatever you buy, you’ll regret having spent the money.)

– Quoiqu’elle fasse du sport chaque jour, elle n’arrive pas à perdre du poids. (Although she does sport every day, she can’t lose weight.)

Common phrases with quoi

Look up quoi in any French dictionary (online or otherwise), grammar guide, or language-learning forum, and you’re almost certain to find a list of expressions that it’s used with. 

Note that while these are all commonly used in France today, and no one would bat an eye at your saying them, they may not always follow official grammar rules:

A quoi bon

What’s the point? /What’s the good in that? This phrase can stand alone, but is also often used with the infinitive of a verb, to mean “What’s the good in [verb]?”  For example: 

Jeanne: Apelle-le ! (Call him!)

Patricia : A quoi bon ? (What’s the point?)

Jeanne : Au moins tu sauras s’il t’aime ou non. A quoi bon pleurer pour rien ? (At least you’ll know if he loves you or not. What’s the point in crying for nothing?)

A quoi ça sert/Ça sert à quoi (de)…

What is this used for/What’s the use in…? /What’s the point… As you can tell, these two phrases are very similar but very different. A quoi ça sert is usually used for actual questions about the way things work. For example, my son might find something he’s never seen before and ask, A quoi ca sert? – or, if he knows the name of the object, À quoi ça sert un clou ? (What is a nail used for?) Or he could ask about something we do: À quoi ça sert de se brosser les dents ? (Why do we brush our teeth?)

Ça sert à quoi, on the other hand, tends to be for more philosophical matters: Ça sert à quoi de se marier ? (What’s the point of getting married?) Ça sert à quoi de vivre? (What’s the point in living?).

This said, Ça sert à quoi is often used interchangeably with A quoi ça sert. If you type “Ca sert à quoi de” into a search engine, you’ll also see questions like, “Ça sert à quoi de remercier le chauffeur ?” (What’s the point of thanking the bus driver?). 

Avoir de quoi faire

To have a lot of work to do/have a lot to keep one occupied.

Préparer Cendrillon pour le bal ? Sa bonne fée a de quoi faire ! (Get Cinderella ready for the ball? Her fairy godmother has a lot of work to do!) 

N’importe quoi

Nonsense.

This phrase can be used on its own – for example, Les chevaux savent voler ? N’importe quoi ! (Horses know how to fly? Nonsense!).  Or it can be used in a sentence. For example, here’s one my son often hears at nursery school and likes to repeat when I tease him: Maman, tu dis n’importe quoi. (Mom, you’re talking nonsense.)  You’ll also often hear the phrase C’est du n’importe quoi ! (That’s nonsense/What nonsense!) quite a lot in France.

Comme quoi

Who’d have thought? /It goes to show. 

Example: Comme quoi, la belle est tombée amoureuse de la bête ! (Who’d have thought, Beauty fell in love with the Beast!)

Et puis quoi encore ?

Come on! /What’s next?/and then what?

This is a common thing for French people to say when they’re exasperated or overwhelmed, although it could also be used if they’re simply listing something (this latter is especially common for children to do). Example: Tu veux que je paye le billet d’avion de ta sœur, que j’aille la recuperer à l’aeroport, et puis quoi encore ? (You want me to pay for your sister’s airplane ticket, pick her up at the airport – and then what?)

Il n’y a pas de quoi

You’re welcome.

As a culture, the French tend to be very polite, so it’s no wonder there are many ways to say “You’re welcome.” Il n’y a pas de quoi essentially means, “No worries.”

A word of warning: Be very careful how you pronounce this phrase.

When my father came to visit me in France a few years ago, he was proud that he at least knew some basic, polite French phrases. At a shop in my neighborhood, he bought a souvenir. The shopkeeper thanked him, and he meant to say Il n’y a pas de quoi, but it sounded like N’importe quoi, which, as you know from this list, means “Nonsense.” Luckily, I explained the situation to the shopkeeper and all was well.

Il n’y a pas de quoi + infinitive

There’s no reason to… – Example : Il n’y a pas de quoi pleurer. (There’s no reason to cry.)

Quoi de neuf ?

What’s new? 

Example : 

Quoi de neuf ? (What’s new?) 

Georges a gagné au loto ! (Georges won the lottery!)

Quoi ?  (What?)

Je dis n’importe quoi – c’est une blague. (I’m talking nonsense – it’s a joke.)

Ou quoi

Or what. 

As in English, this is an informal expression. You’ll usually hear it from young or lower-class people, or when someone is so angry that all propriety flies out the window. Example: Tu es bête ou quoi ? (Are you stupid or what?) is a very common phrase on TV, in the movies, and in everyday life in France.

Non mais ça va pas ou quoi ?

What’s wrong with you/What the hell?. This phrase literally means, “No but you’re not all right or what?” In other words, what’s your excuse for being so rude?  

C’est quoi ce/cette/ces…. –

What is this…/What are these… (usually in a negative or even disgusted way).  Example: C’est quoi ces godasses ? (What are these (implied: ugly/ridiculous) shoes?). 

You can find many, many more phrases and expressions with quoi on the excellent list included here.

The famous and often misunderstood je-ne-sais-quoi 

Quoi may not be a word most non-French speakers know, but many of them have probably heard the phrase je-ne-sais-quoi before. In fact, so many people have that it’s a very common search engine term. It’s no wonder; unlike other common French words that have been borrowed into other languages, this is a compound term with no easily recognizable elements to foreign speakers. Even as someone learning French, you may not be able to understand it completely, because its meaning goes beyond the words that make it up.

So, what does je-ne-sais-quoi mean? Quite simply, “I-don’t-know-what.” 

In French, the term can be used either as individual elements of a sentence (Remember Je ne sais quoi faire from earlier in this post?). 

But when it’s a hyphenated phrase-turned-masculine-singular-noun, in French and English, je-ne-sais-quoi means a certain appeal or charm that you can’t quite explain.

You could translate the sentence Cette fille a un je-ne-sais-quoi qui la rend inoubliable as ‘This girl has a certain je-ne-sais-quoi that makes her unforgettable.’ Or, if you wanted to only use English words: ‘There’s something indefinable about this girl that makes her unforgettable.’

In English, some people call je-ne-sais-quoi simply, “It” (not to be confused with the scary clown).  You’ll often hear this in Hollywood parlance; there are even entertainment magazines and websites that put out an annual “It List” of charming, intriguing people.

Of course, je-ne-sais-quoi depends on your own opinions. One person might say that an actor or writer or singer has a certain je-ne-sais-quoi, while another completely disagrees. 

It’s also important to keep in mind that je-ne-sais-quoi doesn’t just apply to famous people.  You might have a friend, relative, love interest, neighbor, coworker, etc. who has it. Works of art or design or other kinds of object might, too. For example, if a painting appeals to you, personally, and you can’t quite say why – especially if it’s not conventionally crowd-pleasing – you could say it has a certain je-ne-sais-quoi.

Animals and plants can also have je-ne-sais-quoi, as you might have guessed. This is something I think about a lot. Maru, for example, is an utterly adorable Scottish fold cat whose videos fill many of us with serene joy. On the other hand, black and white shorthair Princess Cheeto’s Tumblr account catches our eye, and not just because of its colors and slick graphic design: Princess Cheeto herself has a quirky, unforgettable face, a certain charm – je-ne-sais-quoi.  At least, in my opinion she does. And I’m not alone, since she’s been featured in several ad campaigns, including one I see quite a lot on the streets of Paris. 

It’s fitting that the term je-ne-sais-quoi is a phrase that hasn’t been translated out of French. French culture that seems to seek out and celebrate different kinds of charm and appeal. One of my favorite things about French culture is that while conventionally beautiful people are as admired and desired as they are in most other places, it’s a lot easier here for someone with genuine talent, a sparkling personality, or simply that je-ne-sais-quoi to be equally admired and revered and embraced as a celebrity. The “hip” French channel Canal + annually chooses a conventionally sexy woman to do the weather report, but they’ll also eagerly invite Beth Ditto to walk in a fashion show. 

Do you know a person, animal, work of art, or anything else with je-ne-sais-quoi?  

Quoiqu’il en soit (Whatever the case), I hope this post about the French what quoi was helpful and hasn’t left you shaking your head, thinking, C’est quoi cet article?

Do you know how many words there are in the French language? Come on, have a guess.

Most French dictionaries list around 60,000. But Le Grand Robert, one of the most prominent resources, gathers more than 100,000 words for a total of 350,000 different meanings.

Sounds overwhelming? Keep in mind that even native French speakers know merely a fraction of that! To start having basic conversations, you only need a few hundred basic French words for beginners. 

Further down the line, you’ll be considered “proficient” in French upon reaching around 5,000 words. That’s only about 5% of the whole collection.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves! In this article, we’ll list all of the French beginner words that will allow you to handle many everyday situations, whether you want to talk, listen, or both.

You only need a few words to start a conversation and make friends.

Table of Contents

1. Pronouns
2. Verbs
3. Numbers
4. Nouns
5. Conjunctions
6. Adjectives
7. Adverbs
8. Le mot de la fin

1. Pronouns

Let’s start our list of beginner French words with the most useful pronouns you should learn as you begin your studies.

At first, all you’re gonna need are the personal subject pronouns (“she,” “you,” “we,” and so on). As you move forward, you’ll quickly add some more to your arsenal.

→ To learn all about this topic, from the general rules to the 10 main categories of French pronouns, make sure to visit our complete guide on FrenchPod101.com.

1 – Personal Subject Pronouns

Personal subject pronouns replace the subject of a sentence.

• Sophie parle français. (“Sophie speaks French.”)
• Elle parle français. (“She speaks French.”)

Person	French pronoun	English
1st person sg.	je, j’	I
2nd person sg.	tu / vous	you (casual / formal)
3rd person sg.	il, elle, on	he, she, one
1st person pl.	on / nous	we (casual / formal)
2nd person pl.	vous	you
3rd person pl.	Ils, elles	they

2 – Impersonal Pronouns

When a sentence doesn’t have a clear subject, let’s stay vague and impersonal:

ça, ce, c’ (“it”)

• Ça fait mal. (“It hurts.”)
• Ce n’est pas vrai. (“It is not true.”)
• C’est important. (“It is important.”)

il (“it”)

• Il est temps. (“It’s time.”)
• Il pleut. (“It’s raining.”)

3 – Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are used with reflexive verbs. For example:

• se lever (“to stand up”)
• se promener (“to stroll”)
• s’habiller (“to get dressed”)

Person	French pronoun	Example
1st person sg.	me, m’	Je me lève. (“I stand up.”)
2nd person sg.	te, t’	Tu te lèves. (“You stand up.”)
3rd person sg.	se, s’	Elle s’habille. (“She gets dressed.”)
1st person pl.	nous	Nous nous préparons. (“We’re getting ready.”)
2nd person pl.	vous	Vous vous rasez. (“You shave.”)
3rd person pl.	se	Ils se promènent. (“They are strolling.”)

4 – Interrogative Pronouns

• Qui ? (“Who?”)
  Qui est là ? (“Who’s there?”)

• Où ? (“Where?”)
  Où es-tu ? (“Where are you?”)
• Quand ? (“When?”)
  On commence quand ? (“When do we start?”)

• Quoi ? (“What?”)
  
  On fait quoi ce soir ? (“What are we doing tonight?”)

• Pourquoi ? (“Why?”)
  
  Pourquoi tu ris ? (“Why are you laughing?”)

5 – Indefinite Pronouns

• tout (“everything”)
• rien (“nothing”)
• quelque chose (“something”)

• tout le monde (“everybody”)
• personne (“nobody”)
• quelqu’un (“somebody”)

Elle se réveille. (“She wakes up.”)

2. Verbs

Here’s a list of the 50 most useful French verbs for beginners. Of course, depending on whether you’re studying, visiting, or working in France, you might have different needs. But this is a good place to start in any case!

→ For all the information you’ll need on regular verb groups (-ER and -IR), irregular verbs, and reflexive verbs, be sure to have a look at our full article on FrenchPod101.com.

être

to be

avoir

to have

aller

to go

vouloir

to want

pouvoir

to be able to / can

devoir

to have to / must

falloir	to be necessary
This verb is only conjugated in the third person, with the impersonal pronoun il (“it”). In this case, it means “it is necessary that.” Il faut partir à l’heure. (“We must leave on time.”) Il faut que je parte. (“I have to go.”)

faire

to do

dire	to say / to tell

parler

to talk / to speak

aimer

to like / to love

mettre

to put / to place

remettre

to put back

poser

to put down / to ask

prendre

to take / to catch / to capture

donner

to give

savoir

to know

entendre

to hear

voir

to see

demander

to ask / to request

répondre

to answer / to reply

chercher

to look for

trouver

to find / to discover

retrouver

to regain / to meet up

rendre

to return / to give back / to make

venir

to come

passer

to pass / to go / to come

croire

to believe / to think

montrer

to show

commencer

to begin / to start

continuer

to continue / to keep going

penser

to think

comprendre

to understand / to include

rester

to stay / to remain

attendre

to wait

partir

to leave

arriver

to arrive / to happen

suivre

to follow

revenir

to come back

connaître

to know

compter

to count

permettre

to permit / to allow

s’occuper

to take care of

sembler

to seem

lire

to read

écrire

to write

devenir

to become / to turn into

décider

to decide

tenir

to hold

porter

to carry / to wear

Just add a few tenses and you can talk about anything!

3. Numbers

As a beginner, you really won’t need much as far as counting and numbers go. In most situations, you can get by with only small numbers; I’d not go further than 1 to 10 for now.

→ Should you need more digits, you could check out our article on French numbers. You’ll find everything you need to count from zero to infinity! It’s available for free on FrenchPod101.com.

• 0        Zéro
• 1        Un
• 2        Deux
• 3        Trois
• 4        Quatre
• 5        Cinq
• 6        Six
• 7        Sept
• 8        Huit
• 9        Neuf
• 10       Dix

4. Nouns

As a beginner, your basic French vocabulary arsenal should consist of the most common nouns in various categories. Knowing these alone will allow you to communicate basic ideas in a pinch. 

French nouns can be masculine or feminine, and you can generally determine which gender a word is based on the ending. However, because you don’t want to think about it in the middle of a conversation or get tricked by exceptions, the best way to learn nouns is to always use the article.

• Train Un train (“A train”)
• Voiture Une voiture (“A car”)

In the following list, I’ll mention the article for each word. In case the plural is irregular, I will include that as well. For every other word, the general rules apply.

• Un train, des trains (“Train, trains”)
• Une voiture, des voitures (“Car, cars”)
• Un mois, des mois (“Month, months”)

For more information on the gender and plural of French nouns, we just happen to have a detailed article on FrenchPod101.com.

1 – Time

une heure

an hour

une minute

a minute

un jour

a day

un mois

a month

un an / une année	a year
An is mainly used with numbers, as in: J’ai 20 ans. (“I’m 20 years old.”) Deux fois par an (“Twice a year”) Année is used in most other cases:  L’année prochaine (“Next year”) Chaque année (“Every year”)

un lundi

Monday

un mardi

Tuesday

un mercredi

Wednesday

un jeudi

Thursday

un vendredi

Friday

un samedi

Saturday

un dimanche

Sunday

un matin

morning

un midi

noon

un après-midi

afternoon

un soir

evening

une nuit

night

2 – Places

un monde

world

un pays

country

un endroit

place

une mer

sea

une forêt

forest

une montagne

mountain

un magasin

shop

3 – Technology & Internet

un téléphone

phone

un écran

screen

un ordinateur

computer

internet

internet

4 – Home

une maison

house

une porte

door

une fenêtre

window

une cuisine

kitchen

une chambre

bedroom

des toilettes

toilets / restroom

5 – City & Transport

une voiture

car

un bus

bus

un train

train

un avion

plane

un taxi

taxi / cab

un vélo

bicycle

une ville

city

une rue

street

une avenue

avenue

une route

road

6 – People

une mère

mother

un père

father

Maman

Mom

Papa

Dad

une femme

woman / wife

un homme

man

un mari

husband

un frère

brother

une sœur

sister

une famille

family

une copine

girlfriend

un copain

boyfriend

un fils

son

une fille

daughter

un ami

friend

7 – Body

une tête

head

un œil / des yeux

eye / eyes

une bouche

mouth

un nez

nose

une oreille

ear

des cheveux

hair

un bras

arm

une main

hand

8 – Food

une table

table

une assiette

plate

un verre

glass

de l’eau

water

un fruit

fruit

un légume

vegetable

un café

coffee

du pain

bread

9 – Work & Studies

un étudiant

student

une école

school

un docteur

doctor

un vendeur

salesman / vendor / seller

un professeur

professor

10 – Conversation

une question

question

une réponse

answer

un mot

word

une phrase

phrase / sentence

une idée

idea

There is always a bit of time to review vocabulary lists.

5. Conjunctions

There’s a LOT to say and explain about conjunctions, but luckily, you don’t need to use many of them when you start learning French.

→ Later on, though, have a look at our complete guide on French conjunctions to learn everything about how to list things, express conditions, state consequences, and much more.

• et (“and”)
  Un chat et un chien (“A cat and a dog”)
• ou (“or”)
  De l’eau ou du vin (“Water or wine”)
• si (“if”)
  
  Si tu veux venir (“If you want to come”)

• parce que (“because”)
  
  Je mange parce que j’ai faim. (“I eat because I’m hungry.”)

• mais (“but”)
  Un peu mais pas trop (“A bit, but not too much”)

• pour (“for” / “to” / “so that”)
  J’apprends le français pour voyager. (“I learn French to travel.”)
  
  C’est pour toi. (“It’s for you.”)

• par (“by” / “out of” / “with” / “using” / “through”)
  Je suis aidé par un expert. (“I’m helped by an expert.”)
  Je passe par Paris et Bordeaux. (“I go through Paris and Bordeaux.”)

Un chat et un chien (“A cat and a dog”)

6. Adjectives

French adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. In this table, you’ll find both genders in the format [ Masculine – Feminine ], as they can get quite irregular. If you see only one, it just means that the masculine and feminine forms are identical.

Plurals, on the other hand, are rather predictable and follow the general rules of the French plural.

→ You might want to check out a more detailed article on French adjectives for more grammar info and examples.

bon – bonne

good / right / correct

mauvais – mauvaise

bad / wrong / incorrect

facile

easy

difficile

difficult / hard

nouveau – nouvelle

new

cher – chère

expensive

grand – grande

large / big / tall / great / major

gros – grosse

big / fat

petit – petite

small / little

long – longue

long

court – courte

short

rapide

fast / quick

lent – lente

slow

chaud – chaude

hot / warm

froid – froide

cold

premier – première

first

dernier – dernière

last / final / latest

même

same

autre

other

différent – différente

different

seul – seule

only / alone / lonely

meilleur – meilleure

best / better

pire

worst

beau – belle

handsome / beautiful

moche

ugly

fort – forte

strong / high / important

gentil – gentille

nice / kind

fou – folle

crazy / mad

content – contente

glad

malade

sick / ill

important – importante

important

noir – noire

black

blanc – blanche

white

bleu – bleue

blue

rouge

red

sucré – sucrée

sweet

salé – salée

salty

délicieux – délicieuse

delicious

Cette tarte est délicieuse ! (“This tart is delicious!”)

7. Adverbs

If you need a reminder on what adverbs are, how they’re formed, and where to place them in a sentence, I would recommend a pit stop at our extensive article on French adverbs.

1 – When

tard

late

tôt

early

bientôt

soon

hier

yesterday

aujourd’hui

today

demain

tomorrow

avant

before

après

after

2 – How Often

jamais

never

trop

too much

souvent

often

toujours

always

peut-être

maybe

aussi

as well / too / also

3 – Where

ici

here

là

there

partout

everywhere

dedans

inside

dehors

outside

4 – How

bien

well

mal	badly / poorly

vite

quickly

5 – How Much

vraiment

truly / really

tout	all / everything

rien

nothing

beaucoup

many / much / a lot

seulement

only

peu	little / few

très	very / really

plus

more

moins

less

Il a très faim ! (“He’s really hungry!”)

8. Le mot de la fin

In this guide, you’ve learned more than 200 of the most useful French words for beginners: pronouns, verbs, nouns, adjectives, and all that jazz. As you keep learning French, you might find it handy to have them all conveniently gathered in one place.

Can you think of any more words you might need to know as you start your language learning journey? Let us know in the comments and we’ll get back to you!

Make sure to explore FrenchPod101.com, as we have plenty of free resources to help you practice your grammar and learn more basic French words and structures. Our vocabulary lists are another great way to learn and review the pronunciation of new words.

Remember that you can also use our Premium PLUS service, MyTeacher, to get personal 1-on-1 coaching with your own private teacher. They can help you practice with beginner words and more. In addition to providing you with assignments, personalized exercises, and recorded audio samples, your teacher will review your work and help improve your pronunciation. 

Happy learning on FrenchPod101!

About the Author: Born and bred in rainy Northern France, Cyril Danon was bouncing off various jobs before he left everything behind to wander around the wonders of the world. Now, after quenching his wanderlust for the last few years, he’s eager to share his passion for languages.

The French language is notorious for its beauty and unique pronunciation. It seems to float off your lips when you speak it, dancing gracefully into your ears when you listen. Its beauty attracts millions of language learners. But learning French can be challenging, especially when some French words are untranslatable.

If you’re interested in any language learning program, then it helps to grasp words that truly belong to that language. The following list is a compilation of French words with no English equivalent. Their construction and the feelings they communicate highlight aspects of French life and showcase how unique any foreign language learning experience can be.

1. L’espirit d’escalier

The direct French translation is “staircase wit.” It refers to the moment after a conversation when the time for quick replies has passed, and you’re on your own when you finally think of the perfect response. While there’s no English equivalent, the feeling is universal. We’ve all had that feeling of wishing we had only “come up with it sooner!” Except, in French, they have one word to express the entire feeling as a result of this specific situation.

2. La douleur exquise

Leave it to the French to come up with a word for the “friendzone”. This phrase, meaning, “the exquisite pain” reflects the feeling of loving someone who will never love you back. Even in French, there’s no way to avoid the heartache of someone not returning the feelings you have.

3. Sortable

Sometimes our friends and family can be a bit much, but we love them anyway. We also have friends and family that we know we can go out into public with and not have to worry about any embarrassment. These people are “sortable.”

4. Empêchement

If you’re late and don’t want to be too specific explaining why then you want to use this word. It means an “unexpected last-minute change of plans” and is an excellent way to avoid any additional questions.

Psst! Did you know we have a language learning app?

You’re only one click away!

5. Dépaysement

If you’ve ever felt like a fish out of water, then you’ve felt “dépaysement.” This word describes the unease of traveling in another country but not feeling as though you belong there. It’s not so much missing your country as it is being unfamiliar with all the differences you’re experiencing. A great word to remember if you plan on an immersion trip for a quick way to learn French.

6. Flâner

A flâner describes a specific kind of person. Brought to life from the poetry of Baudelaire, a flâner is a kind of observer that passes about the city taking in the sights and sounds. They notice changes in culture, but not for the sake of critiquing it, only to actively observe how diverse and fluid it truly is.

7. Voila

This one you may already know. It is quite common and used to illustrate something that has just happened. The literal meaning is “there it is.” But it’s often used to showcase an event or direct attention.

8. Nostalgie de la boue

Created by French poet and dramatist, Émile Augier, this phrase means to be “longing for the mud.” It’s the feeling of wanting a simpler life than the one we have. Perhaps you’re a lawyer or a doctor, and you drive past a flower shop and think that you’d much rather enjoy life as a florist. Maybe the pay is less as well as the prestige, but there’s a hope for happiness that having a much easier life could bring.

9. Jolie Laide

A word that translates into English as “pretty ugly” doesn’t quite convey its actual meaning very well. The term refers to someone who has a unique or unconventional beauty. It’s the feeling you get looking at someone, knowing they don’t reflect the general cultural notion of attraction and still finding them attractive.

10. L’appel du vide

Have you ever heard of the death drive? Well, “l’appel du vide” is similar to this, but in one specific difference. It means “the call of the void” and describes the urge of wanting to jump from a very high place when you’re standing next to a ledge.

11. Crapoter

This word refers to a fake person or someone who pretends to be someone they’re not. It comes from the action of someone pretending to inhale from a cigarette.

12. Tohu-bohu

Have you ever been in a situation that was pure chaos? You look around, and you realize that a house fire with people running around screaming would be more organized and calmer. If so, then you’ve probably witnessed “tohu-bohu” or a state of pandemonium. It’s derived from a Hebrew word describing the world before the Judaic God created it.

13. Râler

Annoy? Frustrated? Angry and in the mood to complain, but don’t want to feel overly judgmental? Well, in French, you can merely express râler to illustrate your dissatisfaction with the world in an eloquent, yet enlightened way.

14. Cartonner

Do you want to talk about the next summer blockbuster? Then you can use cartonner to point out how great a movie was. It’s technically slang term to describe successful films, and it’s derived from the action of covering an object in cardboard.

15. Contresens

This French word consists of two different French words, “contre” meaning against and “sens” meaning direction but it’s still without an English translation. It describes confusion or being wrong, but can also be used to describe “the wrong way” of doing something.

16. Ras-le-bol

Parents and older siblings will be very familiar with this word. When you’ve had enough and can’t take it anymore, when you’re “done,” you’ve experienced, “ras-le-bol” or “bowl full of it.” A similar expression in English would be to say that you’ve “had enough” or were “fed up” with something.

17. Retrouvailles

Haven’t seen your best friend in a few years? The moment you two lock eyes after he walks off the plane and you run up and give each other a huge hug, that moment is retrouvailles. It describes the feeling of seeing someone again after a long time.

18. Astre

On the surface, it may seem this word describes a “star” because it refers to any celestial body. However, it doesn’t mean so in a strictly scientific or observational sense. Instead, it refers to any object that is “out of this world.” While “astre” technically covers objects like stars, it covers exceptional people, ideas, and experiences as well.

19. Frappadingue

This is the perfect word to describe someone who’s out of their mind, crazy, or maybe just feeling a little more “YOLO” than usual. It combines “frapper” meaning to hit and “dingue” meaning crazy. It’s similar to asking someone “were you hit upside the head as a child” when they act crazy.

French Has Many Untranslatable Words

Studying a new language changes the way you see the world. These untranslatable French words are a great example of that. Keep in mind that this list is by no means all of the unique phrases and words that don’t completely translate English. However, they provide some insight into the dynamic French language. If you want to learn more about French, use OptiLingo to guide you to fluency.

OptiLingo is built to be effective. By combining the most cutting-edge language learning theories, this language learning app gets you results. You’ll reach fluency in record time by studying high-frequency phrases. And you’ll commit them to memory with our spaced-repetition. Thousands of language learners have benefitted from OptiLingo’s methods. Discover more than untranslatable French words. Try FREE today!