French word for other

Even if you’re just starting to study French, believe it or not, you’ve already got a pretty extensive vocabulary! 

The reason for this is over 10,000 English words come from French. Many others come from Latin, the language from which French originated.

This means that a significant number of English words have either exact French counterparts or very similar equivalents in French.

That’s something to celebrate!  But, you might be wondering, just how did all of these French words get into English? How many French words are there in English? Let’s take a look at the French influence on the English language, and how it can help you with French vocabulary today!

When were French words borrowed into English?

Bayeux tapestry

In order to understand the way French influenced the English language, you have to know a little bit of history.

In antiquity, Celtic languages were spoken in the British Isles. Then, around 50 CE, most of the territory was invaded by the Romans. “Britannia” became a part of the Roman Empire, and Latin became the language of political and administrative life. 

In the 5th  and 6th centuries CE, Germanic tribes, including the Angles and the Saxons, invaded Britain, bringing their language with them.

But Latin remained a strong presence, since it was the language of the powerful and far-reaching Catholic Church (the Germanic tribes had quickly converted to Catholicism).

All religious services and texts were in Latin. This led to words commonly heard during masses and in religious parables becoming a part of everyday vocabulary. 

Some of the Latin words that began to infiltrate the language of British people at this time include “devil” (Latin: diabolus) and “angel” (Latin: angelus). 

Like its fellow Romance languages, French is a form of Vulgarized (that is, spoken by the people and influenced by previously existing local dialects) Latin. This is one of the reasons why there are so many similar words in French and Latin-influenced English. But it’s not the only reason why – not by far.

The main reason for the large number of French words in English can be chalked up to another invasion: the Norman Invasion of 1066, when William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquerant in French) staked his claim to the British throne and won it in the Battle of Hastings.

If you’re an art person, rather than a linguistics or history person, this battle may sound familiar – it’s immortalized on the Bayeux Tapestry. 

After William’s accession to the throne, the royal court was made up of Norman (from Normandy) nobility, who spoke French.

Old English and French coexisted, often quite separately, since most people in Britain never had contact with nobility.

But over time, French words began to creep into English.

These were mainly in areas like law, administration, and, unsurprisingly, food. For example, this excellent (and very funny) video about the history of English points out that while words like “pig” and “sheep” have Germanic roots, their food forms– “pork” (porc) and “mutton” (mouton) – come from French.

A few other French words that entered the English language in this era include sovereign (souverain), justice (justice), and counsel (conseil).

As the centuries went by, English continued to evolve, and and became recognized in its own right. It was used in the daily life of the upper classes and clergy, as well as the commoners. Latin did make a comeback, though. During the Renaissance, cultured people spoke it, and later, in the Age of Enlightenment, Latin was used again when classifying scientific discoveries and phenomena. 

Over the course of its tumultuous history, and English has borrowed from and been influenced by many different languages. But French and Latin have had the most influence. French and Latin words make up 58 % of modern English vocabulary today.  On their own, purely French words make up 29% of English. 

It’s generally thought that around 10,000 words have been borrowed into English from French. Of those, according to this source, there are over 1,700 “true cognates” – that is, words that not only look the same or similar, but have exactly the same meaning in both languages. 

Why is the French (and Latin) influence on English important to French learners?

Sure, etymology is fascinating, and sure, what you’ve just read might make for some fun party conversation (well, depending on what kind of parties you go to…). But is all of this really important? After all, even if you can speak English, that doesn’t mean you can speak French.  

But in fact, knowing this tie to French can help you. For one thing, you may have already experienced reading something in French and realizing that you understood more than you’d expected, because some of the words are the same in both languages.  And on an even more helpful scale, since certain lexical features like suffixes can be the same in French and English, you may be able to guess how to say certain French words.

Six suffixes that are the same in French and English

Blonde woman running

Action and other words in -tion often have the same meaning in French and in English.

With that in mind, let’s look at six fairly common suffixes that are the same in both languages. 

Before we do that, though, remember that a suffix is an ending that gives a particular meaning when it’s tacked onto a word. For example, -ly is a suffix in English that indicates a word is an adjective or adverb (examples: lovely, quietly).

Like English, French has many suffixes. A number of these come from Latin. These include:

  • -ation. Examples: nation/la nation ; information/l’information
  • -tion. Examples: acceleration/l’accélération ; attention/attention
  • -ssion. Examples: mission/une mission ; passion/la passion
  • -able. Examples : capable/capable ; table/la table ; adorable/adorable
  • -isme. Examples: Impressionism/l’impressionnisme ; racism/le racisme
  • -if/ive. Examples: furtive/furtif/furtive; creative/créatif/créative

As you can see, not all of these words are identical down to the letter. But knowing that root words in both languages can have these suffixes added to them can be helpful, especially in French conversation. Personally, this rule was one of the things that made speaking French a lot easier for me. If I knew a word in English that had one of these suffixes, there was a good chance that it was the same or similar in French.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you’ll no longer have to memorize vocabulary for words with these endings. After all, there are some that don’t follow the rule. Take “vacation” – in French, it’s les vacances.  Still, these common suffixes are good to keep in mind.

French circumflex words and English

Forest Path in Fall Season

French words with a circumflex like forêt often have a similar English counterpart.

Unlike English, the French language involves a lot of diacritical marks. While most accents in French words are used to indicate things like pronunciation, verb tense, or gender, one of them, the circumflex, is basically just a historical marker.

Most French words that have a circumflex once had an “s” after the accented letter. So, for example, the word château was once chasteau. The word forêt was once forest

That “once” is a time when French words were being borrowed into English, and so, interestingly enough, many French circumflex words have English counterparts that are very similar, with an “s”. You may already know or have guessed the English equivalents of château and forêt, for example – castle and forest.  

(Before we continue, yes, I know château is also “chateau” in English, but that word has a very specific connotation and isn’t used as a general term the way château is in French.) 

As you can see with château/castle, not all French circumflex words have remained exactly the same in the two languages. And in some cases, like être , there’s no similar English word at all. So, while the tie between French circumflex words and English could be helpful to keep in mind in some cases (forêt/forest; hôtel/hotel; hôpital/hospital; théâtre/theatre, etc.), it isn’t a constant.

But for etymology fans like myself, it is a pretty neat tie to history, at the very least.  

[optin-monster-shortcode id=”ifvvametyji10sky3qrx”]

False cognates – and why they exist in the first place

Some English and French words are written the same way or very similarly but have evolved to have very different meanings. 

One of the most notorious of these faux amis is préservatif, which does not mean “preservative” in French, but…condom. Misusing this word is one of the most awkward French mistakes you can make! 

So, the moral here is to still learn your vocabulary. But if you’re in a bind, you have a good chance of being able to find an equivalent French word if it contains one of those six suffixes I mentioned, or is related to a French circumflex word.

You may be wondering why faux amis exist at all, since English borrowed words directly from French and Latin. The answer is, it’s simply because of how language evolves. Even in English itself, certain words have changed meaning over time or have additional connotations than they previously did. A very interesting example of this – in both languages – is the word “gay”.  

“Gay” was borrowed into English from the French gai (joyful, flashy).  Over the 20th century, it came to have an additional meaning in English: homosexual. Today, this is the dominant connotation that comes to mind for most English-speakers. The English “gay” has been borrowed back into French, where it also means “homosexual.” The French word gai(e) still means “happy” in French, although some francophones, including those in Quebec, also use this spelling instead of “gay”.

One of the most important things that etymology can teach us is that words are always evolving. While they’re being spoken and used by human beings, languages are living things. Faux amis aside, that’s pretty cool.

French words that are the same in English

Still, there are many words in English and French that are the same or very similar, both in spelling and meaning. Here’s a list of some of the most common. If you want to go further, at the end of this article, you’ll find a link to an extremely long and thorough alphabetical list. 

French food and dining words that are the same in English

English words in French food

Many English food-related words originally came from French, but a majority of these have changed a bit over the centuries, to be pronounced and written in a more Anglophone way. 

A good example of this are the words derived from the French word and verb dîner, which include dinner, diner, and dinette, as well as the verb “to dine”. 

You’ll notice, first of all, that all of these words are pronounced differently than their French ancestors. You’ll also notice that their meanings have expanded from these two original borrowed words: “dinner” and “to dine” are the counterparts of le dîner and dîner, respectively, but a diner and dinette are types of restaurant.

Interestingly, “dinette” is also a French word, but it’ s a classic example of a faux ami.  In French, une dinette in French is a child’s tea party set or set of plastic food toys.  (It can also mean a light, late evening meal, although I’ve personally never heard it used that way, for what it’s worth.)

This being said, there are other French words related to food and dining whose meaning and spelling have remained more or less the same in French and English. A number of these were borrowed into English in recent centuries, when French cooking became a hallmark of class for Anglophones. 

Here are some of the most common food- and dining -related words that are the same (or extremely similar) in French and English:

  • à la carte : when you want to order individual dishes which are not part of a pre-established sequence of courses.
  • menu
  • apéritif
  • café (a type of restaurant)
  • picnic 
  • salade
  • soupe
  • omelette
  • bon appétit
  • hors d’œuvre
  • vinaigrette
  • restaurant
  • alcool (This word was originally borrowed into French from Arabic, by way of Latin)
  • chef (This means boss in French and not only “cook”.)

British English speakers also often use some common French food words, including: 

  • cornichon
  • gateau
  • courgette
  • aubergine

French fashion and appearance words that are the same or similar in English

Every culture has its trends, fashions, and notions of beauty, but France has an international reputation for expertise in this area. It’s no wonder, then, that so many French words related to fashion and appearance have been borrowed into English. Here’s a list of some of the most common -including one that’s a very recent addition to the English language:

  • prêt-à-porter
  • chic
  • couture
  • silhouette
  • petite
  • faux (usually used to describe synthetic fur (faux fur), as opposed to fur from an animal)
  • sans fard – If you’re a fan of pop culture and celebrity gossip, you’ve probably come across this term in recent years. “Sans fard” (sometimes written “sans fards”) means “without makeup” and describes a photo where a person is wearing no makeup, and may not even be groomed in a glamorous way (for example, unbrushed hair, etc.). Of course, sans fard photos aren’t always truthful – many celebrities have been called out for abusing the term, since they are wearing at least very basic makeup and have their hair done in the shot.

French art and culture words that are the same or similar in English

musée d'Orsay

Here are some French words that you’ll often hear or come across (or use) in English. 

  • Art Nouveau 
  • avant-garde
  • bas-relief
  • film noir
  • matinee (Note that in French, this word is most commonly used as a way to say “morning”.)
  • papier mâché (For many English speakers, this is written slightly differently: papier mache)
  • trompe l’oeil

In addition to artistic movements like Art Nouveau and Art Deco, which keep their French names in English,  many artistic movements are written in a similar way in French and English. One of the main reasons for this is the suffix -ism/-isme.  Here are a few examples:

  • Impressionism/impressionnisme
  • Realism/réalisme
  • Surrealism/surréalisme
  • Cubism/cubisme

You can find many other French words related to culture and the arts, including classical dance-related vocabulary on this excellent and extensive list.  

Other common French words used in English

Some French words we use in English, like repertoire and protégé, don’t have exactly the same meaning in both languages – or at least, not the same primary meaning. For example, répertoire in French is most commonly used to describe a list of phone numbers; protégé means “protected” in French).  But many other French words in English are used the same way in French, more or less. Here are some of them:

  • bourgeois
  • brunette
  • blond(e)
  • adieu
  • au contraire
  • chauffeur
  • chic
  • critique
  • depot
  • déjà vu
  • (eau de) cologne
  • eau de toilette
  • en route
  • entrepreneur
  • fiancé (Note that while in English, this can refer to a man or a woman, in French, a female person someone is engaged to is fiancée, the word’s feminine form.)
  • genre
  • laissez-faire
  • maître d’ (this is used in its complete form, maître d’hôtel, in French)
  • joie de vivre
  • toilette
  • nouveau riche
  • faux pas
  • je ne sais quoi
  • carte blanche
  • voyeur
  • R.S.V.P (Many English-speakers don’t realize this is an abbreviation of Répondez s’il vous plait)
  • souvenir
  • par excellence
  • potpourri
  • Bon voyage (learn more here)
  • cliché (Note that in French, in addition to its most well-known meaning, cliché is another way to say “photo”)
  • au pair
  • femme fatale
  • bouquet
  • boutique
  • coup
  • milieu 
  • ménage à trois
  • bon vivant
  • bon mot
  • coup d’état
  • de rigueur
  • savoir-faire
  • tête à tête
  • Voila (I usually see the word written without an accent in English, but remember that it’s actually written like this in French: Voilà).
  • du jour

These are just the most common French words used in English, but there are many more, especially if you’re watching or reading something featuring educated, possibly pretentious characters – or spending time with them in real life.  You can find a more extensive list of French words and expressions in English here. 

The three kinds of French words in English – and where to find them all

The words on our lists are among the most noticeable French words in English, because they haven’t changed (or haven’t changed much) from their original spellings and meanings. But what about the thousands of other French words that are supposed to make up the English language?

Since most of these words have evolved over the centuries, they may still be very similar to their French ancestors, or quite a bit different. Take, for example, one of my favorite English words, “jaunty”, which evolved in both spelling and meaning from the French word gentil

You can find an alphabetical list of French words in English, including these original borrowings that have evolved away from their French forms, here.  

And of course, don’t forget the English words that have a counterpart in French thanks to Latin. You can see some of those on this list. 

Do you have a favorite French word or expression that’s used in English? Are there any words these lists that surprised you? If so, why not try to use them today?

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:
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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!)


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From please and thank you to good morning and good night you’ll have what you need to be polite and win a smile for trying.

French Words

French word list for everyday conversation

Here’s a list of common French phrases that will help you communicate whilst travelling in France. Your trip will be much more enjoyable if you have a basic French vocabulary and the locals will appreciate your efforts.

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Letter Combinations

How to pronounce letter combinations

The following examples show you how to pronounce French letter combinations. The italic examples are the English equivalents.

Measurements

Measurement Translations

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Colors & Colours

Colors (US) / Colours (UK)

The below English French translations show a list of colors and there pronunciation with links to French lessons by Lya and FrenchPod101. You can watch all the French videos here: French Colors | Tutorial Videos.

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  • Weekly French words with Lya - colors

  • Learn French - French Color Vocabulary

    Learn French — French Color Vocabulary

    2 minutes 43 second tutorial

    FrenchPod101 have also created this great French colors vocabulary lesson which shows you how to say 17 colors with pictures.

French Time

Time to talk

At some point you will need to know the time or will be asked for the time. These words & phrases will teach you the basics and the lessons below will have you conversing in no time!

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  • What Time Is It? - part 1

    What Time Is It? — part 1

    10 minutes 31 seconds tutorial

    Words & phrases for telling the time

    Join Alexa in «What Time Is It? — part 1». Alexa will teach you the basics about how to tell time in French.

  • What Time Is It? - part 2

    What Time Is It? — part 2

    14 minutes 5 second tutorial

    Time Pronunciation

    Once you have learnt the basics you can move on a more difficult lesson «What Time Is It? — part 2». Alexa will now show you how to build a sentence for telling the time.

  • Choosing a Delivery Time in France

    Choosing a Delivery Time in France

    2 minutes 14 second listening exercise

    French Listening Exercise

    Now that you have learnt some vocabulary, how about testing yourself with this listening exercise.

French Weather

Words you may use when talking about the weather

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Free French Lessons

Here are 30 French language lessons that teach you basic french words & phrases.

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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.

A Man and a Woman Chatting on a Date with Drinks

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

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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”)

A Woman Stretching Upon Waking Up in the Morning

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

Signs that Read Now, Tomorrow, and Yesterday

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

A Man at the Subway Station Reviewing Vocabulary on His Tablet

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.”)

A Cat and a Dog

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

A Woman Biting into a Tart

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
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

A Zombie Coming Toward the Camera

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.

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In other words, we wanted to offer an alternative to our clients.

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En d’autre termes, nous voulions offrir une alternative à nos clients.

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In other words, unless you’re clinically depressed, being unhappy.

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En d’autre terme, à moins que vous soyez depressifs, être malheureux.

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In other words, working the aviation racket for all it’s worth.

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En autres mots, pas dans le cadre d’une assemblée scolaire.

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Aucun autre mot ne peut le dire aussi sincèrement.

But you knocked all them other words right back at that dude.

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Abréviation République, Ave., Décembre, et tous les autres mots.

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