French word for use

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

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Most Common French Words

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)