Learning the basics of French vocabulary is essential for anyone starting out with the language. These fundamental words will help you form simple sentences, understand everyday conversations, and begin your journey toward fluency. Below, we’ve categorized the most important words and phrases every beginner should know.
1. Essential Greetings and Politeness
Start by learning how to greet people and be polite in French.
- Bonjour – Good morning/Hello
- Bonsoir – Good evening
- Salut – Hi
- Merci – Thank you
- S’il vous plaît – Please
- Excusez-moi – Excuse me
- Au revoir – Goodbye
- Ça va? – How are you?
Example Sentence:
- Bonjour! Comment ça va? (Hello! How are you?)
2. Basic Questions
Knowing how to ask questions will allow you to communicate better.
- Qui? – Who?
- Quoi? – What?
- Quand? – When?
- Où? – Where?
- Pourquoi? – Why?
- Comment? – How?
Example Sentence:
- Où est la station de métro? (Where is the metro station?)
3. Numbers (Les Chiffres)
Numbers are important for many situations like counting, shopping, and time.
- Un – One
- Deux – Two
- Trois – Three
- Quatre – Four
- Cinq – Five
- Six – Six
- Sept – Seven
- Huit – Eight
- Neuf – Nine
- Dix – Ten
Example Sentence:
- J’ai trois livres. (I have three books.)
4. Some Common Nouns
Here are some frequently used nouns to help with everyday communication.
- Maison – House
- Voiture – Car
- École – School
- Livre – Book
- Chien – Dog
- Chat – Cat
Example Sentence:
- Le chien est dans la maison. (The dog is in the house.)
5. Basic Verbs
Verbs are essential for building sentences. Of course, just knowing a bunch of verbs in infinitive is not very useful. You will need to learn how to conjugate them! You can click on each verb to see the conjugation – for a start, just focus on the present tense.
Here are some of the most common verbs to get you started.
Example Sentence:
- Je suis étudiant. (I am a student.)
- Nous parlons français. (We speak French.)
6. Days of the Week (Les Jours de la Semaine)
Talking about days is key in planning, organizing, and understanding schedules.
- Lundi – Monday
- Mardi – Tuesday
- Mercredi – Wednesday
- Jeudi – Thursday
- Vendredi – Friday
- Samedi – Saturday
- Dimanche – Sunday
Example Sentence:
- Nous avons une réunion lundi. (We have a meeting on Monday.)
7. Pronouns
These are used to replace nouns in a sentence.
- Je – I
- Tu – You (informal)
- Il/Elle – He/She
- Nous – We
- Vous – You (formal/plural)
- Ils/Elles – They
Example Sentence:
- Elle est étudiante. (She is a student.)
8. Colors (Les Couleurs)
Describing things becomes easier once you know the colors in French.
- Rouge – Red
- Bleu – Blue
- Vert – Green
- Jaune – Yellow
- Noir – Black
- Blanc – White
Example Sentence:
- La voiture est rouge. (The car is red.)
9. Family Members (La Famille)
These words will help you talk about family.
- Mère – Mother
- Père – Father
- Frère – Brother
- Sœur – Sister
- Grand-mère – Grandmother
- Grand-père – Grandfather
Example Sentence:
- Mon frère s’appelle Jean. (My brother’s name is Jean.)
10. Basic Adjectives
Adjectives allow you to describe things in more detail.
- Grand/Grande – Big/tall
- Petit/Petite – Small
- Beau/Belle – Beautiful
- Vieux/Vieille – Old
- Nouveau/Nouvelle – New
- Rapide – Fast
Example Sentence:
- C’est une grande maison. (It’s a big house.)
Practice Exercise
To reinforce your learning, here’s a short quiz:
- Translate: “I have a dog.”
- What is the French word for “Tuesday”?
- How do you say “Where” in French?
- What’s the French word for “green”?
Conclusion
Mastering these basic French words will provide a strong foundation for your language journey. Practice using these words in real-life conversations, and soon you’ll find yourself more comfortable with speaking and understanding French!
