French essentials: 50 high-frequency words and phrases
The first fifty French words and phrases to learn: greetings and polite phrases, core verbs like être, avoir and aller, and everyday nouns with le, la or l’, each with an example.
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Greeting, used during the day
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All 50 cards
- 1bonjourGreeting, used during the dayhello; good morningBonjour, madame ! — Hello, madam!
- 2bonsoirGreeting, used in the eveninggood eveningBonsoir, tout le monde ! — Good evening, everyone!
- 3salutInformal greeting or farewellhi; byeSalut, ça va ? — Hi, how’s it going?
- 4au revoirFarewellgoodbyeAu revoir et à demain ! — Goodbye, see you tomorrow!
- 5merciPhrasethank youMerci beaucoup pour ton aide. — Thank you very much for your help.
- 6s’il vous plaîtFormal (vous); informal: s’il te plaîtpleaseUn café, s’il vous plaît. — A coffee, please.
- 7de rienReply to merciyou’re welcomeDe rien, c’était un plaisir. — You’re welcome, it was a pleasure.
- 8excusez-moiFormal (vous); informal: excuse-moiexcuse meExcusez-moi, où est la gare ? — Excuse me, where is the train station?
- 9je suis désoléPhrase; a woman writes désoléeI’m sorryJe suis désolé, je suis en retard. — I’m sorry, I’m late.
- 10Comment allez-vous ?Formal (vous); informal: Comment vas-tu ?How are you?Bonjour, monsieur Martin, comment allez-vous ? — Hello, Mr. Martin, how are you?
- 11Ça va ?Informal; the answer can be ça va tooHow’s it going?; Are you OK?Ça va bien, merci. — I’m fine, thanks.
- 12Je ne comprends pasPhraseI don’t understandJe ne comprends pas. Vous pouvez répéter ? — I don’t understand. Could you repeat that?
- 13Combien ça coûte ?QuestionHow much does it cost?Combien ça coûte, ce pull ? — How much is this sweater?
- 14Je m’appelle…Phrase, literally “I call myself”My name is…Je m’appelle Camille. Et toi ? — My name is Camille. And you?
- 15êtreIrregular verb: je suis, tu es, il estto beJe suis étudiant. — I’m a student.
- 16avoirIrregular verb: j’ai, tu as, il a; also used for ageto haveJ’ai vingt ans. — I’m twenty years old.
- 17allerIrregular verb: je vais, tu vas, il vato goJe vais au travail à vélo. — I go to work by bike.
- 18faireIrregular verb: je fais; also used for weatherto do; to makeIl fait beau aujourd’hui. — The weather is nice today.
- 19pouvoirIrregular verb: je peuxcan; to be able toJe peux payer par carte ? — Can I pay by card?
- 20vouloirIrregular verb: je veux; je voudrais is the polite formto wantJe voudrais un verre d’eau. — I’d like a glass of water.
- 21savoirIrregular verb: je saisto know (facts, how to)Je ne sais pas où il est. — I don’t know where he is.
- 22connaîtreIrregular verb: je connaisto know (people, places)Tu connais Paris ? — Do you know Paris?
- 23parlerRegular -er verbto speak; to talkVous parlez anglais ? — Do you speak English?
- 24mangerRegular -er verb (nous mangeons)to eatOn mange à midi. — We eat at noon.
- 25prendreIrregular verb: je prendsto take; to have (food, drink)Je prends le train à huit heures. — I take the train at eight.
- 26venirIrregular verb: je viensto comeTu viens avec nous ? — Are you coming with us?
- 27aimerRegular -er verbto like; to loveJ’aime beaucoup le chocolat. — I really like chocolate.
- 28habiterRegular -er verbto live (somewhere)J’habite à Lyon. — I live in Lyon.
- 29l’eauFeminine noun (la becomes l’ before a vowel)waterL’eau est froide. — The water is cold.
- 30la maisonFeminine nounhouse; homeJe suis à la maison. — I’m at home.
- 31le jourMasculine noundayIl pleut tous les jours. — It rains every day.
- 32la nuitFeminine nounnightBonne nuit, dors bien ! — Good night, sleep well!
- 33le tempsMasculine nountime; weatherJe n’ai pas le temps. — I don’t have time.
- 34le travailMasculine noun; plural: les travauxwork; jobJe cherche du travail. — I’m looking for work.
- 35la villeFeminine nountown; cityMarseille est une grande ville. — Marseille is a big city.
- 36l’ami / l’amieNoun: un ami (a man), une amie (a woman)friendC’est mon meilleur ami. — He’s my best friend.
- 37l’hommeMasculine noun (the h is silent)manQui est cet homme ? — Who is that man?
- 38la femmeFeminine noun; pronounced like “fam”woman; wifeSa femme est médecin. — His wife is a doctor.
- 39le problèmeMasculine noun, despite the -eproblemIl n’y a pas de problème. — There’s no problem.
- 40la gareFeminine nountrain stationLa gare est loin d’ici ? — Is the station far from here?
- 41le painMasculine nounbreadJe vais acheter du pain. — I’m going to buy some bread.
- 42bon / bonneAdjective, placed before the noungoodC’est un bon restaurant. — It’s a good restaurant.
- 43beau / belleAdjective; bel before a masculine noun starting with a vowel soundbeautiful; handsomeQuelle belle journée ! — What a beautiful day!
- 44grand / grandeAdjective, usually before the nounbig; tallIls ont une grande maison. — They have a big house.
- 45petit / petiteAdjective, usually before the nounsmall; littleJ’ai un petit chien. — I have a small dog.
- 46beaucoupAdverb; beaucoup de + nouna lot; very muchIl y a beaucoup de monde. — There are a lot of people.
- 47aussiAdverbalso; tooMoi aussi, je veux venir. — I want to come too.
- 48toujoursAdverbalways; stillIl est toujours en retard. — He’s always late.
- 49aujourd’huiAdverbtodayOn est quel jour aujourd’hui ? — What day is it today?
- 50parce que / pourquoi ?Conjunction / question wordbecause / why?Pourquoi tu apprends le français ? Parce que j’aime la France. — Why are you learning French? Because I love France.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a French noun is masculine or feminine?
Mostly by learning it with its article, as these cards do. Endings help: -tion and -té are usually feminine, -ment and -age usually masculine, but there are exceptions such as la plage and l’image (feminine).
When do I use tu or vous?
Tu with friends, family, children and people your age in casual settings; vous with strangers, in shops and at work, and always for more than one person.
Why is there a space before question marks?
French typography puts a thin space before ? ! : and ;. The cards follow that convention.
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