The 100 Most Common Words in French

Là

"Là" is the French for "there." However, the French sometimes use "là" when "here" would be used in English. Elle n'est pas là She is not there.

Ma

"Ma" is the French for "my." It is used before feminine nouns Ll ètait avec ma mère He was with my mother

Me

"Me" is a reflexive pronoun (only used with pronominal verbs). It can be the equivalent of "me" or "myself" in English. Je me réveille à 8 heures tous les jours. I wake up at 8am every day.

Merci

"Merci" means "thank you." Merci beaucoup. Thank you very much.

Moi

"Moi" is the French equivalent of "me." C'est moi It's me

Mon

"Mon" is a singular masculine possessive adjective. It's used like "my" in English, but only before masculine words and words starting with a vowel. Mon ami habite dans cette maison My friend lives in this house.

Même

"Même" means "even" as an adverb or "same" as a noun. C'est la même voiture qu'hier. It's the sane car as yesterday.

Non

"Non" means "no." Ça va? Non, je suis triste. Are you okay? No, I am sad.

On

"On" is an indefinite pronoun meaning "one" or "we." On fair quoi ce soir? What do we do tonight?

Ont

"Ont" is the third person plural present conjugation of the verb "avoir" (to have). It's also an auxiliary verb used to form compound tenses. Lls ont une maison en Bretagne. They have a house in Brittany.

Ou

"Ou" means "or." Not to be confused with "où" with an accent, which means "where." Cet été, je voudrais aller au Japon ou à Costa Rica. This summer i would like to go to Japan or Costa Rica.

Oui

"Oui" is the opposite of "non." It means "yes" Oui, j'ai faim Yes; I am hungry.

Où

"Où" is the French for "where" Où est le musée? Where is the museum?

Pas

"Pas" is the translation of "not." Ll n'est pas ici. He is not here.

Plus

"Plus" is an adverb used to make comparisons and say "more." Jean est plus grand que Marc Jean is taller than Marc.

Pourquoi

"Pourquoi" is French for "why" Pourquoi est-ce que tu ne viens pas damain? Why aren't you coming tomorrow?

Peux

"Puex" is the first person singular form of the verb "pouvoir" (can). Je peux y aller demain. I can go there tomorrow

Quand

"Quand" means "when." Quand est-ce que tu pars? When are you leaving?

Que

"Que" has a few different meanings. It's most frequently used to say "that." J'espère que tu seras là. I hope (that) you will be there.

Qui

"Qui" as an interrogative pronoun means "who" or "whom." It can also be used as a relative pronoun, in which case it means "which" "who" "whom" or "that." Qui est là? Who is there?

Rien

"Rien" is the French for "nothinf" and sometimes "anything." Rien de spécial Nothing special.

Sa

"Sa" is the feminine possessive adjective. It can mean "his," "hers" or "its." Ll est avec sa mère He is with his mother

Sais

"Sais" is the first person singular present of the verb "savior" (to know). Je sais comment y aller. I know how to go there

Se

"Se" is the third person singular and plural reflexive pronoun in French. It can be used with a pronominal verb, or with the passive voice. Elle se repose. She is resting

Si

"Si" is a conjucation equivalent to "if." It can also be used to contradict what someone just said. Je ne sais pas si elle viendra I don't know if she will come.

Son

"Son" is a singular masculine possessive adjective. It's only used before masculine nouns, whike "sa" is used before feminine nouns. It can either mean "his," "her," her "its." Son fils s'appelle Tom, His son is called Tom.

Sont

"Sont" is the third person plural present conjugation of the verb "être" (to be). Lls sont Français. They are French.

Suis

"Suis" is the first person singular present form of the verb "être" (to be.) Je suis fatigué(e) I am tired.

Ta

"Ta" is a feminine possessive adjective. It means "you" and is only to be used with feminine nouns. Est-ce que c'est ta souer? Is she your sister?

Te

"Te" is an object pronoun placed just before the verb. Note: "te" becomes "t" before vowels Je t'aime. I love you ("te" becomes "t" before a vowel)

Toi

"Toi" is a pronoun you use when you want to say "with you," "for you," "thanks to you," and "next to you." Ll est avec toi. He is with you.

Toi

"Toi" is a pronoun you use when you want to say "with you," "for you," "thanks to you," and "next to you." Ll est avec toi. He is with you

Ton

"Ton" means "yours." However it's only used in informal situations before singular masculine nouns. C'est ton livre? Is it your book?

Tous

"Tous" is the French for "all" or "everybody." Ils sont tous partis. They all left

Tout

"Tout" means "all" or "every." Il a tout mangé He ate everything.

Très

"Très" is the French for "very." C'est très bon It's very good.

Tu

"Tu" is the informal way of saying "you." You can use it with kids, friends, and people you know well. Tu vas à Bordeaux. You go to Bordeaux

Un

"Un" means both "one" and "a." Un café s'il-vous-plaît A coffee, please.

Une

"Une" is a feminine indefinite article equivalent to "a" and "an." It's ised before feminine words. It's also the feminine form of "un" (one). Une bouteille d'eau A bottle of water.

Va

"Va" is a form of the verb "aller" (to go). It can be either the third person singular present form, or the second person singular imperative. Le train va à Paris. The train is going to Paris.

Vais

"Vais" is the first person singular form of the verb "aller" (to go.) Je vais à l'école tous les jours. I go to school every day

Voir

"Voir" is the French for "to see." Je ne vois rien. I don't see anything.

Votre

"Votre" is one of the ways you say "your" in French. It's used in formal settings before singular nouns. Voici votre manteau Here is your coat

Vous

"Vous" is the "you" to ise to talk to people who are older than you, to strangers, to groups and generally anytime a formal language is required. Vous avez raison You are right.

Veux

"Vuex" is the first and second person singular present of the verb "vouloir" (to want) Je vuex manger I want to eat

Y

"Y" is a pronoun used to refer to a place already mentioned in the conversation. It can often be translated as "there." Nous y allons We are going there.

À

"À" is a preposition meaning "to" or "at." Il est à la maison. He is at home.

Ça

"Ça" is a shortened form of the pronoun "cela." It can mean "it" or "that." Ça suffit It's enough.

Était

"Était" is the third person singular imperfect of the vern "être" (to be.) C'était génial. It was great

Été

"Été" is the past participle of "être" (to be) and also means "summer." Qu'est-ce que tu fais cet été?

Êtes

"Êtes" is the second person plural present form of "être" (to be). It's also the polite form. Est-ce que vous êtes Américain? Are you American?

Être

"Être" means "to be." Ça ne peut pas être vrai It can not be true.

Quoi

Quoi means "what." However, in meany situations, other terms are used. You use "quoi" when you ask a question but keep the normal sentence word order. Or when "what" is the object of a preposition. De quoi est-ce que tu parles? What are you talking about?

Comme

The conjucation "comme" means "like," "how," "as," or "since." C'est comme ça That's how it is.

Mais

The conjucation "mais" is used like "but" in English. J'aime les fraises, mais je n'aime pas les oranges. I like strawberries but i don't like oranges.

Pour

The french prepositions "pour" means "for" when followed by a noun. It also has other meanings, but they are less frequent J'ai quelque chose pour toi. I havr something for you.

Nous

The personal pronoun "nous" means "we" in English. Nous mangeons du pain We eat/are eating bread

Par

The preposition "par" has many different meanings. Most of the time, it means "through," "by" or "per." Elle a jeté son téléphone par pa fenêtre She threw her phone through the window.

Sur

The preposition "sur" has a few different meanings: "on," "on top of," "above," and "out of." Le livre est sur la table The book is on the table.

Deux

This is the number "two" He voudrais duex croissants s'il-vous-plaît I would like two croissants please.

Ne

To create negative sentences in French, put "ne" right before the verb, and "pas" right after. Je ne veux pas manger I don't want to eat.

La

"La" is "the" before feminije words La femme. The woman.

Le

"Le" is "the" for masculine words Le masée du Louvre The Louvre museum.

Les

"Les" is the plural of "the" Les amis de Marie sont là. Marie's friends are here.

Lui

"Lui" is the Frenxh for "him." Elle lui parle She is talking to hin

A

"A" without accent is the conjugated form of the verb "avoir" (to have). It's used with "il" (he) and "elle" (she). Elle a duex frères. She has two brothers.

Al

"Al" is the first person present form of "avoir" (to have) in the present tense. J'ai faim I am hungry (lit: i have hunger)

Allez

"Allez" is the second person plural present form of the verb "aller" (to go). It is also a polite form to use when talking to someone you don't know well. Où est-ce que vous allez dimanche? Where are you going on Sunday?

Alors

"Alors" is a conjucation meaning "then" (consequence of something) or "so" Alors, quad est-ce qu'on y va? So, when are we going?

As

"As" is the second person singular present conjugation of the verb "avoir" (to have) Est-ce que tu as du temps demain? Do you have time tomorrow?

Au

"Au" is the contraction of "à le" (to the). It's only used before masculine words. Je vais au cinéma. I am goining to the cinema.

Aussi

"Aussi" means "also" or "as" if used in a comparison. Elle est aussi belle que sa soeur. She is beautiful as her sister.

Avec

"Avec" means "with." Ll mange avec Sarah He is eating with Sarah.

Avez

"Avez" is the second person plural form of "avoir" (to have). It can be used when talking to a person you need to address formally. Vous avez raison You are right (lit: you have right).

Bien

"Bien" used as an adverb means "well." As an adjectice, it means "good." Très bien Very good.

Ce

"Ce" is a pronoun used before masculine words. It translates as "this" or "that." Ce parfum est cher. This perfume is expensive.

Ces

"Ces" is the French for "these" and "those." There is actually no distinction between "these" and "those" in French. J'aime beaucoup ces chaussures I really like these shoes.

Cette

"Cette" is the French for "this." It's used before feminine singular nouns. J'adore cette chanson I love this song.

Chose

"Chose" means "things." J'ai quelque chose à te montrer. I have something to show you.

Comment

"Comment" is the French for "how" Comment allez-vous? How are you?

Dans

"Dans" is a preposition meaning "in" or "inside." It can be used to say "within" a period of time. Elle est dans sa chambre. She is in her room.

De

"De" can be used to express possession, define the origin of something, describe something, or express a cause. La masion de Julien Julien's house.

Des

"Des" is a plural indefinire article. It's used to refer to multiple objects or persons. J'ai des anis en Italie. I have friends in Italy.

Dire

"Dire" is the infinite of the verb "to say" Je ne sais pas quoi dire. I don't know what to say.

Dit

"Dit" is the third person singular present and past participle of "dire" (to say). Ll a dit qu'il n'avait rien fait. He said he didn't do anything

Du

"Du" is the contraction of "de" and "le" (of the). It can also mean "some." Je mange du pain. I am eating bread.

Elle

"Elle" corresponds to the personal pronoun "she." Elle n'est pas là. She is not here.

En

"En" is a pronoun used as the object of a verb to indicate a quanitity, location, or time. Je suis en France I am in France.

Es

"Es" is the second person singular present of "être" (to be). Est-ce que tu es au restaurant avec Paul? Are you at the restuarant with Paul?

Est

"Est" is the third person singular present form of the verb "être" (to be). ll est grand He is tall.

Et

"Et" means "and..." J'aime les macarons et les gâteaux I like macarons and cakes

Faire

"Faire" means "to do" "to make" Je ne sais pas quoi faire. I don't know what to do.

Fait

"Fait" is the third person singular present of the verb "faire" (to do, to make). Used as a noun it means "fact" Ll fait chaud, c'est un fait It's hot, it's a fact

Faut

"Faut" is the third person singular present form of the verb "falloir" (to have to). Ll faut y aller We have to go (lit: it's necessary to go).

Ici

"Ici" means "here." Ce n'est pas ici It's not here.

Il

"Il" is the translation of "he." Ll est gentil. He is nice.

Ils

"Ils" is the equivalent of "they." However, if you are talking about woman only, you need to use "elles" instead. Lls sont partis They are gone.

Jamais

"Jamais" is the French for "never." Ll n'est jamais en retard. He is never late.

Je

"Je" is a pronoun corresponding to the English "I." Je suis fatigué I am tired.

Bon

Bon means "good" J'aime le chocolat, c'est bon I like the chocolate, it's good.