Are you trying to learn French? We have to admit, it’s not the easiest language, especially since there are so many exceptions. But if you want to learn French efficiently, you should start to learn the most used words in French. It might help you start some conversations with locals.
How to Learn French Quickly?
When we start to learn a foreign language, we all want it to be quick. We dream about being fluent after only a few months of French lessons. Well, if you’re trying to speed things up, try to focus your attention on the most used vocabulary words, grammar, sentences, etc. If you learn the most common words in French, you’ll be one step ahead.
> How to learn the French alphabet
What Types of French Words Should You Learn ?
- the most used nouns in French
- the most used verbs in French
- the most used adjectives in French
- the most used adverbs in French
- the most used conjunctions in French
- the most used determinatives in French
- the most used prepositions in French
- the most used pronouns in French
We’re sure you started with some classic sentences, like “Où sont les toilettes?” and “J’aimerai un café et un croissant, s’il vous plaît”, but what are the most used words in French? Here are some of the most used words in the French language. These are the words you will find the most often in books and in French lessons, according to lexicologist Étienne Brunet.
30 of the Most Used Nouns in French
Professeur (m.) = teacher
Homme (m.) = man
Mari (m.) = husband, spouse
Femme (f.) = woman, wife
Jour (m.) = day
Mer (f.) = sea, ocean
Temps (m.) = time
Main (f.) = hand
Chose (f.) = thing
Vie (f.) = life
Yeux (pl.) = eyes
Heure (f.) = hour
Monde (m.) = world
Enfant (m.) = child, kid
Fois (f.) = time
Moment (m.) = moment
Tête (f.) = head
Père (m.) = father
Fille (f.) = girl, daughter
Coeur (m.) = heart
An / année (m. et f.) = year
Terre (f.) = Earth, land
Dieu (m.) = god
Monsieur (m.) = Mr, sir, gentleman
Madame (f.) = Mrs, madam
Voix (f.) = voice
Maison (f.) = house
Air (m.) = air
Mot (m.) = word
Nuit (f.) = night
We’re not saying that these 30 words alone will allow you to participate in every French conversation. But it’s a good start! At least, you will be able to talk about family and about the world. Depending on your work experience and your passion, try to make your own “most used words in French” list. If you are already aware that you’re using the same words over and over again, just give yourself a head start.
25 of the Most Used Verbs in French
Être = to be
Avoir = to have
Faire = to make, to do
Dire = to say
Pouvoir = to can
Aller = to go
Voir = to see
Vouloir = to want
Venir = to come
Devoir = to have to, owe
Prendre = to take
Trouver = to find
Donner = to give
Falloir = should
Parler = to speak
Mettre = to put
Savoir = to know
Passer = to go, to pass
Regarder = to watch
Aimer = to love
Croire = to believe
Demander = to ask
Rester = to stay
Répondre = to answer
Entendre = to hear
That’s a powerful list. We have to admit, you’re very likely to use these verbs in your daily life. It’s no surprise that these 30 verbs are some of the most used words in French, since they allow you to share basic information or feelings. Try to focus on this list in your next studying sessions. By the time you’ll learn how to conjugate, you’ll be ready for your first basic conversations…
Read our article about the 50 most used verbs in French!
25 of the Most Used Adjectives in French
Tout = all
Grand = tall, big
Petit = small
Même = same
Autre = other
Seul = alone
Jeune = young
Premier = first
Bon = good
Quel = which
Beau = beautiful
Vieux = old
Noir = black
Nouveau = new
Dernier = last
Blanc = white
Cher = expensive, dear
Long = long
Pauvre = poor
Plein = full, plenty
Vrai = true, real
Toute = all
Bas = low
Gros = big, huge
Doux = soft
Bonus : 9 more color adjectives !
Let’s be honest, life is more beautiful in color. Here is a list of primary colors, as well as some basic colors that you might need.
Bleu = blue
Rouge = red
Jaune = yellow
Vert = green
Rose = pink
Marron = brown
Orange = orange
Violet = purple
Gris = grey
25 of the Most Used Adverbs in French
Ne = not, don’t
Pas = not
Plus = more
Bien = well
Si = if
Là = here, there
Même = even
Tout = all
Encore = again
Aussi = too, also
Peu = few
Alors = then
Toujours = always
Jamais = never
Non = no
Très = very
Ainsi = thus, hence
Moins = less, fewer
Ici = here
Oui = yes
Trop = too much
Déjà = already
Tant = so much
Enfin = finally, lastly
Maintenant = now
Obviously, you will not become fluent simply by learning these adverbs. But they are essential if you want to bring some nuances to your sentences or emphasize something you’re talking about. These adverbs can make all the difference between basic sentences and an elaborate conversation.
19 of the Most Used Conjunctions in French
Et = and
Que = that
Comme = like
Mais = but
Ou = or
Quand = when
Si = if
Puis = then
Donc = so
Car = because
Ni = nor
parce que = because
Pourquoi = why
Lorsque = when
tandis que = whereas
Puisque = since, as
Comment = how
Soit = either… or
Or = yet
Again, these short words might seem useless, but they’re worth your time. In grammar, a conjunction is an invariable word that serves to interconnect two words or groups of words, in order to express a logical relation between the connected entities. Who wouldn’t want to be logical, right?
20 of the Most Used Determinatives in French
Le = the
Un = a
Son = his, her
Ce = this
Du = some
Au = at
De = of, to, from
Mon = my
Leur = their
Notre = our
Votre = your
Quelque = some, a few
Ton = your
Tout = all
Chaque = each
Aucun = none
Tel = such
Plusieurs = several
Autre = other
Nul = no one, void, null
Let’s be precise! With these determinatives, you’ll be able to address people more specifically, and enrich your conversation. These short words can be powerful, so learn them and use them wisely!
25 of the Most Used Prepositions in French
De = of, to, from
À = to
En = of, in, into
Dans = in
Pour = for
Par = by, through
Sur = on
Avec = with
Sans = without
Sous = under
Après = after
Entre = between
Vers = towards
Chez = by
Jusque = until
Contre = against
Devant = in front
Depuis = since
Pendant = during
Avant = before
Voilà = that is, there
Près = near, close
Dès = since
Malgré = despite, in spite of
Voici = here
This list might be more difficult to use. Not because it’s a long one, but because each word can have a slightly different meaning depending on the verb you use it with. Try to learn these words on their own, before learning all the verbs with prepositions. Keep in mind that these are some of the most used words in French, but that you will need to learn more to become fluent…
22 of the Most Used Pronouns in French
Il = he
Je = I
Se = himself
Qui = that
Elle = she
Ce = that
Le = the
Que = that
Vous = you
Me = me, myself
On = one
Lui = him
Nous = we
Tu = you
Moi = me
Te = you
Celui = this
Rien = nothing
Dont = whose
Tout = all
Ça = this
Cela = this
These words are essential in any conversation or even in order to understand a book. But don’t worry, most of these words are used to build basic sentences. As a beginner, we’re sure you will quickly learn these.
After learning 200 of the most used words in French, do you feel like you’ll be more comfortable talking with a French person? Obviously, learning hundreds of words won’t allow you to be fluent overnight. But it will help you become more confident. In fact, you will spend less time searching for the right word or preposition, since you learned them all!
But don’t forget to add new words to your vocabulary, like the ones added to the French Larousse dictionary for 2023. We also have a list of a funny few words that aren’t used a lot…
