French vocabulary for beginners
One way to learn French fast is to understand as many French words as possible. Especially commonly used ones.
Knowing the right words to express yourself is vital.
You don't want to tell a friend;
Je suis à la librarie. (i am at the bookshop),
when what you really want to say is :
Je suis à la bibliothèque. (I am at the library).
Using the word la librarie to mean library is common among French beginners because of it's similarity to the English word library.
You want to have a good arsenal of French words at your disposal to avoid comprehension and speaking problems.
In this article we take a look at common French vocabulary we use in everyday conversation.
Content
Places
Living quarters
Clothes
Groceries
Ailments
Fruits
Vegetables
Means of transportation
Stores
Sports
Places
Le village = village
La ville = city/town
La capitale = capital
Le faubourg = outskirts
Le quartier. = neighbourhood
La gare = train station
L’hôtel = hotel
L’immeuble = building
L’hopital = hospital
Le musée = museum
Le parc = park
Le jardin public = public park
La campagne = country side.
L’école = school
L’église = Church
Examples
Allons au jardin public!
Let's go to the public park!
Living quarters (l’espace d’habitation)
Le salon = living room
La salle à manger = dinning room
La cuisine = kitchen
La chambre = room
La chambre d’amis = guest room
Le bureau = office/study
Le garage = garage
La salle de bains = bathroom
Les toilettes = restroom
La cave = cellar
Examples
Où sont les toilettes s’il te plaît?
Where is the restroom please?
Clothes (les vêtements)
La jupe = skirt
Le T-shirt = T-shirt
La vest = jacket
Le pull, le pull-over = sweater
Le pantalon = trousers/pants
La ceinture = belt
Le manteau = coat
La chemise = shirt (for men)
Le chemisier = shirt (for women)
La cravate = tie
Les bottes = boots
Les chaussures = shoes
Les chaussettes = socks
Examples
Il me faut un pull
I need a sweater.
Groceries (les provisions)
Le jus = juice
Le lait = milk
Les oeufs = eggs
Le sel = salt
La sucre = sugar
Le thé = tea
Le yaourt = yogurt
Le poivre = pepper
Le café = coffee
La glace = ice cream
La confiture = jam
L’eau = water
L’eau minérale = mineral water
Examples
J’aime boire du thé glacé en été.
_I love drinking ice tea during summe_r.
J’ai mis trop de sel dans la soupe.
I added too much salt to the soup.
Ailments
De la fièvre. A fever.
Une infection = an infection
Un rhume = a cold.
Une toux= a cough
Une douleur = a pain
Une démangeaison = an itch
Un bleu = a bruise
Un allergie = an allergy
De la fatigue = fatigue
Une entorse = a sprain
La diarrhée = diarrhea
Un abcès = an abcess
Un vertige = dizziness
Une maladie = a sickness
Examples
Fruits
Both fruits and vegetables are a daily necessity for good health.
La tomate = tomato
Le raisin. = grape
L’orange. = orange
La mangue = mango
La fraise= strawberry
Le citron = lemon
La banane= banana
L’avocat = avocado
La cerise = cherry
La pastèque = watermelon
La pomme. = apple
Examples
Je préfère les bananes aux citrons.
I prefer bananas to lemons.
Il me faux des avocats.
I need some avocado.
Vegetables
Here is a list of commonly used vegetables in French.
Le chou = cabbage
Le concombre = cucumber
La laitue = lettuce
Le maïs = corn
L’oignon = onion
La carotte = carrot
La pomme de terre = potato
Le persil = parsley
La menthe = mint
La citrouille = pumpkin
L’ail = garlic
Examples
Cherche-moi des oignons.
Get me some onions.
J’ai envie de manger des carottes.
I feel like eating carrots.
Means of Transportation( les transports)
We are able to travel
L’avion = plane
La voiture = car
L’auto, automobile = automobile
L’autocar, le car =
Le bateau = boat
La bicyclette = bicycle
Le métro = subway
Le train = train
Le TGV(train à grande vitesse)=high-speed train
L’espace = van
Le véhicule = vehicle
Le vélo = bike
Examples
Je vais louer un voiture à Paris.
I am going to rent a car in Paris.
Il y a un station de métro à Paris.
There is a subway station in Paris.
To say you are moving by plane, car, etc, use the preposition en before the mode of transportation. eg en voiture, en avion etc.
Je vais à paris en bateau.
I am going to Paris by boat.
Stores (les magasins)
Le marché = market
Le magasin = store
Le supermarché = supermarket
Le grand magasin. = department store
La poste = post office
La pharmacie = pharmacy
Le centre commercial = shopping mall
La boulangerie = bakery
La boucherie = butchery
Le magasin de meubles = furniture store
La pâtisserie = pastry shop
La parfumerie = perfume store
Examples
La pharmacie ferme à minuit.
The pharmacy closes at midnight.
Nous allons au marché.
We are going to the market.
Sports (les sports)
Le football, le foot = soccer
Le football américain = football
Le basket-ball = basketball
Le hockey = hockey
La natation = swimming
La pêche = fishing
Le surf = surfing
Le cyclisme = biking
Le karate = karate
Le judo = judo
Le tennis = tennis
Le saut à l’élastique = bungee jumping
Le kayak = kayak
Examples
Elle a la ceinture noire en karate.
She has a black belt in karate.
