Learn French / Word lists

The 200 most common words in French 🇫🇷

French words ranked by how often they appear, each with its translation and an example sentence. Press the speaker to hear a word.

#	French	English	Example
1	êtreverb	to be	Vous devez être plus clairs.You must be clearer.
2	avoirnoun	asset, possession
3	pasnoun	step, pace, footstep	Des pas qu’on gravait dans la neige sont partis avec le printemps.Steps we etched in the snow are gone with the [arrival of] spring.
4	allerverb	to go
5	faireverb	to do	Fais pas ton innocent avec moi.Don't act like you're so innocent around me./Don't give me that innocent act.
6	unenoun	front page
7	direverb	to say, to tell
8	pouvoirverb	can, to be able to	Il se peut que je sois malade.It could be that I'm ill / I may be ill. / I could be ill.
9	quipronoun	who, whom	Tu as vu qui ?Who have you seen?
10	vouloirverb	to want, wish, desire	Je veux voir le soleil.I want to see the sun.
11	ellepronoun	she	Je crois qu’elle est partie.I think she left.
12	savoirverb	to know	Savais-tu qu’il parle si bien l’anglais?Did you know that he speaks English so well?
13	bienadjective	good, all right, great
14	voirverb	to see	Je vois ma mère là-bas.I see my mother over there.
15	plusadverb	more, -er	Plus je vois, plus je veux.The more I see, the more I want.
16	nonadverb	no
17	avecadverb	too, also	Il en est vraiment content. —Bien, moi avec.He's really happy about it. —Well, me too.
18	moipronoun	me
19	devoirnoun	duty
20	ouiadverb	yes
21	ilspronoun	they
22	toutadverb	all
23	venirverb	to come
24	toipronoun	you	Car tu es mon espérance, Seigneur Éternel! En toi je me confie dès ma jeunesse.For you are my hope, Eternal Lord! In you I entrust myself since my youth.
25	iciadverb	here
26	rienpronoun	nothing	Rien ne se perd, rien ne se crée, tout se transforme.Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed.
27	suivreverb	to follow	Je t’invite à me suivre.I invite you to follow me.
28	parlerverb	to speak, talk
29	prendreverb	to take	Pour finir dans deux heures, ça prend trois personnes.To finish in two hours, it'll take three people.
30	alorsadverb	then
31	chosenoun	thing	Les Agrigentins avaient en usage commun d’enterrer sérieusement les bêtes qu’ils avaient eu chères, comme les chevaux de quelque rare mérite, les chiens et les oiseaux utiles, ou même qui avaient servi de passe-temps à leurs enfants : et la magnificence qui leur était ordinaire en toutes autres choses paraissait aussi singulièrement à la somptuosité et nombre de monuments élevés à cette fin, qui ont duré en parade plusieurs siècles depuis.The Agrigentines had a common use solemnly to inter the beasts they had a kindness for, as horses of some rare quality, dogs, and useful birds, and even those that had only been kept to divert their children; and the magnificence that was ordinary with them in all other things, also particularly appeared in the sumptuosity and numbers of monuments erected to this end, and which remained in their beauty several ages after.
32	parnoun	par
33	sonnoun	sound	Le son de ce piano est agréable.The sound of this piano is nice.
34	croireverb	to believe	Il jure qu’il dit la vérité. Je ne le crois pas.He swears that he's telling the truth. I do not believe him.
35	aimerverb	to love	Donne-moi une raison de t’aimer.Give me a reason to like you.
36	falloirverb	to need, have to, to be necessary	Il faut que j’y ailleI need to go.
37	trèsadverb	very
38	quoipronoun	what	Je sais quoi faire.I know what to do.
39	bonadjective	good	Cette meuf est fin bonne !That chick is fine as hell!
40	passerverb	to go past	L’assassin n’avait donc pas passé par là et ne pouvait se sauver par là […]The murderer, therefore, could not have entered that way and could not possibly escape that way.
41	penserverb	to think, reflect, concentrate one's mind on something	Penser tout haut.Think aloud, speak one's mind freely.
42	aussiadverb	too, also, as well	Dans le bois, quand mon fils dormait et que tu dormais aussi, j’ai failli t’embrasser tout doucement.In the wood, when my son was sleeping and you were sleeping too, I almost kissed you softly.
43	jamaisadverb	never
44	attendreverb	to wait for, to await	J’attends mon cousin à la gare.I'm waiting for my cousin at the station.
45	pourquoiadverb	why
46	trouververb	to find, to retrieve something lost, turn up something hidden, or encounter something previously unknown to one	Quand est-ce qu’elle a trouvé les clés ?When did she find the keys?
47	laisserverb	to leave, to leave behind	Laissez le pistolet sur la tableLeave the gun on the table
48	arriververb	to arrive	On est arrivés à Paris vers 9 heures.We arrived in Paris around 9 o'clock.
49	donnerverb	to give, to transfer the possession/holding of something to someone else	Finalement, ayant perdu l’esprit sans ressource, il vint à donner dans la plus étrange pensée dont jamais fou se fût avisé dans le monde.Finally, having lost his mind completely, he happened to come across the strangest thought in the world of which a crazy person ever conceived.
50	regarderverb	to look at	Tu regardes quoi ?What are you looking at?
51	encoreadverb	still
52	appelerverb	to call	Appelle-moi ce soir.Call me this evening.
53	hommenoun	man	C’est un homme bien, le meilleur d’entre nous.He's a good man, the best of us.
54	partirverb	to share, to share out, to divide	Avoir maille à partir avec quelqu’un.To have scores to settle with someone, to have a bone to pick with someone.
55	petitadjective	small	Certaines personnes sont vraiment petites à propos des plus petites choses.Some people are really petty about the smallest things.
56	toujoursadverb	always	Parfois, peut-être même souvent, mais certainement pas toujoursSometimes, maybe even often, but certainly not always
57	journoun	day	L’aube du jour commençait à poindre quand don Quichotte sortit de l’hôtellerie, si content, si glorieux, si plein de ravissement de se voir armé chevalier, que sa joie en faisait tressaillir jusqu’aux sangles de son cheval.The dawn of the day was beginning to break when Don Quixote left the inn, so content, so glorious, so full of ravishment of seeing himself armed a knight, that his joy made him tremble all the way to the girths of his horse.
58	femmenoun	woman	Ta grandeur morale, image de l’infini, est immense comme la réflexion du philosophe, comme l’amour de la femme, comme la beauté divine de l’oiseau, comme les méditations du poète. Tu es plus beau que la nuit. Réponds-moi, océan, veux-tu être mon frère ?Your moral grandeur, image of infinity, is as vast as the philosopher's reflections, as woman's love, as the divine beauty of the bird, as the meditations of the poet. You are more beautiful than the night. Answer me, ocean, will you be my brother ?
59	tempsnoun	time
60	maintenantadverb	now, currently
61	vienoun	life, the state of organisms prior to death	La vie a drôlement augmenté depuis quelque temps : il ne me reste plus grand-chose quand j’ai payé tous les impôts.The cost of living has really been going up lately: I don't have much left once I've paid all my taxes.
62	mettreverb	to put, to place	il a pris un chiffon grisâtre et l’a mis sur la plaieHe took a grayish cloth and placed it over the wound.
63	resterverb	to stay	On est restés à l’hôtel pendant une bonne part du séjour, on était tous malades.We stayed at the hotel for a good part of the trip, we were all sick.
64	arrêterverb	to halt, to stop	Aujour-d’hui que la Constitution est définitivement arrêtée...Now that the Constitution is definitively settled...
65	vraimentadverb	truly, really, genuinely	Elle est vraiment belle.She is really beautiful.
66	connaîtreverb	to know , to be familiar with	Après la levée de l’état de siège, les tribunaux militaires continuent de connaître des crimes et délits dont la poursuite leur avait été déférée.After the lifting of the state of siege, the military tribunals continue to address crimes and offences whose prosecution has been submitted to them.
67	sûradjective	sure, certain
68	mercinoun	mercy
69	tuerverb	to kill	Il les a tués! Il a tué tous!He killed them! He killed everyone!
70	commentadverb	how
71	mourirverb	to die, to be dying	Ô nuit désastreuse ! ô nuit effroyable, où retentit tout à coup, comme un éclat de tonnerre, cette étonnante nouvelle : Madame se meurt, Madame est morte !O disastrous night! O terrible night, in which suddenly rings out, like a thunderclap, the shocking news: Madame is dying, Madame is dead!
72	demanderverb	to ask	Elle s’est demandé ce qu’elle devait faire.She wondered what she had to do.
73	mêmeadverb	even
74	peut-êtreadverb	maybe, perhaps	Peut-être que je vais bientôt partir.Maybe I will leave soon.
75	dieunoun	a god, male divinity
76	foisnoun	time	J’y vais deux fois par mois.I go there twice a month.
77	pèrenoun	father
78	peuadverb	little, not very much/many	Il est peu intelligent.He is not very intelligent.
79	comprendreverb	to understand, comprehend	Est-ce que vous avez bien compris ?Did you understand?
80	seuladjective	lonely
81	sortirverb	to exit, go out, come out
82	tropadverb	too, too much	La soupe est trop chaude.The soup is too hot.
83	fillenoun	girl	Je vous présente mes fils, Gérard-Marcel et Pierre-Vincent, et mes filles, Marie-Léonore et Jacqueline-Hélène.May I introduce you to my sons, Gérard-Marcel and Pierre-Vincent, and my daughters, Marie-Léonore and Jacqueline-Hélène.
84	mondenoun	world	C’est la plus belle fille du monde.She is the most beautiful girl in the world.
85	vraiadjective	true	Est-il vrai que vous ayez dit qu’il a besoin de notre aide ?Is it true that you said he needs our help?
86	autreadjective	other	Donnez-moi un autre exemple.Give me another example.
87	besoinnoun	need
88	accordnoun	chord
89	aminoun	friend	Nous devons toujours être aux côtés de nos parents et de nos amis.We must always stand by our family and our friends.
90	monsieurnoun	mister, sir	Il y a un monsieur pour vous voir.There's a gentleman here to see you.
91	enfantnoun	child
92	entendreverb	to hear
93	voilàverb	there is	Voilà l’homme tout entier, s’en prenant à sa chaussure alors que c’est son pied le coupable.There is man in his entirety, blaming his shoe when his foot is guilty.
94	chercherverb	to look for, to seek	Je cherche du boulot.I'm looking for some work.
95	heurenoun	hour, time	C’est l’heure de partir.It's time to leave.
96	aiderverb	to help, to aid
97	mèrenoun	mother
98	déjàadverb	already
99	beauadjective	handsome, fine, attractive	Il fait beau.It is nice out.
100	essayerverb	to test, to try on	J’essaie vraiment d’ t’aider sans m’oublier.I'm truly trying to help you without forgetting myself.
101	quelpronoun	what
102	justeadjective	fair, just	Elle n’est que trop juste en un si grand malheurIt is only too appropriate in such misfortune
103	grandadjective	big, great, grand	Il est grand comment ?How tall is he ?
104	quelqu'unpronoun	one	Il y a quelqu’un ici qui parle français ?Is there anybody here who speaks French?
105	beaucoupadverb	much, very much, a lot
106	revenirverb	to come back, to return	Est-ce que la lumière reviendra ? Est-ce qu’on retrouvera le sommeil ? Y aura-t-il un nouveau soleil, quelqu’un d’autre qui brillera ?Will the light return? Will we get back to sleep? Will there be a new sun, someone else who will shine?
107	doncadverb	therefore, consequently, thus	Je pense, donc je suis.I think, therefore I am.
108	plaireverb	to please, to appeal to
109	maisonnoun	house
110	gensnoun	set of people	Ces gens-là ont toujours été sympas avec moi.Those people have always been kind to me.
111	aprèsadverb	afterwards
112	nuitnoun	night
113	personnenoun	person	Mais les noms présentent des personnes — et des villes qu’ils nous habituent à croire individuelles, uniques comme des personnes — une image confuse qui tire d’eux, de leur sonorité éclatante ou sombre, la couleur dont elle est peinte uniformément comme une de ces affiches, entièrement bleues ou entièrement rouges, dans lesquelles, à cause des limites du procédé employé ou par un caprice du décorateur, sont bleus ou rouges, non seulement le ciel et la mer, mais les barques, l’église, les passants.But names present to us—of persons and of towns which they accustom us to regard as individual, as unique, like persons —a confused picture, which draws from the names, from the brightness or darkness of their sound, the colour in which it is uniformly painted, like one of those posters, entirely blue or entirely red, in which, on account of the limitations imposed by the process used in their reproduction, or by a whim on the designer's part, are blue or red not only the sky and the sea, but the ships and the church and the people in the streets.
114	soirnoun	evening
115	nomnoun	a name, especially a last name or family name
116	bonjournoun	greetings, hello	Tu passeras le bonjour à ta mère !You will say hello to your mother!
117	jouerverb	to play	Est-ce que tu voudrais jouer à un jeu avec moi ?Would you like to play a game with me?
118	finirverb	to finish, end, complete
119	peurnoun	fear
120	perdreverb	to lose	J’ai perdu les clés, mais un de mes amis les a trouvées.I lost my keys, but one of my friends found them.
121	mamannoun	mummy, mommy, mom, mum	Au revoir, maman, je t’appelle demain.Bye, Mom, I'll call you tomorrow.
122	sentirverb	to smell	Lui cherchant alors un nom qui ne s’écartât pas trop du sien, qui sentît et représentât la grande dame et la princesse, il vint à l’appeler Dulcinée du Toboso, parce qu’elle était native de ce village : nom harmonieux à son avis, rare et distingué, et non moins expressif que tous ceux qu’il avait donnés à son équipage et à lui-même.Through searching himself thus for a name that did not diverge too much from his own, that would give a feeling of and represent the great lady and princess, he came to call her Dulcinea del Toboso, because she was a native of this village [Toboso]: a name in his opinion harmonious, rare and distinguished, and no less expressive than all the ones that he had given to his team and to himself.
123	rentrerverb	to go back, to re-enter	rentrer dans la sallego back in the room/re-enter the room
124	avantadverb	beforehand, earlier
125	problèmenoun	problem
126	argentnoun	silver
127	vivreverb	to live
128	rendreverb	to give back, to return, to restore	Les Français libérés lors d’une opération de secours après s’être rendus dans une zone étrangère dangereuse pourraient devoir en régler la facture.French people liberated during a rescue operation after having gotten themselves into a dangerous foreign zone may have to pay the bill.
129	tenirverb	to have, to hold	"J'me tenais dans l’ouest de la ville, ça me fait plus peur l’exil"I used to hang out in the west end; exile doesn't scare me anymore.
130	mainnoun	hand
131	celapronoun	that
132	viteadverb	quickly
133	oublierverb	to forget	J’essaie vraiment d’ t’aider sans m’oublier.I'm truly trying to help you without forgetting myself.
134	airnoun	air
135	depuisadverb	ever since, since then
136	filsnoun	son
137	travaillerverb	to work	Il ne fait que travailler.All he does is work.
138	têtenoun	head
139	coupnoun	blow, hit, strike	Cette meuf, c’était le meilleur coup de ma vie.This bird was the best shag of my life.
140	écouterverb	to listen	J’écoute la radio.I am listening to the radio.
141	raisonnoun	reason
142	mangerverb	to eat	J’ai mangé de la viande pour le souper.I ate some meat for dinner.
143	mortadjective	dead	Le roi est mort.The king is dead.
144	amournoun	love	J’ai deux amours / Mon pays et ParisI have two loves / My country and Paris
145	malnoun	trouble, difficulty	Aïe, j’ai mal au bras !Ouille, j’ai mal aux dents! Et toi, le lit, tu n’as pas mal aux pieds ?Non, mais j’ai mal à la tête.Moi, j’ai mal aux oreilles !Argh, my arms hurt!Oww, my teeth hurt! How about you, bed, don't your legs hurt?No, it's my head that hurts.As for me, my ears hurt!
146	entrerverb	to enter	Entrer dans la salle.Enter the room.
147	devenirnoun	future
148	commencerverb	to begin, commence
149	momentnoun	moment	Ça fait un moment que je l’attendsI've been waiting for him for a while
150	dernieradjective	last	Il est parti le mois dernier.He left last month.
151	voiturenoun	car
152	demainadverb	tomorrow	Demain c’est dimanche.Tomorrow is Sunday.
153	ellespronoun	they
154	payerverb	to pay
155	tirerverb	to draw, drag, pull	Ils s’imaginent qu’en ne répondant pas, ou qu’en répondant n’importe quoi, quitte à se contredire toutes les cinq minutes, ils parviendront à s’en tirer.They imagine they can save themselves by refusing to answer questions—or by answering at random and even contradicting themselves every five minutes.
156	ouvrirverb	to open	À peine arrivé, il a ouvert les hostilités.He initiated hostilities almost as soon as he arrived.
157	faitnoun	fact
158	changerverb	to exchange
159	questionnoun	question
160	tomberverb	to fall	Un tamis placé à l’intérieur du dispositif empêchera les choses de tomber dans le tube.A screen placed inside the device will keep things from falling into the tube.
161	assezadverb	enough	T’as mis la barre assez haut.You set the bar pretty high.
162	foutreverb	to do, to fuck around with, to dick around, to fritter, to tinker	Qu’est-ce qu’elles foutent ?What the fuck are they doing?
163	excuserverb	to excuse
164	affairenoun	business, matter, affair	"Cibole! C’est pas le genre d’affaire qu’on oublie!""Dangit! It's not the kind of stuff you just forget!"
165	dormirverb	to sleep
166	combienadverb	how much	Est-ce que tu crois que l’on oublie ? Combien de temps faut-il attendre ? Combien de nuits pour désapprendre à se retourner dans son lit ?Do you believe that one forgets? How long [lit. how much time] must one wait? How many nights to break the habit of rolling over in one's bed?
167	frèrenoun	brother	Mon frère n’a rien fait.My brother didn't do anything.
168	travailnoun	work, labor
169	idéenoun	idea	Tous les enfans ſont des athées; ils n’ont aucune idée de Dieu: ſont-ils donc criminels à cauſe de cette ignorance?All children are born atheists; they have no idea of God. Are they then criminal on account of their ignorance?
170	famillenoun	family
171	trucnoun	procedure, technique
172	tantadverb	so much
173	premieradjective	first	Le premier élément de la liste est un zéro.The first element of the list is zero.
174	touspronoun	all
175	occuperverb	to occupy, to take up	Moi, je m’occupe des clients.Me, I'll take care of the clients.
176	marcherverb	to walk	Il marche au milieu de la rue.He is walking in the middle of the street
177	chancenoun	chance
178	aujourd'huiadverb	today
179	envoyerverb	to send
180	histoirenoun	story
181	tardadverb	late	Je ne pense qu’à aujourd’hui. C’est trop tard pour hier.I'm thinking only of today. It's too late for yesterday.
182	apprendreverb	to learn	Grâce à vous, j’en apprends tous les jours.Thanks to you, I learn every day.
183	minutenoun	minute
184	boireverb	to drink	Je rêve de boire à tes motsI dream of drinking to your words
185	garderverb	to keep, to retain, to store, to save	Elle a le droit de garder secrètes la plupart de ses caractéristiques.She has the right to keep most of her characteristics secret.
186	typenoun	type, sort, kind
187	portenoun	door
188	montrerverb	to show	Montre-le-moi.Show it to me.
189	mecnoun	guy, fellow, bloke, chap, dude, boyfriend	Quel mec a volé mon pantalon?Which guy stole my pants?
190	asseoirverb	to sit down, to get seated	Assieds les enfants sur des chaises !Sit the children down on chairs!
191	fouadjective	mad, crazy
192	porterverb	to carry
193	annéenoun	year
194	souvenirverb	to remember	Est-ce que vous vous souvenez de ce que vous m’avez dit la semaine dernière ?Do you remember what you told me last week?
195	prêtadjective	ready	Tenez-vous prêt pour partir dans deux heures.Be ready to leave in two hours.
196	prierverb	to pray
197	pendantadjective	hanging
198	moisnoun	month
199	servirverb	to serve	Je suis allée en France avec ma mère l’année dernière et le serveur nous a servi des escargots!I went to France last year with my mother and the waiter served us escargots!
200	putainnoun	whore, hooker

French frequency word lists

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