50 Common French Words Every Beginner Should Know

French is spoken as a first or additional language by hundreds of millions of people across five continents, and it remains one of the most commonly studied second languages worldwide. As with any language, progress comes fastest from small, high-frequency word groups rather than long memorised lists.

Greetings and courtesy

Bonjour (hello/good day), merci (thank you), s'il vous plaît (please, formal), au revoir (goodbye), excusez-moi (excuse me) — the essential opening phrases for any conversation.

Numbers

Un (one), deux (two), trois (three) through dix (ten) — worth noting French numbers above sixty have some famously quirky construction (quatre-vingts for eighty is literally "four-twenties"), which is worth being aware of early rather than a surprise later.

Family

Mère (mother), père (father), frère (brother), sœur (sister), ami/amie (friend, gendered by the speaker referring to a male or female friend).

Everyday life

Eau (water), pain (bread), maison (house), travail (work), école (school).

Grammatical gender: essential from day one

Every French noun is either masculine or "féminin," which affects the article used (le/un for masculine, la/une for feminine) and any adjectives describing it. There's no reliable universal rule for guessing gender from a word alone, which is exactly why it's worth learning each noun's gender alongside its meaning from the very first time you look it up, not as an afterthought.

Why accents matter

French accented letters (é, è, ê, ç, à and others) change pronunciation and sometimes meaning entirely — a and à are different words. Dropping accents when writing or looking up words isn't a harmless shortcut; it can genuinely change what you're saying.

A simple way to build from this list

1. Pick five to eight words a day, always noting the noun's gender.
2. Practice pronunciation out loud, paying attention to accented sounds.
3. Use each word in a short sentence of your own.
4. Review yesterday's words before adding today's.

Look up any French word instantly, with correct gender and accents, offline — English French Dictionary →