🇫🇷 French vocabulary
The 300 most common French words
Learn these first: they make up a big share of everything you'll read. Ranked by frequency, with meanings and examples for the top 50.
| # | French | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | de Je viens de Paris. — I come from Paris. | of, from | preposition |
| 2 | je Je parle un peu français. — I speak a little French. | I | pronoun |
| 3 | est Elle est très gentille. — She is very kind. | is (être) | verb |
| 4 | pas Je ne sais pas. — I don't know. | not (ne… pas); step | adverb |
| 5 | le Le train part à midi. — The train leaves at noon. | the (masc.); him, it | determiner |
| 6 | que Je pense que tu as raison. — I think that you're right. | that, what, than | conjunction |
| 7 | la La porte est ouverte. — The door is open. | the (fem.); her, it | determiner |
| 8 | vous Vous parlez anglais ? — Do you speak English? | you (formal or plural) | pronoun |
| 9 | tu Tu viens ce soir ? — Are you coming tonight? | you (informal) | pronoun |
| 10 | un J'ai un frère. — I have a brother. | a, an (masc.); one | determiner |
| 11 | à Je vais à la gare. — I'm going to the station. | to, at, in | preposition |
| 12 | et Du pain et du fromage. — Bread and cheese. | and | conjunction |
| 13 | il Il travaille à Lyon. — He works in Lyon. | he, it | pronoun |
| 14 | a Elle a deux enfants. — She has two children. | has (avoir) | verb |
| 15 | ne Il ne mange jamais de viande. — He never eats meat. | not (with pas, jamais, rien…) | adverb |
| 16 | les Les enfants dorment. — The children are sleeping. | the (pl.); them | determiner |
| 17 | en J'habite en France. — I live in France. | in; of it, some | preposition |
| 18 | on On y va ? — Shall we go? | we, one, people | pronoun |
| 19 | ça Ça va bien, merci. — I'm fine, thanks. | that, it | pronoun |
| 20 | une Je voudrais une baguette. — I'd like a baguette. | a, an (fem.); one | determiner |
| 21 | ce C'est mon ami. — This is my friend. | this, that, it | pronoun |
| 22 | pour C'est un cadeau pour toi. — It's a present for you. | for, in order to | preposition |
| 23 | ai J'ai faim. — I'm hungry. | have (j'ai) | verb |
| 24 | des J'ai acheté des pommes. — I bought some apples. | some, (plural of un/une); of the | determiner |
| 25 | qui Qui est là ? — Who's there? | who, which, that | pronoun |
| 26 | mais C'est cher, mais c'est bon. — It's expensive, but it's good. | but | conjunction |
| 27 | dans Les clés sont dans le sac. — The keys are in the bag. | in, into | preposition |
| 28 | nous Nous partons demain. — We're leaving tomorrow. | we, us | pronoun |
| 29 | elle Elle habite à Marseille. — She lives in Marseille. | she, her, it | pronoun |
| 30 | me Tu me manques. — I miss you. | me, to me, myself | pronoun |
| 31 | bien Je vais bien. — I'm doing well. | well, good; really | adverb |
| 32 | si Si tu veux, on peut sortir. — If you want, we can go out. | if; so; yes (to a negative question) | conjunction |
| 33 | du Tu veux du café ? — Do you want some coffee? | of the, some (de + le) | determiner |
| 34 | y J'y vais demain. — I'm going there tomorrow. | there, to it | pronoun |
| 35 | suis Je suis fatigué. — I'm tired. | am (être); follow | verb |
| 36 | non Non, merci. — No, thank you. | no | adverb |
| 37 | avec Viens avec moi. — Come with me. | with | preposition |
| 38 | tout Tout va bien. — Everything's fine. | all, everything; quite | pronoun |
| 39 | plus Je n'ai plus d'argent. — I don't have any more money. | more; no longer (ne… plus) | adverb |
| 40 | mon Mon père est médecin. — My father is a doctor. | my (masc.) | determiner |
| 41 | te Je te remercie. — I thank you. | you, to you, yourself (informal) | pronoun |
| 42 | au On se voit au café. — See you at the café. | to the, at the (à + le) | preposition |
| 43 | fait Il fait beau aujourd'hui. — The weather is nice today. | done, made; fact; does | verb |
| 44 | moi C'est pour moi ? — Is it for me? | me, I (stressed) | pronoun |
| 45 | oui Oui, bien sûr. — Yes, of course. | yes | adverb |
| 46 | va Comment ça va ? — How are you? | goes; is going | verb |
| 47 | était C'était une belle journée. — It was a beautiful day. | was | verb |
| 48 | as Tu as un stylo ? — Do you have a pen? | have (tu as) | verb |
| 49 | faire Qu'est-ce que tu veux faire ? — What do you want to do? | to do, to make | verb |
| 50 | ils Ils arrivent ce soir. — They're arriving tonight. | they (masc.) | pronoun |
| 51 | sur | on, about | preposition |
| 52 | quoi | what | pronoun |
| 53 | se | himself, herself, themselves | pronoun |
| 54 | comme | like, as | conjunction |
| 55 | sais | know (je/tu sais) | verb |
| 56 | être | to be | verb |
| 57 | veux | want (je/tu veux) | verb |
| 58 | ici | here | adverb |
| 59 | ma | my (fem.) | determiner |
| 60 | toi | you (stressed, informal) | pronoun |
| 61 | dit | said; says | verb |
| 62 | lui | him, to him, to her | pronoun |
| 63 | votre | your (formal/plural) | determiner |
| 64 | es | are (tu es) | verb |
| 65 | pourquoi | why | adverb |
| 66 | où | where | adverb |
| 67 | là | there, here | adverb |
| 68 | rien | nothing | pronoun |
| 69 | cette | this, that (fem.) | determiner |
| 70 | sont | are (ils sont) | verb |
| 71 | quand | when | conjunction |
| 72 | peux | can (je/tu peux) | verb |
| 73 | dire | to say, to tell | verb |
| 74 | son | his, her, its | determiner |
| 75 | avez | have (vous avez) | verb |
| 76 | vais | go, am going (je vais) | verb |
| 77 | alors | so, then | adverb |
| 78 | ton | your (informal) | determiner |
| 79 | comment | how | adverb |
| 80 | par | by, through, per | preposition |
| 81 | ou | or | conjunction |
| 82 | chose | thing | noun |
| 83 | bon | good; well, OK | adjective |
| 84 | ont | have (ils ont) | verb |
| 85 | merci | thank you | interjection |
| 86 | juste | just, only; fair | adverb |
| 87 | très | very | adverb |
| 88 | jamais | never, ever | adverb |
| 89 | été | been; summer | verb |
| 90 | aussi | also, too | adverb |
| 91 | avoir | to have | verb |
| 92 | vraiment | really | adverb |
| 93 | voir | to see | verb |
| 94 | même | same; even | adjective |
| 95 | sa | his, her, its (fem.) | determiner |
| 96 | maintenant | now | adverb |
| 97 | tous | all, everyone | pronoun |
| 98 | peut | can, may | verb |
| 99 | deux | two | number |
| 100 | ces | these, those | determiner |
| 101 | êtes | are (vous êtes) | verb |
| 102 | allez | go (vous allez); come on | verb |
| 103 | ta | your (fem., informal) | determiner |
| 104 | autre | other, another | adjective |
| 105 | peu | little, few | adverb |
| 106 | temps | time; weather | noun |
| 107 | quelque | some | determiner |
| 108 | fais | do, make (je/tu fais) | verb |
| 109 | toujours | always; still | adverb |
| 110 | encore | again, still, yet | adverb |
| 111 | notre | our | determiner |
| 112 | mes | my (pl.) | determiner |
| 113 | besoin | need | noun |
| 114 | avait | had | verb |
| 115 | accord | agreement (d'accord = OK) | noun |
| 116 | faut | must, it is necessary (il faut) | verb |
| 117 | dois | must, have to (je/tu dois) | verb |
| 118 | vie | life | noun |
| 119 | peut-être | maybe, perhaps | adverb |
| 120 | aller | to go | verb |
| 121 | fois | time, occasion | noun |
| 122 | vu | seen | verb |
| 123 | donc | so, therefore | conjunction |
| 124 | sans | without | preposition |
| 125 | monde | world; people | noun |
| 126 | étais | was (j'étais/tu étais) | verb |
| 127 | parce que | because | conjunction |
| 128 | avant | before | preposition |
| 129 | sûr | sure, safe | adjective |
| 130 | trop | too, too much | adverb |
| 131 | quelqu'un | someone | pronoun |
| 132 | parler | to speak, to talk | verb |
| 133 | personne | nobody; person | pronoun |
| 134 | avais | had (j'avais/tu avais) | verb |
| 135 | père | father | noun |
| 136 | crois | believe, think (je/tu crois) | verb |
| 137 | après | after | preposition |
| 138 | aux | to the, at the (pl.) | preposition |
| 139 | dieu | God | noun |
| 140 | ouais | yeah | adverb |
| 141 | ses | his, her, its (pl.) | determiner |
| 142 | pense | think (je pense) | verb |
| 143 | eu | had (past participle of avoir) | verb |
| 144 | aime | like, love (j'aime) | verb |
| 145 | leur | their; to them | determiner |
| 146 | homme | man | noun |
| 147 | viens | come (je/tu viens) | verb |
| 148 | vrai | true, real | adjective |
| 149 | femme | woman, wife | noun |
| 150 | doit | must, has to | verb |
| 151 | veut | wants | verb |
| 152 | an | year | noun |
| 153 | mal | badly; pain, harm, evil | adverb |
| 154 | chez | at (someone's place) | preposition |
| 155 | déjà | already | adverb |
| 156 | depuis | since, for | preposition |
| 157 | beaucoup | a lot, much, many | adverb |
| 158 | vos | your (pl., formal) | determiner |
| 159 | bonne | good (fem.) | adjective |
| 160 | mort | dead; death | adjective |
| 161 | mieux | better | adverb |
| 162 | vas | go (tu vas) | verb |
| 163 | mère | mother | noun |
| 164 | sera | will be | verb |
| 165 | dis | say, tell (je/tu dis) | verb |
| 166 | fille | girl, daughter | noun |
| 167 | tes | your (pl., informal) | determiner |
| 168 | gens | people | noun |
| 169 | quel | which, what | determiner |
| 170 | vois | see (je/tu vois) | verb |
| 171 | désolé | sorry | adjective |
| 172 | voilà | there it is, here you are | adverb |
| 173 | avons | have (nous avons) | verb |
| 174 | petit | small, little | adjective |
| 175 | maison | house, home | noun |
| 176 | soit | be (subjunctive); either | verb |
| 177 | cela | that | pronoun |
| 178 | toute | all, whole (fem.) | determiner |
| 179 | soir | evening | noun |
| 180 | passé | past; spent, passed | adjective |
| 181 | prendre | to take | verb |
| 182 | jour | day | noun |
| 183 | monsieur | sir, Mr. | noun |
| 184 | nos | our (pl.) | determiner |
| 185 | savoir | to know | verb |
| 186 | salut | hi; bye | interjection |
| 187 | cet | this, that (masc. before vowel) | determiner |
| 188 | nom | name | noun |
| 189 | argent | money; silver | noun |
| 190 | bonjour | hello, good morning | interjection |
| 191 | nuit | night | noun |
| 192 | raison | reason; right (avoir raison) | noun |
| 193 | moins | less, minus | adverb |
| 194 | arrive | arrives, happens | verb |
| 195 | maman | mom | noun |
| 196 | reste | stays; rest | verb |
| 197 | moment | moment | noun |
| 198 | voulais | wanted (je/tu voulais) | verb |
| 199 | seul | alone, only | adjective |
| 200 | aider | to help | verb |
| 201 | air | air; look (avoir l'air = to seem) | noun |
| 202 | entre | between, among | preposition |
| 203 | papa | dad | noun |
| 204 | passe | passes, happens | verb |
| 205 | aurais | would have | verb |
| 206 | problème | problem | noun |
| 207 | peur | fear | noun |
| 208 | regarde | look; watches | verb |
| 209 | voulez | want (vous voulez) | verb |
| 210 | gars | guy, lad | noun |
| 211 | trouvé | found | verb |
| 212 | fils | son | noun |
| 213 | attends | wait (j'attends; wait!) | verb |
| 214 | savez | know (vous savez) | verb |
| 215 | jusqu'à | until, up to | preposition |
| 216 | trouver | to find | verb |
| 217 | trois | three | number |
| 218 | assez | enough; quite | adverb |
| 219 | famille | family | noun |
| 220 | dû | had to (past of devoir) | verb |
| 221 | plaît | pleases (s'il vous plaît = please) | verb |
| 222 | pourrait | could | verb |
| 223 | travail | work, job | noun |
| 224 | pris | taken | verb |
| 225 | pu | been able to | verb |
| 226 | tête | head | noun |
| 227 | sait | knows | verb |
| 228 | sommes | are (nous sommes) | verb |
| 229 | appelle | call (je m'appelle = my name is) | verb |
| 230 | quelques | a few, some | determiner |
| 231 | faites | do (vous faites) | verb |
| 232 | partir | to leave | verb |
| 233 | vite | quickly, fast | adverb |
| 234 | arrête | stop | verb |
| 235 | serait | would be | verb |
| 236 | voiture | car | noun |
| 237 | enfant | child | noun |
| 238 | tuer | to kill | verb |
| 239 | pendant | during, for | preposition |
| 240 | idée | idea | noun |
| 241 | chance | luck, chance | noun |
| 242 | parle | speak, talk (je parle) | verb |
| 243 | aurait | would have | verb |
| 244 | part | leaves; share, part | verb |
| 245 | elles | they (fem.) | pronoun |
| 246 | grand | big, tall, great | adjective |
| 247 | aujourd'hui | today | adverb |
| 248 | venir | to come | verb |
| 249 | ami | friend | noun |
| 250 | demain | tomorrow | adverb |
| 251 | tard | late | adverb |
| 252 | puis | then | adverb |
| 253 | truc | thing, stuff | noun |
| 254 | passer | to pass, to spend, to stop by | verb |
| 255 | tant | so much, so many | adverb |
| 256 | connais | know (je/tu connais) | verb |
| 257 | combien | how much, how many | adverb |
| 258 | mec | guy, dude | noun |
| 259 | sens | sense, direction; feel | noun |
| 260 | pouvez | can (vous pouvez) | verb |
| 261 | porte | door; carries | noun |
| 262 | sortir | to go out | verb |
| 263 | super | great | adjective |
| 264 | heure | hour, time, o'clock | noun |
| 265 | contre | against | preposition |
| 266 | coup | blow, hit; time | noun |
| 267 | comprends | understand (je/tu comprends) | verb |
| 268 | entendu | heard; agreed | verb |
| 269 | vient | comes | verb |
| 270 | allons | go (nous allons); let's go | verb |
| 271 | ensemble | together | adverb |
| 272 | nouveau | new | adjective |
| 273 | amour | love | noun |
| 274 | importe | matters (n'importe = no matter) | verb |
| 275 | sang | blood | noun |
| 276 | cas | case | noun |
| 277 | sous | under | preposition |
| 278 | rester | to stay | verb |
| 279 | prends | take (je/tu prends) | verb |
| 280 | fini | finished | verb |
| 281 | tué | killed | verb |
| 282 | question | question | noun |
| 283 | partie | part; game | noun |
| 284 | histoire | story, history | noun |
| 285 | devrais | should (je/tu devrais) | verb |
| 286 | aide | help | noun |
| 287 | dernière | last (fem.) | adjective |
| 288 | demande | asks; request | verb |
| 289 | chercher | to look for, to fetch | verb |
| 290 | pensais | thought (je/tu pensais) | verb |
| 291 | genre | kind, type; like | noun |
| 292 | seulement | only | adverb |
| 293 | police | police | noun |
| 294 | car | because, for; coach (bus) | conjunction |
| 295 | mois | month | noun |
| 296 | frère | brother | noun |
| 297 | laisser | to leave, to let | verb |
| 298 | aucun | no, none, not any | determiner |
| 299 | mettre | to put | verb |
| 300 | eux | them | pronoun |
Frequency ranking based on OpenSubtitles 2018 subtitles (hermitdave/FrequencyWords).
Questions
What are the most common French words?
The top ten are de (of), je (I), est (is (être)), pas (not (ne… pas); step), le (the (masc.); him), que (that), la (the (fem.); her), vous (you (formal or plural)), tu (you (informal)), un (a).
How many French words do I need to know?
The few hundred most frequent words make up a large share of any everyday text, which is why they're the best place to start. To read graded stories comfortably you need roughly 1,000–2,000; for unadapted books, several thousand. Test yourself with the French vocabulary size test.
Where does this list come from?
The ranking is based on OpenSubtitles 2018 subtitles (hermitdave/FrequencyWords), cleaned by hand to remove names, fragments and noise, with meanings added for learners.