French: 40 essential words
The 40 French (français) words you will hear and use most: greetings, people, places, everyday things and common verbs.
40 cards · Languages
Each Zap teaches up to 5 new cards, so you learn the deck a few at a time.
Checked by the Brain Zap team · reviewed 10 Oct 2026
Source: Wiktionary (French)
Preview
Hello
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Bonjour
Learn more: Bon + jour, 'good day'. Use it until early evening, then switch to bonsoir.
Goodbye
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Au revoir
Learn more: From revoir, 'to see again'. Keep adieu for a goodbye that is final.
Please
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S'il vous plaît
Learn more: The polite form, 'if it pleases you'. With friends and family, say s'il te plaît.
Thank you
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Merci
Learn more: Merci beaucoup means 'thank you very much'; the usual reply is de rien, 'it's nothing'.
Yes
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Oui
Learn more: To say yes to a negative question, French uses si instead: Tu ne viens pas ? Si !
About this topic
French is spoken by more than 300 million people on five continents, from Paris and Montreal to Dakar and Geneva. These forty words are the everyday core: greetings, people, time, places and the verbs you need in your first real conversation.
It is a generous language for English speakers, because English took thousands of words from French after 1066. Many cards here have a cousin in English, such as nourriture and nourish, année and annual, or livre and library, and the hints point you to them.
Two habits make it easier. Learn every noun with its article, le or la, since gender changes the words around it; each Why line names it for you. And say each word out loud: French spelling keeps letters it no longer pronounces, like the s of pays or the t of chat, so the sound is worth learning as much as the spelling.
All 40 cards
Hello
Bonjour
Learn more: Bon + jour, 'good day'. Use it until early evening, then switch to bonsoir.
Goodbye
Au revoir
Learn more: From revoir, 'to see again'. Keep adieu for a goodbye that is final.
Please
S'il vous plaît
Learn more: The polite form, 'if it pleases you'. With friends and family, say s'il te plaît.
Thank you
Merci
Learn more: Merci beaucoup means 'thank you very much'; the usual reply is de rien, 'it's nothing'.
Yes
Oui
Learn more: To say yes to a negative question, French uses si instead: Tu ne viens pas ? Si !
No
Non
Learn more: A plain 'no'. Ne… pas makes a verb negative: je ne sais pas, 'I don't know'.
Water
Eau
Learn more: Eau is feminine: l'eau, une eau claire. Think of eau de toilette.
Food
Nourriture
Learn more: Nourriture is feminine: la nourriture. It shares its root with nourish and nutrition.
House
Maison
Learn more: Maison is feminine: la maison, une maison. 'At home' is à la maison.
Friend
Ami / Amie
Learn more: Un ami is a male friend, une amie a female one; both sound the same. Before a vowel: mon amie.
Man
Homme
Learn more: Homme is masculine: l'homme, un homme. The h is silent, so le drops its vowel.
Woman
Femme
Learn more: Femme is feminine: la femme, une femme. It also means 'wife': ma femme.
Child
Enfant
Learn more: Enfant takes either gender: un enfant for a boy, une enfant for a girl. Plural: les enfants.
Day
Jour
Learn more: Jour is masculine: le jour, un jour. Bonjour is literally 'good day'.
Night
Nuit
Learn more: Nuit is feminine: la nuit. Bonne nuit means 'good night' at bedtime.
Time
Temps
Learn more: Temps is masculine: le temps. It means both 'time' and 'weather': quel temps fait-il ?
Year
Année
Learn more: Année is feminine: l'année, une année. Bonne année means 'Happy New Year'.
Work
Travail
Learn more: Travail is masculine: le travail. Its plural is irregular: les travaux, 'works' or 'roadworks'.
Life
Vie
Learn more: Vie is feminine: la vie. 'C'est la vie' means 'that's life'.
Love
Amour
Learn more: Amour is masculine: l'amour, un grand amour. Mon amour means 'my love'.
City
Ville
Learn more: Ville is feminine: la ville. The town centre is le centre-ville.
Country
Pays
Learn more: Pays is masculine: le pays, un pays. The s is silent and stays the same in the plural.
School
École
Learn more: École is feminine: l'école, une école. The é replaced an old s: compare 'school'.
Book
Livre
Learn more: Livre is masculine for 'book': le livre. As a feminine noun, la livre means 'pound'.
Dog
Chien
Learn more: Chien is masculine: le chien, un chien. A female dog is une chienne.
Cat
Chat
Learn more: Chat is masculine: le chat, un chat. The final t is silent.
Big
Grand
Learn more: It usually goes before the noun: un grand chien. Feminine: grande. It can also mean 'tall'.
Small
Petit
Learn more: It goes before the noun: un petit chat. Feminine: petite, the word English borrowed.
Good
Bon
Learn more: It goes before the noun: un bon livre. Feminine: bonne, as in bonne nuit.
Bad
Mauvais
Learn more: It goes before the noun: un mauvais jour. Feminine: mauvaise. The final s is silent.
Today
Aujourd'hui
Learn more: Built from au jour d'hui, 'on the day of today'; hui is old French for 'today'.
Tomorrow
Demain
Learn more: From Latin de mane, 'from the morning'. 'See you tomorrow' is à demain.
Always
Toujours
Learn more: From tous les jours, 'every day'. It also means 'still': il pleut toujours.
Never
Jamais
Learn more: It works with ne: je ne mange jamais, 'I never eat'. Jamais de la vie means 'not on your life'.
To be
Être
Learn more: Highly irregular: je suis, tu es, il est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils sont.
To have
Avoir
Learn more: Irregular: j'ai, tu as, il a, nous avons, vous avez, ils ont. It also forms the past: j'ai mangé.
To go
Aller
Learn more: Irregular: je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont. Allons-y ! means 'let's go!'
To eat
Manger
Learn more: A regular -er verb: je mange, nous mangeons, with an e to keep the g soft.
To drink
Boire
Learn more: Irregular: je bois, tu bois, il boit, nous buvons, vous buvez, ils boivent.
To speak
Parler
Learn more: A regular -er verb: je parle, nous parlons. 'Do you speak English?' is Parlez-vous anglais ?
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