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100 Most Common French Words (with Example Sentences)

· 9 min read

The 100 highest-frequency French words, each with a short example sentence and English translation. The core that carries most of everyday French.

Why the Top 100 Matter

A small core of high-frequency words does most of the work in any language. Learn the top 100 French words and you already recognise the majority of the words in an ordinary sentence. They are the glue: articles, pronouns, everyday verbs, prepositions and connectors.

The trick is not to memorise them as a flat list. It is to meet them in context, again and again, until they stop feeling like vocabulary and start feeling like French.

How to Use This List

  • Read each word with its example. Say the sentence out loud.
  • Do not try to swallow all 100 in one sitting. Twenty a day is plenty.
  • Come back tomorrow and read them again.
  • On PlusOneLanguage, tap any word inside a real French text to save it, and the app feeds those exact words back to you in new sentences at your level.

The 100 Most Common French Words

  1. le / la / les — the. Le livre est sur la table. — The book is on the table.
  2. de — of / from. La voiture de mon frère. — My brother's car.
  3. un / une — a. Un café, s'il vous plaît. — A coffee, please.
  4. être — to be. Je suis fatigué. — I am tired.
  5. avoir — to have. J'ai deux enfants. — I have two children.
  6. et — and. Du pain et du fromage. — Bread and cheese.
  7. à — to / at. Je vais à Paris. — I'm going to Paris.
  8. il — he / it. Il pleut. — It's raining.
  9. elle — she. Elle arrive demain. — She arrives tomorrow.
  10. je — I. Je ne sais pas. — I don't know.
  11. tu — you (informal). Tu viens ? — Are you coming?
  12. vous — you (formal / plural). Vous parlez français ? — Do you speak French?
  13. nous — we. Nous partons ce soir. — We're leaving tonight.
  14. ils / elles — they. Ils habitent ici. — They live here.
  15. ne … pas — not. Je ne comprends pas. — I don't understand.
  16. que — that / which. Le film que j'aime. — The film that I like.
  17. qui — who. Qui est là ? — Who's there?
  18. dans — in. Dans la cuisine. — In the kitchen.
  19. sur — on. Sur la table. — On the table.
  20. pour — for. C'est pour toi. — It's for you.
  21. avec — with. Viens avec moi. — Come with me.
  22. sans — without. Un café sans sucre. — A coffee without sugar.
  23. par — by. Par la fenêtre. — Through the window.
  24. en — in / to. En France. — In France.
  25. chez — at (someone's place). Chez moi. — At my place.
  26. mais — but. Petit mais confortable. — Small but comfortable.
  27. ou — or. Thé ou café ? — Tea or coffee?
  28. si — if. Si tu veux. — If you want.
  29. parce que — because. Parce que j'ai faim. — Because I'm hungry.
  30. donc — so. Je pense, donc je suis. — I think, therefore I am.
  31. aussi — also. Moi aussi. — Me too.
  32. très — very. Très bien. — Very good.
  33. plus — more. Encore plus vite. — Even faster.
  34. moins — less. Moins de sel. — Less salt.
  35. beaucoup — a lot. Merci beaucoup. — Thank you very much.
  36. peu — little. Un peu d'eau. — A little water.
  37. tout — all. C'est tout. — That's all.
  38. rien — nothing. Je ne vois rien. — I see nothing.
  39. quelque chose — something. Dis-moi quelque chose. — Tell me something.
  40. quelqu'un — someone. Quelqu'un a appelé. — Someone called.
  41. toujours — always. Il est toujours en retard. — He's always late.
  42. jamais — never. Je n'oublie jamais. — I never forget.
  43. souvent — often. On y va souvent. — We go there often.
  44. déjà — already. Tu es déjà là ? — You're here already?
  45. encore — still / again. Encore une fois. — One more time.
  46. maintenant — now. Viens maintenant. — Come now.
  47. aujourd'hui — today. Aujourd'hui il fait beau. — Today the weather is nice.
  48. hier — yesterday. Hier soir. — Yesterday evening.
  49. demain — tomorrow. À demain. — See you tomorrow.
  50. ici — here. Assieds-toi ici. — Sit here.
  51. là — there. Il est là. — He's there.
  52. où — where. Où es-tu ? — Where are you?
  53. quand — when. Quand pars-tu ? — When are you leaving?
  54. comment — how. Comment ça va ? — How are you?
  55. pourquoi — why. Pourquoi pas ? — Why not?
  56. combien — how much. Combien ça coûte ? — How much does it cost?
  57. quoi — what. Quoi de neuf ? — What's new?
  58. oui — yes. Oui, bien sûr. — Yes, of course.
  59. non — no. Non, merci. — No, thank you.
  60. faire — to do / make. Qu'est-ce que tu fais ? — What are you doing?
  61. dire — to say. Il ne dit rien. — He says nothing.
  62. aller — to go. On y va. — Let's go.
  63. venir — to come. Il vient demain. — He's coming tomorrow.
  64. voir — to see. Je te vois. — I see you.
  65. savoir — to know (facts). Je sais nager. — I know how to swim.
  66. connaître — to know (people). Je le connais bien. — I know him well.
  67. pouvoir — to be able. Tu peux m'aider ? — Can you help me?
  68. vouloir — to want. Je veux un café. — I want a coffee.
  69. devoir — to have to. Je dois partir. — I have to leave.
  70. falloir — to be necessary. Il faut partir. — We must leave.
  71. prendre — to take. Je prends le train. — I'm taking the train.
  72. donner — to give. Donne-moi la main. — Give me your hand.
  73. mettre — to put. Mets ton manteau. — Put on your coat.
  74. passer — to pass / spend. Passe une bonne journée. — Have a good day.
  75. penser — to think. Je pense à toi. — I'm thinking of you.
  76. croire — to believe. Je crois que oui. — I think so.
  77. trouver — to find. Je ne trouve pas mes clés. — I can't find my keys.
  78. parler — to speak. Tu parles trop vite. — You speak too fast.
  79. aimer — to like / love. J'aime le café. — I like coffee.
  80. manger — to eat. On mange à midi. — We eat at noon.
  81. boire — to drink. Je bois de l'eau. — I drink water.
  82. dormir — to sleep. Je dors mal. — I sleep badly.
  83. travailler — to work. Je travaille demain. — I work tomorrow.
  84. vivre — to live. Je vis à Lyon. — I live in Lyon.
  85. jour — day. Tous les jours. — Every day.
  86. temps — time / weather. Je n'ai pas le temps. — I don't have time.
  87. année — year. Bonne année. — Happy new year.
  88. fois — time (occasion). Deux fois par semaine. — Twice a week.
  89. heure — hour. Dans une heure. — In an hour.
  90. homme — man. Un homme grand. — A tall man.
  91. femme — woman / wife. Ma femme travaille ici. — My wife works here.
  92. enfant — child. L'enfant dort. — The child is sleeping.
  93. ami — friend. Un vieil ami. — An old friend.
  94. maison — house. Je rentre à la maison. — I'm going home.
  95. ville — city. Une belle ville. — A beautiful city.
  96. eau — water. Un verre d'eau. — A glass of water.
  97. grand — big / tall. Une grande maison. — A big house.
  98. petit — small. Un petit problème. — A small problem.
  99. bon — good. C'est très bon. — It's very good.
  100. s'il vous plaît / merci — please / thank you. Merci beaucoup, s'il vous plaît. — Thank you very much, please.

Where to Go From Here

Reading a list is not the same as owning the words. What locks them in is meeting them in new sentences you have never seen before, at a level you can actually handle.

That is exactly what PlusOneLanguage does. Save any of these 100 words to your deck, and the next French text the app generates for you will reuse them in fresh contexts. That is the i+1 loop: comprehensible input, calibrated to what you already know, nudging you one word further every day.

If you want the full method, read how to learn French next.

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