Which French words should I learn first?

The easiest words of grammar and everyday life: basic verbs, small structural words, polite phrases, numbers, family, food. This page gathers 100 of them.

What comes after these 100 words?

Carry on topic by topic: each list gives 100 words sorted into three levels. The KoKo app gathers +6,000 French words and brings each one back at the right moment.

Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?

Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.

Your first 100 French words

New to French? Here are 100 easy words to start with: verbs, the small words of grammar and everyday vocabulary, translated into English.

These words come from the 26 grammar and everyday-life topics of KoKo. The app holds 2,397 words at this level.

Grammar 24 words

French	English
dire	to say
lire	to read
rire	to laugh
tuer	to kill
bas	low
bon	good
cru	raw
dur	hard
là	there
ici	here
mal	badly
peu	little
à	toPreposition, movement in the direction of a place
de	fromProvenance, origin
et	and
ou	or
y	thereAdverbial pronoun of place, replaces a complement
ce	thisDemonstrative determiner, masculine before a consonant
du	somePartitive article, masculine singular
en	of it
entrer	to come in
monter	to get on
rendre	to give back
sortir	to get out

Everyday life 76 words

French	English
non	no
oui	yes
merci	thank you
salut	hiInformal greeting
un	one
dix	ten
peu	few
six	six
fin	end
mai	May
été	summer
août	August
os	boneHard part of the skeleton
cou	neck
dos	back
nez	nose
bleu	bruise
repos	rest
santé	health
virus	virus
ami	friend
bébé	baby
fils	son
mari	husbandEveryday use
fou	crazy
déçu	disappointed
gêne	embarrassment
joie	joy
clé	key
lit	bed
mur	wall
sol	floor
vis	screw
bois	wood
clou	nail
colle	glue
bas	stockings
col	collar
chic	smart
cuir	leather
ail	garlic
blé	wheat
eau	water
jus	juice
bio	organic
bol	bowl
faim	hunger
goût	flavour
sac	bag
cher	expensive
code	PIN code
coût	cost
rue	street
gare	train station
parc	park
plan	map
bus	bus
car	coach
moto	motorbike
port	harbour
vol	flight
note	bill
site	site
guide	guide
col	mountain pass
est	east
lac	lake
bec	beak
coq	rooster
nid	nest
or	gold
arc	arch
fer	iron
lien	link
page	page
appel	call

Mini quiz

5 words from this page, picked at random. Find their translation.

Frequently asked questions

Which French words should I learn first?: The easiest words of grammar and everyday life: basic verbs, small structural words, polite phrases, numbers, family, food. This page gathers 100 of them.
What comes after these 100 words?: Carry on topic by topic: each list gives 100 words sorted into three levels. The KoKo app gathers +6,000 French words and brings each one back at the right moment.
Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?: Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.

How KoKo makes words stick

These lists come from KoKo, the app to learn French vocabulary on iPhone.