How many words are in this list?

This page gives 100 French words on “Society and politics”. The full topic holds 178 in the KoKo app: 71 at the easy level, 62 at the medium level and 45 at the hard level.

Which words should I start with?

With level 1: these are the easiest words of the topic. Move on to level 2 once they come to you without thinking, then to level 3.

How can I remember this French vocabulary?

By seeing each word again at longer and longer intervals, just before you forget it: that is spaced repetition. The KoKo app does it for you and tells you each day which words to review.

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.

French vocabulary: politics and society

Government, elections, rights, debates: the French words for talking about society and politics.

Here are 100 French words on “Society and politics”, translated into English and sorted from easiest to hardest.

Level 1: easy 40 words

French	English
armée	army
attaque	attack
bataille	battle
frontière	border
campagne	campaign
candidat	candidate
église	church
fonction publique	civil service
société civile	civil society
conseil	council
pays	countryAn inhabited territory, in the geographical sense
défaite	defeat
démocratie	democracy
Union européenne	European Union
liberté d’expression	freedom of speech
gouvernement	government
droits de l’homme	human rights
programme	manifesto
maire	mayor
service militaire	military service
ministère	ministry
commune	municipality
opposition	opposition
parlement	parliament
paix	peace
politique	politics
président	president
premier ministre	prime minister
réforme	reform
religion	religion
république	republic
résistance	resistance
justice sociale	social justice
discours	speech
État	stateThe political institution that holds sovereign power
mandat	term of office
traité	treaty
vote	vote
droit de vote	voting right
arme	weapon

Level 2: medium 35 words

French	English
alliance	alliance
croyance	belief
capitalisme	capitalism
citoyen	citizen
colonisation	colonisation
circonscription	constituency
corruption	corruption
répression	crackdown
manifestation	demonstration
dictature	dictatorship
dissolution	dissolution
ambassade	embassy
exclusion	exclusion
génocide	genocide
écologie politique	green politics
otage	hostage
immigration	immigration
institution	institution
sanction internationale	international sanction
invasion	invasion
pouvoir judiciaire	judicial power
monarchie	monarchy
occupation	occupation
traité de paix	peace treaty
pétition	petition
prière	prayer
préfet	prefect
scandale	scandal
sénat	senate
sénateur	senator
mobilité sociale	social mobility
soldat	soldier
souveraineté	sovereignty
attentat	terrorist attack
taux de participation	turnout

Level 3: hard 25 words

French	English
abstention	abstention
militantisme	activism
urne	ballot box
cessez-le-feu	ceasefire
désobéissance civile	civil disobedience
communisme	communism
décolonisation	decolonisation
diplomatie	diplomacy
extrémisme	extremism
parité	gender parity
pouvoir législatif	legislative power
lobby	lobby
multiculturalisme	multiculturalism
motion de censure	no confidence motion
investiture	nomination
isoloir	polling booth
autodétermination	self determination
débattre	to debate
revendiquer	to demand as a right
gouverner	to govern
adhérer	to join a party
ratifier	to ratify
réformer	to reform
suffrage universel	universal suffrage
réfugié de guerre	war refugee

Mini quiz

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

Frequently asked questions

How many words are in this list?: This page gives 100 French words on “Society and politics”. The full topic holds 178 in the KoKo app: 71 at the easy level, 62 at the medium level and 45 at the hard level.
Which words should I start with?: With level 1: these are the easiest words of the topic. Move on to level 2 once they come to you without thinking, then to level 3.
How can I remember this French vocabulary?: By seeing each word again at longer and longer intervals, just before you forget it: that is spaced repetition. The KoKo app does it for you and tells you each day which words to review.
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.