How many French words do you need to be conversational?

Around 1,000 words covers roughly 80% of everyday spoken French, and about 3,000 gets you comfortable in most situations. But you start much smaller: nine words — bonjour, au revoir, s'il vous plaît, merci, oui, non, peut-être, bien sûr, désolé — already give you the shape of a full conversation.

What French vocabulary should a beginner learn first?

Learn in this order: the politeness words (bonjour, merci, s'il vous plaît), then the words you already recognise from English (cognates like restaurant, hôtel, important), then the concrete themes you actually need — travel, the body, days and dates. Abstract vocabulary and grammar come later.

Should you learn French words with le or la?

Always. Never learn valise — learn la valise. The article costs nothing extra to memorise at the same time, and re-learning the gender of a word you already know is far harder than learning them together the first time.

What is the fastest way to memorise French vocabulary?

Say it out loud and tie it to a scene rather than to an English word. Mentally pack your suitcase in French, or walk into an imaginary bakery and order. Words attached to an action and an image come back far faster than words learned from a column of translations.

French Vocabulary for Beginners: Every Word List, with Pronunciation

Vocabulary is the part of French that actually pays you back immediately. Grammar takes months before it earns anything; a word works the first time you say it. This page collects every vocabulary guide I've written — each one built around a short video, so you can hear the pronunciation instead of guessing it from the spelling. Start at the top and work down: they are ordered the way I'd teach them.

1. Start here: the nine first words

Before any theme, before any grammar, you need the words that open a conversation, ask for something, answer, and apologise: bonjour, au revoir, s'il vous plaît, merci, oui, non, peut-être, bien sûr, désolé. Nine words and you already have the shape of a real exchange — plus the politeness rules that decide whether a French shopkeeper warms to you or not.

→ Basic French Words for Beginners: The 9 You Need First

2. The free head start: words you already know

English borrowed so heavily from French that you recognise thousands of words before your first lesson — restaurant, important, table, animal, impossible. There are patterns that convert English endings into French ones wholesale, and a short list of "false friends" that will embarrass you if nobody warns you. This is the single highest-return hour a beginner can spend.

→ 3,000 French Words You Already Know: The Cognates Trick

3. Travel: the ten things in your bag

Le passeport, la valise, le billet, le sac à dos… — the objects you reach for on any trip, with the le/la for each, the phrases you need at check-in, and the three words that secretly have a second meaning (un billet is also a banknote).

→ Travel Vocabulary in French: 10 Essential Words for Your Next Trip

4. The body: the vocabulary you need at the pharmacy

Nobody thinks about body parts until something hurts, and then it's the only vocabulary that matters. Ten essential words with pronunciation — and the French habit of saying j'ai mal à la têterather than "my head hurts".

→ Body Parts in French: 10 Essential Words with Pronunciation

5. Days of the week: small list, one grammar trap

Seven words you'll learn in ten minutes — plus the trap that catches almost every learner: lundi means "on Monday", but le lundimeans "every Monday". One little word, completely different meaning.

→ Days of the Week in French: Pronunciation, Spelling & the Grammar Trap

Three rules that make vocabulary stick

The lists above are only raw material. What turns them into French you can actually use is howyou learn them, and after years of teaching I'd reduce it to three rules:

Learn the article with the noun. Never valise — always la valise. Re-learning a gender later is far more work than absorbing it now, for free.
Say it out loud. Reading silently trains your eyes. French spelling hides its pronunciation, so a word you have never spoken is a word you cannot use. This is exactly why every guide here comes with a video.
Attach the word to a scene, not to English.Don't memorise "valise = suitcase". Close your eyes and pack a bag, naming each item as it goes in. Words tied to an action and an image come back in conversation; words tied to a translation stay on the page.

Practise these words with a real teacher

Vocabulary you have only read is vocabulary you will hesitate on. The fastest way past that is to say the words to someone who corrects you on the spot. I teach one-to-one online — you can book a free 30-minute trial lessonand we'll start from wherever you are, whether that's your first bonjour or a B2 exam. You can also see how I work as a French tutor in Bangkok & online.