Learning French starts with vocabulary. Before grammar rules click, before you can form a sentence, you need words — a bank of them that you recognise instantly without thinking. This guide is for complete beginners: what to learn first, how to make words stick, and how to build a foundation that actually holds up.
Why Vocabulary Comes First
Grammar tells you how to arrange words. Vocabulary gives you the words to arrange. Most beginners get this backwards — they study conjugation tables before they know what to conjugate.
A working vocabulary of 300–500 words covers the vast majority of everyday conversation. Research consistently shows that the most frequent 1,000 words account for around 85% of spoken language. For a beginner, you don’t need all 1,000. You need the most useful 300, learned properly.
What A1 French Means
A1 is the entry level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). At A1 you can:
- Introduce yourself and answer basic questions about yourself
- Name common everyday objects
- Use numbers, tell the time, state dates
- Ask for things in shops, cafés, and hotels
- Understand very simple written and spoken French when spoken slowly
You don’t need complex grammar at A1. You need nouns, a handful of verbs in present tense, basic adjectives, and numbers.
The Essential French Vocabulary Categories
Start with these categories in order — each one builds on the last.
1. Greetings and Social Phrases
These are the words you will use every single time you open your mouth in French. Learn them until they’re automatic.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Bonjour | Hello / Good morning |
| Bonsoir | Good evening |
| Salut | Hi (informal) |
| Au revoir | Goodbye |
| S’il vous plaît | Please (formal) |
| S’il te plaît | Please (informal) |
| Merci | Thank you |
| De rien | You’re welcome |
| Excusez-moi | Excuse me |
| Pardon | Sorry / Excuse me |
| Oui / Non | Yes / No |
| Comment allez-vous ? | How are you? (formal) |
| Ça va ? | How are you? (informal) |
2. Numbers 1–20
Numbers unlock a huge amount of practical French — prices, addresses, times, dates. Learn 1–10 first, then 11–20.
Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix — onze, douze, treize, quatorze, quinze, seize, dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf, vingt.
The pronunciation of French numbers is where most beginners struggle. Audio is essential here — reading alone won’t get you to the right sounds.
3. Days, Months, and Time
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Lundi, mardi, mercredi | Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday |
| Jeudi, vendredi | Thursday, Friday |
| Samedi, dimanche | Saturday, Sunday |
| Aujourd’hui | Today |
| Demain | Tomorrow |
| Hier | Yesterday |
| Quelle heure est-il ? | What time is it? |
| Il est… heure(s) | It is… o’clock |
4. Family and People
Relationships and people words appear constantly in conversation and reading:
Mère (mother), père (father), sœur (sister), frère (brother), fils (son), fille (daughter), ami/amie (friend), homme (man), femme (woman), enfant (child).
5. Common Objects and Places
The words you need for daily life:
At home: maison (house), appartement (flat), cuisine (kitchen), chambre (bedroom), salle de bain (bathroom), porte (door), fenêtre (window), table (table), chaise (chair)
Food and drink: pain (bread), eau (water), café (coffee), thé (tea), lait (milk), viande (meat), poisson (fish), légumes (vegetables), fruits (fruit)
In town: rue (street), magasin (shop), restaurant (restaurant), hôtel (hotel), gare (station), aéroport (airport), hôpital (hospital), école (school)
6. Essential Adjectives
A small set of adjectives goes a long way:
Grand/grande (big), petit/petite (small), bon/bonne (good), mauvais/mauvaise (bad), beau/belle (beautiful), vieux/vieille (old), nouveau/nouvelle (new), chaud/chaude (hot), froid/froide (cold), cher/chère (expensive).
Note: French adjectives change form depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine. You’ll pick this up gradually — don’t let it stop you learning the words.
How to Make French Vocabulary Stick
Use Audio From Day One
French pronunciation is not intuitive for English speakers. The silent letters, nasal vowels, and liaison rules mean that reading a word and hearing it are completely different experiences. Always learn words with audio — hear the word spoken before you try to say it.
Slowing audio down to 75% or 50% speed is a legitimate technique, not cheating. It lets you hear each sound clearly before trying to replicate it.
Learn Words With Images, Not Translations
The fastest route to fluency is to associate a word directly with its meaning — not with an English equivalent. When you see a photograph of bread and hear “pain”, your brain links sound to concept. When you translate “pain = bread”, you add an extra step that slows you down.
This is harder to do with abstract words, but for concrete nouns (which make up most of A1 vocabulary) it works extremely well.
Group Words by Theme
Learning words in thematic groups is more effective than random lists. Your brain finds patterns and connections — words learned together are easier to retrieve together. This is why vocabulary apps that use themed decks (food, transport, home) outperform alphabetical word lists.
Review With Spaced Repetition
Spaced repetition brings words back at increasing intervals — you see a word again just before you’d forget it. This dramatically increases long-term retention compared to cramming. After an initial session, words you found difficult come back the next day; words you knew well come back in a week.
The key is consistent short sessions — 10–15 minutes daily beats a two-hour session once a week.
A Note on French Variants
Standard French (as spoken in France and used in most media) is what most learners start with. Canadian French (Québécois) differs in pronunciation and some vocabulary — if you’re learning for Canada specifically, it’s worth knowing which variant your learning materials use.
LingoSwipe supports both French (EU) and French (Canada) separately, with native-speaker audio for each.
Where to Start Practising
Before you download anything, you can explore French vocabulary and phrases for free in your browser:
- French Greetings Lesson — 25 greetings and introductions with native-speaker audio
- French Numbers and Time — numbers, telling the time, and dates
- French Top 50 Phrases — the most useful everyday French phrases
The LingoSwipe app lets you continue on your phone with full audio, real photographs, phonetic spelling, grammar notes, and vocabulary quizzes — free on iOS and Android.
The First Week
Here’s a realistic first week for a complete beginner:
- Day 1–2: Greetings and social phrases. Learn 10–15 words. Listen to each one repeatedly.
- Day 3–4: Numbers 1–20. Say them out loud as you learn.
- Day 5–6: Days and months. Connect them to real upcoming dates.
- Day 7: Review everything from the week. Which words did you forget? Mark them for extra attention.
By the end of week one you’ll have 50–60 words. That’s enough to introduce yourself, understand numbers, and navigate a basic date or time conversation. It’s a foundation — and every foundation feels slow until it isn’t.
Related Reading
- 10 Proven Techniques to Master Vocabulary Faster — the research behind spaced repetition, context learning, and audio-first methods
- 5 Vocabulary Tips That Actually Work for Beginners — practical advice from the LingoSwipe blog
