The 100 most common French words. Frequency research is unanimous: a small core of words does most of the talking — master this hundred and you’ll recognise something in nearly every French sentence you meet. Each word has audio: click 🔊, repeat out loud, and come back tomorrow. That’s the whole method.
Les 100 mots essentiels
The core vocabulary of spoken French
Les petits mots · the glue (articles, determiners)
le / la / lesthe
un / unea, an
dessome
du / de lasome (of)
ce / cettethis, that
mon / ma / mesmy
ton / ta / tesyour
son / sa / seshis, her
notre / nosour
votre / vosyour (formal/pl)
Les pronoms · pronouns
jeI
tuyou (informal)
il / ellehe / she
onwe, one (spoken)
nouswe
vousyou (formal/plural)
ils / ellesthey
moi / toime / you (stressed)
ythere (replaces a place)
enof it/them (replaces de + thing)
Les verbes essentiels · core verbs
êtreto be
avoirto have
faireto do, make
allerto go
direto say
pouvoircan
vouloirto want
savoirto know (facts)
voirto see
venirto come
devoirmust
prendreto take
donnerto give
trouverto find
parlerto speak
aimerto like, love
passerto pass, spend
mettreto put
croireto believe
falloir (il faut)to be necessary
Questions & liens · question words and connectors
que / qu’est-ce quewhat
quiwho
oùwhere
quandwhen
commenthow
pourquoiwhy
etand
maisbut
ouor
doncso
parce quebecause
siif
quand mêmestill, anyway
alorsso, then
commelike, as
Le temps & les lieux · time and place words
aujourd’huitoday
demaintomorrow
hieryesterday
maintenantnow
toujoursalways
jamaisnever
souventoften
icihere
làthere
avant / aprèsbefore / after
Les indispensables · everyday must-haves
oui / nonyes / no
mercithank you
s’il vous plaîtplease
pardonsorry, excuse me
bonjourhello
au revoirgoodbye
peut-êtremaybe
bien sûrof course
d’accordokay, agreed
voilàthere you go
Les noms fréquents · high-frequency nouns
le tempstime, weather
la chosething
le jourday
l’annéeyear
la vielife
la maisonhouse, home
le travailwork
la personneperson
l’ami(e)friend
l’enfantchild
Les adjectifs & adverbes clés · key describers
bon / bonnegood
bienwell
petit / grandsmall / big
beau / bellebeautiful
nouveaunew
tout / touteall, every
trèsvery
beaucoupa lot
troptoo much
autreother
How to learn these fast
Ten a day for ten days — say each aloud with its audio, then use it in one sentence about your life.
The verbs deserve extra love: the 20 core verbs have full charts — start with the verb posters.
A remarkable share of everyday speech — frequency studies consistently show the top 100 words make up roughly half of ordinary conversation, because the little grammar words (le, de, je, être…) repeat constantly. They won’t let you say everything, but they’ll let you follow almost anything.
Should a beginner memorise this list first?
Learn it alongside phrases, not instead of them — words stick best inside sentences. Ten a day here, plus the 7-day starter plan, is a perfect first fortnight.
Why are so many of these tiny grammar words?
Because that’s what language mostly is! Nouns are many but each is rare; the glue words appear in every sentence. Frequency lists reward the glue.