Day 2487 (Saturday) 30th March 2024
Today’s special photo – this is Villefranche beach – it hasn’t changed very much.
We watched ‘Ronin’ last night (1998)
directed by John Franklin, this action movie thriller starring Robert De Niro and Jean Reno includes scenes filmed in Nice, France.
Huw enjoyed it more than I did, I thought it was a bit long, but it was still pretty good and there some great shots of Villefranche, which wasn’t mentioned in the above blurb so it was a nice surprise.
You can just about see our flat in these, it’s at the end of the street above the pale green building.
There was a cruise ship in the bay this morning and the weather was just awful but the passengers still came ashore.
The sky was a yellowy colour full of Saharan sand, all the cars and scooters are covered in it. It didn’t rain much but the sand covered everything – this is our little outdoor table.
I painted our laundry basket…
I found these common French words, it’s pretty basic but I was pleased to read how many words I know.
150 Common French Words to Survive Most Situations.
Learning vocabulary is one of the cornerstones of learning French.
By knowing the most common vocabulary, you’ll get better at everyday communication—which gets you closer to interacting with some of the 300 million people who speak French around the world.
The Most Essential French Words for Any Conversation
Let’s start with some essential vocabulary that you’ll end up using a lot in French conversations:
Bonjour ! — Hello / Good morning!
Bonsoir ! — Good evening!
Oui — Yes
Non — No
Excusez-moi — Excuse me
Je suis désolé / Je suis désolée — I’m sorry (with an extra e if you’re female)
Au revoir — Goodbye
Common -ER, -IR and -RE French Verbs
Aside from the conversational words and phrases above, you’ve also got to know the absolute most common French verbs:
These verbs are irregular, meaning they don’t follow the same rules of usage (or conjugation) that so-called regular verbs do.
Most French verbs are regular, meaning you only have to learn the endings of their group.
In French, there are three groups of so-called regular verbs, denoted by their infinitive (unconjugated) endings: -er verbs, -ir verbs and -re verbs.
Here are the most common verbs in each group:
Parler — to speak
Aimer — to like
Demander — to ask
Étudier — to study
Regarder — to watch
Visiter — to visit (a place)
Habiter — to live
Penser — to think
Manger — to eat
Finir — to finish
Choisir — to choose
Grandir — to grow
Grossir — to gain weight
Réussir — to succeed / pass (a test)
What? Where? When? Common French Words For Asking Questions
Looking for directions? Do you want to know the price of something?
Whatever you do on your trip to France, you’re definitely going to need to ask for help or direction at some point.
Here are some common questions to help you get around:
Où ? — Where?
Qui ? — Who?
Quoi ? — What?
Quand ? — When?
Comment ? — How?
Pourquoi ? — Why?
Combien ? — How much? / How many?
French Words for People
Want to learn how to describe friends, family members or even strangers? Below you’ll find ten key words for people in French.
L’homme — the man
La femme — the woman
L’enfant — the child
La fille — the girl
Le garçon — the boy
Le bébé — the baby
La personne — the person
Le collègue / La collègue — the colleague (male/female)
Le voisin / La voisine — the neighbor (male/female)
French Words for Professions
Headed to a French-speaking region for employment? Then the following words are essential.
The following are common words associated with professions:
Le dentiste — the dentist – why is there no female here?
Le médecin — the doctor (medical) – or here?
Le serveur / La serveuse — the waiter / waitress
Le caissier / La caissière — the cashier (male / female)
L’ingénieur / L’ingénieure — the engineer (male / female)
Le plombier / La plombière — the plumber (male / female)
Le policier / La policière — the police officer (male / female)
L’ouvrier / L’ouvrière — the worker (male / female)
Food and Drinks in French
Hungry or thirsty? Check out the most common French words for food and drinks.
Le restaurant — the restaurant
Le café — the cafe / coffee
Le thé — the tea
Le lait — the milk
Le vin — the wine
L’eau — the water
Le fruit — the fruit
La pomme — the apple
L’orange — the orange
Les légumes — the vegetables
La carotte — the carrot
La pomme de terre — the potato
La tomate — the tomato
La viande — the meat
Le poisson — the fish
Le poulet — the chicken
Le petit-déjeuner — breakfast
Le déjeuner — lunch
Le dîner — dinner
Parts of the House and Furniture in French
It’s crucial to learn the French words that describe the places where we live.
Check out the following common words that denote specific rooms and spaces in our households.
La maison — the house
La pièce — the room
La cuisine — the kitchen
La salle à manger — the dining room
Le salon — the living room
La chambre — the bedroom
La salle de bain — the bathroom (may not include a toilet)
Les toilettes — the bathroom (includes a toilet, sometimes exclusively)
La porte — the door
La fenêtre — the window
L’escalier — the stairs
Le mur — the wall
Le sol — the floor
Common words associated with rooms in the house:
La télévision — the television
La chaise — the chair
La lampe — the lamp
Le réfrigérateur — the refrigerator
Le four — the oven
La table — the table
Le lit — the bed
La douche — the shower
Les toilettes — the toilet (object)
Modes of Transport in French
Travelling for leisure or commuting to work? Make sure you learn these words!
La voiture — the car
Le bus — the bus
Le train — the train
Le métro — the subway
Le taxi — the taxi
La moto — the motorcycle
Le vélo — the bicycle
L’avion — the airplane
Le bateau — the boat
Le navire — the ship
Places in French
Le centre-ville — the city centre
Le village — the village
La campagne — the countryside
Le quartier — the neighborhood
Le musée — the museum
Le parc — the park
Le marché — the market
Le magasin — the store
L’école — the school
L’université — the university
Common French Adjectives
Intelligent / Intelligente — smart
Triste — sad
Drôle — funny
Jeune — young
Facile — easy
Difficile — hard
Keep in mind that some adjectives change genders depending on the gender of the noun it describes.
In this list, the masculine forms are given first, with the feminine forms being either those with an added -e or the second form of the adjective.
Animals and Nature Vocabulary in French
The following are common French words that can be used to describe animals or nature.
Le chien — the dog
Le chat — the cat
Le lapin — the rabbit
Le cheval — the horse
L’oiseau — the bird
Le soleil — the sun
La pluie — the rain
Le vent — the wind
La neige — the snow
Le nuage — the cloud
La montagne — the mountain
La plage — the beach
L’océan — the ocean
La météo — the weather forecast
Il fait chaud / Il fait froid — It’s hot/It’s cold
Gender
In the French language, nouns are either masculine or feminine. For example, le vent (the wind) is masculine and la pluie (the rain) is feminine.
Words that begin with a vowel sound or “h” have their article changed to l’.
Conjugation
There are three types of French verb endings: -er, -ir and -re.
When conjugating in the present tense: Take the infinitive form, remove the verb ending to get the stem and add the corresponding conjugation.
Adjective Placement
Adjectives are most often placed after the noun. However, in some cases, they may be placed before.
For example:
Le chien est petit. — The dog is small.
Le petit chien. — The small dog.
Adjectives must agree with the gender (and number) of a noun:
La petite maison. — The small house.
(Using the feminine form of “petit”)
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