200 Common French Phrases
All 200 phrases from the Learn French Fast deck, free to read and grouped the way the deck teaches them. Greetings and pronouns first. Then the verbs and adjectives that carry most sentences. Then numbers and lines you can use as they stand. Three play native audio here.
Learn French Fast - Master Essential Words and Phrases for Quick Fluency
Master French fast with 82 essential flashcards covering greetings, pronouns, core verbs, adjectives, question words, numbers, days, everyday nouns, and ready-to-use sentences, each with an English-friendly pronunciation guide.
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Greetings & Politeness
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonjour | bohn-ZHOOR | Hello / Good morning (standard daytime greeting) | |
| Salut | sah-LEW | Hi / Bye (informal, used with friends) | |
| Au revoir | oh ruh-VWAHR | Goodbye | |
| Merci | mehr-SEE | Thank you | |
| S'il vous plaît | seel voo PLEH | Please (formal or plural) | |
| De rien | duh ree-AHN | You're welcome (literally 'of nothing') | |
| Excusez-moi | ehk-skew-zay-MWAH | Excuse me (formal, to get attention or apologize) | |
| Pardon | par-DOHN | Sorry / Pardon (to apologize or to get past someone) | |
| Oui | WEE | Yes | |
| Non | NOHN | No | |
| Bonsoir | bohn-SWAHR | Good evening (from late afternoon onward) | |
| Bonne nuit | bun NWEE | Good night (only when someone is going to bed) | |
| À bientôt | ah bee-ahn-TOH | See you soon | |
| À demain | ah duh-MAHN | See you tomorrow | |
| Merci beaucoup | mehr-see boh-KOO | Thank you very much | |
| Je vous en prie | zhuh voo zahn PREE | You're welcome (formal); also 'please go ahead' | |
| Enchanté | ahn-shahn-TAY | Pleased to meet you (said by a man); a woman says enchantée | |
| S'il te plaît | seel tuh PLEH | Please (informal, to someone you call tu) | |
| Bienvenue | bee-ahn-vuh-NEW | Welcome | |
| Bonne journée | bun zhoor-NAY | Have a good day (said when parting) |
Pronouns & People
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | ZHUH | I (subject pronoun; becomes j' before a vowel sound) | |
| tu | TEW | you (informal singular) | |
| il | EEL | he / it (masculine subject pronoun) | |
| elle | EL | she / it (feminine subject pronoun) | |
| nous | NOO | we | |
| vous | VOO | you (formal singular, or plural) | |
| l'homme | LOM | the man (m.); the 'h' is silent | |
| la femme | lah FAM | the woman (f.) | |
| ils | EEL | they (a group of men, or any mixed group) | |
| elles | EL | they (a group of women only) | |
| on | OHN | one / we (the everyday spoken word for 'we') | |
| moi | MWAH | me (the stressed form, used alone or after a preposition) | |
| l'enfant | lahn-FAHN | the child (m. or f.) | |
| l'ami | lah-MEE | the friend (m.); a female friend is l'amie | |
| la famille | lah fah-MEE-yuh | the family (f.) | |
| le monsieur | luh muh-SYUH | the gentleman; Monsieur is also 'sir' |
Common Verbs
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| être | EH-truh | to be (irregular verb) | |
| avoir | ah-VWAHR | to have (irregular verb) | |
| aller | ah-LAY | to go (irregular; also used to form the near future) | |
| faire | FEHR | to do / to make (irregular verb) | |
| manger | mahn-ZHAY | to eat | |
| boire | BWAHR | to drink (irregular verb) | |
| parler | par-LAY | to speak / to talk | |
| comprendre | kohn-PRAHN-druh | to understand (irregular verb) | |
| vouloir | voo-LWAHR | to want (irregular verb) | |
| pouvoir | poo-VWAHR | to be able to / can (irregular verb) | |
| venir | vuh-NEER | to come (irregular) | |
| voir | VWAHR | to see (irregular) | |
| savoir | sah-VWAHR | to know a fact or how to do something | |
| connaître | koh-NEH-truh | to know a person or a place | |
| prendre | PRAHN-druh | to take (also used for ordering food) | |
| mettre | MEH-truh | to put / to put on | |
| dire | DEER | to say / to tell | |
| donner | doh-NAY | to give | |
| trouver | troo-VAY | to find; also 'to think' of something | |
| chercher | shehr-SHAY | to look for | |
| acheter | ash-TAY | to buy | |
| payer | pay-YAY | to pay | |
| travailler | trah-vah-YAY | to work | |
| habiter | ah-bee-TAY | to live somewhere / to reside | |
| aimer | eh-MAY | to like; with a person it means to love | |
| penser | pahn-SAY | to think | |
| attendre | ah-TAHN-druh | to wait for (no preposition needed) | |
| partir | par-TEER | to leave / to depart | |
| arriver | ah-ree-VAY | to arrive / to happen | |
| dormir | dor-MEER | to sleep | |
| lire | LEER | to read (irregular) | |
| écrire | ay-KREER | to write (irregular) |
Common Adjectives
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| grand | GRAHN | big / tall (m.); f. grande | |
| petit | puh-TEE | small / little (m.); f. petite | |
| bon | BOHN | good (m.); f. bonne | |
| beau | BOH | beautiful / handsome (m.); f. belle; becomes 'bel' before a vowel | |
| nouveau | noo-VOH | new (m.); f. nouvelle; becomes 'nouvel' before a vowel | |
| mauvais | moh-VEH | bad (m.); f. mauvaise | |
| jeune | ZHUHN | young (same form for masculine and feminine) | |
| vieux | VYUH | old (m.); f. vieille; becomes vieil before a vowel | |
| content | kohn-TAHN | happy / pleased (m.); f. contente | |
| triste | TREEST | sad (same form for m. and f.) | |
| facile | fah-SEEL | easy (same form for m. and f.) | |
| difficile | dee-fee-SEEL | difficult (same form for m. and f.) | |
| cher | SHEHR | expensive; before a name it means dear (m.); f. chère | |
| chaud | SHOH | hot / warm (m.); f. chaude | |
| froid | FRWAH | cold (m.); f. froide | |
| long | LOHN | long (m.); f. longue | |
| court | KOOR | short (m.); f. courte | |
| fort | FOR | strong / loud (m.); f. forte | |
| fatigué | fah-tee-GAY | tired (m.); f. fatiguée | |
| malade | mah-LAHD | sick / ill (same form for m. and f.) | |
| propre | PROH-pruh | clean; before the noun it means 'own' | |
| plein | PLAHN | full (m.); f. pleine | |
| gratuit | grah-TWEE | free of charge (m.); f. gratuite | |
| ouvert | oo-VEHR | open (m.); f. ouverte |
Question Words
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| qui | KEE | who | |
| quoi | KWAH | what (used after a preposition or informally; 'que' comes before a verb) | |
| où | OO | where (the accent tells it apart from 'ou' = or) | |
| quand | KAHN | when | |
| comment | koh-MAHN | how | |
| pourquoi | poor-KWAH | why | |
| combien | kohn-bee-AHN | how much / how many | |
| que | KUH | what (before a verb); becomes qu' before a vowel | |
| quel | KEL | which / what (m.); f. quelle | |
| lequel | luh-KEL | which one (m.); f. laquelle | |
| d'où | DOO | from where | |
| à quelle heure | ah kel UHR | at what time |
Numbers
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| un | UHN | one (1); also the masculine article 'a/an' | |
| deux | DUH | two (2) | |
| trois | TRWAH | three (3) | |
| quatre | KAH-truh | four (4) | |
| cinq | SANK | five (5) | |
| six | SEES | six (6) | |
| sept | SET | seven (7); the 'p' is silent | |
| huit | WEET | eight (8) | |
| neuf | NUHF | nine (9); also means 'brand new' | |
| dix | DEES | ten (10) | |
| onze | OHNZ | eleven (11) | |
| quinze | KANZ | fifteen (15) | |
| vingt | VAHN | twenty (20); the t is silent alone | |
| cinquante | san-KAHNT | fifty (50) | |
| cent | SAHN | one hundred (100) | |
| mille | MEEL | one thousand (1,000); it never takes an s |
Time & Days
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| aujourd'hui | oh-zhoor-DWEE | today | |
| demain | duh-MAHN | tomorrow | |
| hier | ee-YEHR | yesterday | |
| maintenant | mant-NAHN | now | |
| lundi | luhn-DEE | Monday (days are not capitalized in French) | |
| samedi | sam-DEE | Saturday | |
| dimanche | dee-MAHNSH | Sunday | |
| la semaine | lah suh-MEN | the week (f.) | |
| mardi | mar-DEE | Tuesday | |
| mercredi | mehr-kruh-DEE | Wednesday | |
| jeudi | zhuh-DEE | Thursday | |
| vendredi | vahn-druh-DEE | Friday | |
| le matin | luh mah-TAHN | the morning (m.) | |
| l'après-midi | lah-preh-mee-DEE | the afternoon (m.) | |
| le soir | luh SWAHR | the evening (m.) | |
| la nuit | lah NWEE | the night (f.) | |
| le mois | luh MWAH | the month (m.) | |
| l'année | lah-NAY | the year (f.) | |
| l'heure | LUHR | the hour / the time (f.) | |
| tous les jours | too lay ZHOOR | every day |
Everyday Nouns
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| la maison | lah may-ZOHN | the house / home (f.) | |
| l'eau | LOH | the water (f.); from 'la eau' | |
| le café | luh kah-FAY | the coffee / the café (m.) | |
| le pain | luh PAHN | the bread (m.) | |
| la ville | lah VEEL | the city / town (f.) | |
| le chien | luh shee-AHN | the dog (m.) | |
| la voiture | lah vwah-TEWR | the car (f.) | |
| le vin | luh VAHN | the wine (m.) | |
| le fromage | luh froh-MAHZH | the cheese (m.) | |
| le restaurant | luh res-toh-RAHN | the restaurant (m.) | |
| le magasin | luh mah-gah-ZAHN | the shop / store (m.) | |
| le marché | luh mar-SHAY | the market (m.) | |
| la rue | lah REW | the street (f.) | |
| la gare | lah GAHR | the train station (f.) | |
| l'aéroport | lah-ay-roh-POR | the airport (m.) | |
| l'hôtel | loh-TEL | the hotel (m.); the h is silent | |
| la chambre | lah SHAHN-bruh | the bedroom / hotel room (f.) | |
| l'argent | lar-ZHAHN | the money (m.); also means silver | |
| le billet | luh bee-YEH | the ticket / the banknote (m.) | |
| la valise | lah vah-LEEZ | the suitcase (f.) | |
| la clé | lah KLAY | the key (f.); also spelled clef | |
| le téléphone | luh tay-lay-FUN | the telephone (m.) | |
| le livre | luh LEE-vruh | the book (m.) | |
| le travail | luh trah-VYE | the work / the job (m.) | |
| le temps | luh TAHN | the weather, and also time (m.) | |
| la nourriture | lah noo-ree-TEWR | the food (f.) | |
| le petit déjeuner | luh puh-tee day-zhuh-NAY | the breakfast (m.) | |
| le médecin | luh mayd-SAHN | the doctor (m.) | |
| la pharmacie | lah far-mah-SEE | the pharmacy (f.) | |
| le chat | luh SHAH | the cat (m.); the t is silent |
Useful Sentences
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comment vous appelez-vous ? | koh-mahn voo zah-play-VOO | What is your name? (formal; literally 'How do you call yourself?') | |
| Je m'appelle Marie. | zhuh mah-PEL mah-REE | My name is Marie. (literally 'I call myself Marie'; use your own name) | |
| Comment allez-vous ? | koh-mahn tah-lay-VOO | How are you? (formal) | |
| Ça va bien, merci. | sah vah bee-AHN mehr-SEE | I'm fine, thanks. ('ça va' literally means 'it goes') | |
| Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît. | zhuh voo-DREH uhn kah-FAY seel voo PLEH | I would like a coffee, please. (polite way to order) | |
| Pouvez-vous parler plus lentement ? | poo-vay voo par-lay plew lahnt-MAHN | Can you speak more slowly? (formal) | |
| Je ne comprends pas. | zhuh nuh kohn-prahn PAH | I don't understand. | |
| Parlez-vous anglais ? | par-lay voo zahn-GLEH | Do you speak English? (formal) | |
| Où sont les toilettes ? | oo sohn lay twah-LET | Where is the bathroom? (literally 'Where are the toilets?') | |
| Combien ça coûte ? | kohn-bee-ahn sah KOOT | How much does it cost? | |
| L'addition, s'il vous plaît. | lah-dee-see-OHN seel voo PLEH | The check / bill, please. (at a restaurant) | |
| Je ne parle pas français. | zhuh nuh parl pah frahn-SEH | I don't speak French. (languages are not capitalized in French) | |
| Excusez-moi, où est la gare ? | ehk-skew-zay-mwah oo eh lah GAHR | Excuse me, where is the train station? (f. la gare) | |
| Aidez-moi, s'il vous plaît. | ay-day-MWAH seel voo PLEH | Help me, please. (formal) | |
| J'ai besoin d'aide. | zhay buh-zwan DED | I need help. (literally 'I have need of help') | |
| Je voudrais réserver une table. | zhuh voo-DREH ray-zehr-vay ewn TAH-bluh | I would like to reserve a table. | |
| Avez-vous une chambre libre ? | ah-vay voo zewn SHAHN-bruh LEE-bruh | Do you have a room available? | |
| Je cherche la gare. | zhuh shehrsh lah GAHR | I'm looking for the train station. | |
| C'est trop cher. | seh troh SHEHR | It's too expensive. | |
| Je prends celui-ci. | zhuh prahn suh-lwee-SEE | I'll take this one. | |
| Puis-je payer par carte ? | pweezh pay-yay par KART | May I pay by card? | |
| À quelle heure part le train ? | ah kel uhr par luh TRAHN | What time does the train leave? | |
| Je suis désolé. | zhuh swee day-zoh-LAY | I'm sorry. (said by a man); a woman says désolée | |
| Je ne sais pas. | zhuh nuh seh PAH | I don't know. | |
| Pouvez-vous répéter ? | poo-vay voo ray-pay-TAY | Can you repeat that? | |
| Comment dit-on ça en français ? | koh-mahn dee-tohn sah ahn frahn-SEH | How do you say that in French? | |
| J'ai faim. | zhay FAHN | I'm hungry. (literally 'I have hunger') | |
| J'ai soif. | zhay SWAHF | I'm thirsty. (literally 'I have thirst') | |
| Où puis-je trouver un taxi ? | oo pweezh troo-vay uhn tahk-SEE | Where can I find a taxi? | |
| Je suis perdu. | zhuh swee pehr-DEW | I'm lost. (said by a man); a woman says perdue |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know when to use tu and when to use vous?
Yes. It is the first thing to get right. Vous is for strangers and older people and anything professional. Tu is for friends and family and children. The phrases here use vous wherever a beginner would need it.
Why does written French sound nothing like it looks?
French drops most final consonants and links words into each other. Les amis comes out as one word. The pronunciation column gets you close. Hearing it said is where the linking stops being a mystery.
Can I take this list into another app?
Yes. The text here is free to copy into Anki or a notebook. The deck keeps the native audio, the example sentence on each card and the review schedule.
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