Learn French from Scratch: A Beginner’s Guide

Learning a new language is an exciting journey, and French is a beautiful language spoken by millions worldwide. If you are starting from scratch, this guide will help you build a solid foundation with essential vocabulary and numbers.

Basic French Vocabulary

1. Animals (Les Animaux)

Dog – Chien
Cat – Chat
Cow – Vache
Horse – Cheval
Sheep – Mouton
Goat – Chèvre
Elephant – Éléphant
Lion – Lion
Tiger – Tigre
Bear – Ours
Rabbit – Lapin
Fox – Renard
Monkey – Singe
Dolphin – Dauphin
Whale – Baleine

2. Birds (Les Oiseaux)

Sparrow – Moineau
Pigeon – Pigeon
Eagle – Aigle
Parrot – Perroquet
Peacock – Paon
Swan – Cygne
Owl – Hibou
Crow – Corbeau
Hawk – Faucon
Dove – Colombe
Stork – Cigogne
Kingfisher – Martin-pêcheur
Woodpecker – Pic
Hummingbird – Colibri
Penguin – Pingouin

3. Colors (Les Couleurs)

Red – Rouge
Blue – Bleu
Green – Vert
Yellow – Jaune
Black – Noir
White – Blanc
Pink – Rose
Orange – Orange
Purple – Violet
Brown – Marron
Gray – Gris
Light Blue – Bleu clair
Dark Green – Vert foncé
Beige – Beige
Gold – Doré

4. Days of the Week (Les Jours de la Semaine)

Monday – Lundi
Tuesday – Mardi
Wednesday – Mercredi
Thursday – Jeudi
Friday – Vendredi
Saturday – Samedi
Sunday – Dimanche

5. Months of the Year (Les Mois de l’Année)

January – Janvier
February – Février
March – Mars
April – Avril
May – Mai
June – Juin
July – Juillet
August – Août
September – Septembre
October – Octobre
November – Novembre
December – Décembre

6. Common Objects (Les Objets Communs)

Chair – Chaise
Table – Table
Pen – Stylo
Pencil – Crayon
Book – Livre
Bag – Sac
Mobile – Mobile
Laptop – Ordinateur portable
Glass – Verre
Spoon – Cuillère
Fork – Fourchette
Plate – Assiette
Bed – Lit
Door – Porte
Window – Fenêtre

French Alphabet (L’Alphabet Français)

A – A
B – B
C – C
D – D
E – E
F – F
G – G
H – H
I – I
J – J
K – K
L – L
M – M
N – N
O – O
P – P
Q – Q
R – R
S – S
T – T
U – U
V – V
W – W
X – X
Y – Y
Z – Z

Numbers in French (Les Nombres)

Counting from 1 to 50

1 – Un
2 – Deux
3 – Trois
4 – Quatre
5 – Cinq
6 – Six
7 – Sept
8 – Huit
9 – Neuf
10 – Dix
11 – Onze
12 – Douze
13 – Treize
14 – Quatorze
15 – Quinze
16 – Seize
17 – Dix-sept
18 – Dix-huit
19 – Dix-neuf
20 – Vingt
21 – Vingt et un
22 – Vingt-deux
23 – Vingt-trois
24 – Vingt-quatre
25 – Vingt-cinq
26 – Vingt-six
27 – Vingt-sept
28 – Vingt-huit
29 – Vingt-neuf
30 – Trente
31 – Trente et un
32 – Trente-deux
33 – Trente-trois
34 – Trente-quatre
35 – Trente-cinq
36 – Trente-six
37 – Trente-sept
38 – Trente-huit
39 – Trente-neuf
40 – Quarante
41 – Quarante et un
42 – Quarante-deux
43 – Quarante-trois
44 – Quarante-quatre
45 – Quarante-cinq
46 – Quarante-six
47 – Quarante-sept
48 – Quarante-huit
49 – Quarante-neuf
50 – Cinquante