French with Pierrick

Category: Vocabulary

French vocabulary

  • Topics to practise your French

    Here are some topics in French to help you build up vocabulary:

    La météo – The weather

    • Use 5 to 10 phrases to talk about good weather.
    • Use 5 to 10 phrases to talk about bad weather.
    • Answer questions about the weather.
    • Name and talk about the seasons.
    • What is/are your favourite season(s) and why?
    • Ask questions about the weather.

    La nourriture et les boissons – Food and drinks

    • What is your favourite dish/food? What is your least-favourite dish/food?
    • What is your favourite type of restaurant?
    • Do you like desserts? What are your favourites?
    • What are your favourite drinks?
    • Do you follow a specific diet?
    • Do you take any supplements?

    Films et séries – Films and series

    • What are your favourite films/series and why?
    • What was the last film/series you watched? What was it about?
    • What are your favourite type of films/series?
    • Do you prefer watching films at the cinema or on streaming platform?
    • Do you like to have food or drinks at the cinema? If yes, what are your favourites?
    • How do you decide what movie you want to see when picking one?

    La maison – Home

    • Describe the different rooms of your house.
    • Describe the different furniture.
    • Describe the different chores you do in a house.
    • Describe the different activities you do in a house.
    • What do you like about your home?
    • What do you like doing in your home?
    • What are the most common rooms in every home and what are they serve for?
    • Quelles sont les pièces les plus communes à toutes les habitations et à quoi servent-elles ?
    • What are the things you like the most in your home/room?
    • Quelles sont les choses que tu aiment le plus dans ta maison/chambre ?
    • Describe your dream home?
    • Décris la maison de tes rêves ?
    • What are the most useful things you have in your kitchen?
    • Quelles sont les choses les plus utiles que tu as dans ta cuisine ?
    • What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a house vs an apartment?
    • Quels sont les avantages et les inconvénients de vivre dans une maison vs un appartement ?
    • What are the most difficult and easy rooms to clean and why?
    • Quelles sont les pièces les plus difficiles et faciles à nettoyer et pourquoi ?

    Les habitudes – Habits

    • What are the habits or routines you enjoy doing on a daily or weekly basis?
    • Quelles sont les habitudes et les routines quotidiennes ou hebdomadaire que tu aimes faire ?
    • Do you have some to save you time?
    • Quelles sont celles qui te permettent de gagner du temps ?
    • Do you have some to stay healthy?
    • Quelles sont celles qui te permettent de rester en bonne santé ?
    • Do you have some for your well-being or to help you to relax?
    • Quelles sont celles qui te font du bien et qui t’aide à te décontracter ?
    • What are the habits you would like to get in the future?
    • Quelles sont les habitudes que tu voudrais développer dans le futur ?
    • What are the bad habits your dropped in the past or those you want to drop?
    • Quelles sont les mauvaises habitudes que tu as abandonné dans le passé et celles que tu voudrais abandonner ?

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  • 10 French adverbs ending in -ment

    Here are 10 common French adverbs ending in -ment, how to pronounce them and how to use them in a sentence:

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Carrément[kaʀemɑ̃]Totally
    Complètement[kɔ̃plɛtmɑ̃]Totally, completely
    Exactement[ɛgzaktəmɑ̃]Exactly
    Nettement[nɛtmɑ̃]Significantly
    Personnellement[pɛʀsɔnɛlmɑ̃]Personally
    Probablement[pʀɔbabləmɑ̃]Probably
    Récemment[ʀesamɑ̃]Recently
    Seulement[sœlmɑ̃]Only
    Tellement[tɛlmɑ̃]So, such
    Vachement.[vaʃmɑ̃]Bloody
    Vraiment.[vʀɛmɑ̃]Really
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    Examples:

    • Ça te dit d’aller au restaurant ? Ouais, carrément ! Do you fancy going to the restaurant? Yeah, totally!
    • C’est complètement fou. It’s totally/completely crazy.
    • C’est exactement ce que j’allais dire. It’s exactly what I was going to say.
    • J’ai nettement amélioré mon français. I significantly improved my French.
    • Personnellement, j’adore les pizzas. Personally, I love pizzas.
    • On va probablement aller courrir demain. We’re probably going to run tomorrow.
    • J’ai récemment commencé à apprendre le français. I recently started to learn French.
    • Je suis seulement allé en France une fois. I only went to France once.
    • J’ai tellement faim. I’m so hungry.
    • Ce film est vachement bien. This film is bloody good.
    • Ce livre est vraiment intéressant. This book is really interesting.

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  • 10 adverbs of manner in French

    Here are 10 common adverbs of manner in French, how to pronounce them and how to use them in a sentence:

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Attentivement[atɑ̃tivmɑ̃]Carefully
    Facilement[fasilmɑ̃]Easily
    Gentiment[ʒɑ̃timɑ̃]Kindly
    Heureusement[øʀøzmɑ̃]Thankfully
    Lentement[lɑ̃tmɑ̃]Slowly
    Malheureusement[maløʀøzmɑ̃]Unfortunately
    Patiemment[pasjamɑ̃]Patiently
    Poliment[pɔlimɑ̃]Politely
    Progressivement[pʀɔgʀesivmɑ̃]Progressively
    Rapidement.[ʀapidmɑ̃]Quickly
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    Examples:

    • Il écoute attentivement. He listens carefully.
    • Nous avons gagné facilement. We won easily.
    • Elle répond gentiment. She kindly answers.
    • Heureusement, j’ai un travail. Thankfully, I have a job.
    • On mange lentement. We eat slowly.
    • Malheureusement, je ne peux pas venir. Unfortunately, I can’t come.
    • Nous attentons patiemment. We’re waiting patiently.
    • Je demande poliment. I ask politely.
    • J’apprends le français progressivement. I’m learning French progressively.
    • Elle comprend rapidement. She understands quickly.

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  • 10 adverbs of place in French

    Here are 10 common adverbs of place in French, how to pronounce them and how to use them in a sentence:

    AdverbeIPA*Adverb
    Ici[isi]Here
    Là[la]There
    Là-bas[laba]There
    Près[pʀɛ]Near
    Loin[lwɛ̃]Far
    À l’intérieur[a l’ɛ̃teʀjœʀ]Inside
    À l’extérieur[a l’ɛksteʀjœʀ]Outside
    Dehors[dəɔʀ]Outside
    Dessous[d(ə)su]Below
    Partout[paʀtu]Everywhere
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    Examples:

    • Il pleut ici. It’s raining here.
    • Ils ne sont pas là ce matin. They are not there this morning.
    • On n’est jamais allé là-bas. We never went there.
    • J’habite près du centre ville. I live near the city center.
    • Elles habitent loin du centre ville. They live far from the city center.
    • J’ai froid, je rentre à l’intérieur. I’m cold, I’m going back inside.
    • Le parking est à l’extérieur du camping. The car park is outside the camp site.
    • Il fait beau dehors. It’s sunny outside.
    • Le prix est marqué dessous. The price is indicated below.
    • Je suis allé presque partout dans cette région. I’ve been almost everywhere in this region.

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    Find my other adverb lists in French here.

  • 10 adverbs of quantity in French

    Here are 10 common adverbs of quantity in French, how to pronounce them and use them in a sentence:

    AdverbesIPA*Adverbs
    Moins[mwɛ̃]Less
    Plus[plys]More
    Autant[otɑ̃]As much as
    Presque pas[pʀɛsk pɑ]Hardly any
    Peu[œ̃ pø]Little/few
    Pas mal[pɑ mal]Quite a lot
    Assez[ase]Enough
    Beaucoup[boku]A lot
    Tellement[tɛlmɑ̃]So much/many
    Trop[tʀo]Too much/many
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    Examples:

    • J’ai moins d’idées que toi. I have less ideas than you.
    • Tu as plus d’idées que moi. You have more ideas than me.
    • Il a autant d’idées qu’elle. He has as much ideas as her.
    • On n’a presque pas d’idées. We hardly have any ideas.
    • Nous avons peu d’idées. We have few ideas.
    • Vous avez pas mal d’idées. You have quite a lot of ideas.
    • Elles ont assez d’idées. They have enough ideas.
    • J’ai beaucoup d’idées. I have a lot of ideas.
    • Tu as tellement d’idées. You have so many ideas.
    • Elle a trop d’idées. She has too many ideas.

    You can make these examples uncountable by replacing “idées” (ideas) by “eau” (water).

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    Find my other adverb lists in French here.

  • 20 weather phrases in French

    Here are 20 common weather phrases in French:

    La météoIPA*The weather
    Le beau tempsGood weather
    Il fait beau[il fɛ bo]It’s sunny
    Il fait chaud[il fɛ ʃo]It’s hot
    Il fait très chaud[il fɛ tʀɛ ʃo]It’s very hot
    Il fait bon[il fɛ bɔ̃]The weather is nice
    Il fait doux[il fɛ du]It’s mild
    Il fait frais[il fɛ fʀɛ]It’s cool
    Il y a du soleil[il i ja dy sɔlɛj]It’s sunny
    C’est ensoleillé[sɛ ɑ̃sɔleje]It’s sunny
    Le mauvais tempsBad weather
    Il fait mauvais[il fɛ mɔvɛ]The weather is bad
    Il fait froid[il fɛ fʀwa]It’s cold
    Il fait très froid[il fɛ tʀɛ fʀwa]It’s very cold
    Il pleut[il plø]It’s raining
    Il neige[il nɛʒ]It’s snowing
    Il y a du vent[il i ja dy vɑ̃]It’s windy
    Il y a des nuages[il i ja de nɥaʒ]It’s cloudy
    Il y a de l’orage[il i ja də zɔʀaʒ]It’s stormy
    Il y a du brouillard[il i ja dy bʀujaʀ]It’s foggy
    Il y a de la brume[il i ja də la bʀym]It’s misty
    C’est nuageux[sɛ nɥaʒø]It’s cloudy
    C’est orageux[sɛ ɔʀaʒø]It’s stormy
    C’est pluvieux[sɛ plyvjø]It’s rainy
    *IPA : International Phonetic Alphabet

    It is also frequent to hear French speakers saying “y’a” in an informal situation, instead of “il y a”, like for example:

    • Y’a du brouillard. It’s foggy.
    • Y’a beaucoup plu. It rained a lot.

    Talking about temperature

    Here are several ways to talk about temperature in French:

    • La température est d’environ 15°. The temperature is about 15°.
    • Il fait environ 15°. It is around 15°.
    • Il fait entre 15° et 18°. The temperature is between 15° and 18°.

    Questions to ask about the weather

    Alongside these weather phrases here are some common questions you can ask about the weather:

    • Quel temps il fait aujourd’hui chez toi ? What’s the weather like today where you are?

    Il pleut ici. It rains here.

    • Quel temps il a fait pendant tes vacances ? What was the weather like during your holidays?

    Il a fait beau et chaud presque tous les jours. It was sunny and warm almost everyday.

    You can also ask:

    • Comment est la météo ? What is the weather like?
    • Est-ce qu’il fait beau ? Is the weather nice?
    • Quel temps il fait là-bas ? What is the weather like over there?

    To finish, here are two other weather expressions that I like to use:

    • Ça caille (informal). It’s freezing.
    • On est trempé.e. We’re soaked/drenched.

    Seasons

    To finish, here is a table with the seasons in French, how to pronounce them and their respective prepositions:

    Les saisonsIPA*Seasons
    Le printemps[lə pʀɛ̃tɑ̃]Spring
    Au printemps[o pʀɛ̃tɑ̃]In spring
    L’été[l’ete]Summer
    En été[ɑ̃ nete]In summer
    L’automne[l’ɔtɔn]Autumn
    En automne[ɑ̃ nɔtɔn]In autumn
    L’hiver[l’ivɛʀ]Winter
    En hiver[ɑ̃ nivɛʀ]In winter
    *IPA : International Phonetic Alphabet

    We make the liaison between “en” and “été”, “automne” and “hiver” (shown in bold).

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    Find my other vocabulary lists in French here.

  • 10 adverbs of frequency in French

    Here are 10 common adverbs of frequency in French, how to pronounce them and how to use them in a sentence:

    AdverbeIPA*Adverb
    Toujours[tuʒur]Always
    Tout le temps[tu le tɑ̃]All the time
    Habituellement[abitɥɛlmɑ̃]Usually
    D’habitude[dabityd]Usually
    Souvent[suvɑ̃]Often
    Régulièrement[ʀegyljɛʀmɑ̃]Regularly
    Parfois[paʀfwa]Sometimes
    De temps en temps[də tɑ̃ zɑ̃ tɑ̃]From time to time
    Rarement[ʀɑʀmɑ̃]Rarely
    Presque jamais[pʀɛsk ʒamɛ]Hardly ever
    Jamais[ʒamɛ]Never
    *IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

    Examples:

    • Je bois toujours du café le matin. I always drink coffee in the morning.
    • Je bois habituellement du café le matin (formal). I usually drink coffee in the morning.
    • D’habitude je bois du café le matin (informal). I usually drink coffee in the morning.
    • Je bois souvent du café le matin. I often drink coffee in the morning.
    • Je bois régulièrement du café le matin. I regularly drink coffee in the morning.
    • Je bois parfois du café le matin. I sometimes drink coffee in the morning.
    • Je bois du café le matin de temps en temps. I drink coffee in the morning from time to time.
    • Je bois rarement du café le matin. I rarely drink coffee in the morning.
    • Je ne bois presque jamais de café le matin. I hardly ever drink coffee in the morning.
    • Je ne bois jamais de café le matin. I never drink coffee in the morning.

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  • 15 summer words in French

    Here are 15 summer words in French:

    FrançaisIPAEnglish
    Des lunettes de soleil[de lynεt də sɔlεj]Sunglasses
    Une serviette[yn sεrvjεt]A towel
    Une bouteille d’eau[yn butεj do]A water bottle
    Une casquette[yn kaskεt]A cap
    Un chapeau[œ̃ ʃapo]A hat
    Un maillot de bain[œ̃ majo də bε̃]A swimming costume
    Un short de bain[œ̃ ʃɔrt də bε̃]Swimming trunks
    Un bikini[œ̃ bikini]A bikini
    Des sandales[de sɑ̃dal]Sandals
    Des tongs [de tɔ̃g]Flip-flops
    Un parasol[œ̃ parasɔl]A parasol
    Une glace[yn glas]An ice cream
    Un sorbet[œ̃ sɔrbε]A sorbet
    Une plage[yn plaʒ]A beach
    De la crème solaire[də la krεm sɔlεr]Sun cream
    Un coup de soleil[œ̃ ku de sɔlɛj]Sunburn
    *IPA : International Phonetic Alphabet

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  • 30 fruits in French

    Here are 30 fruits in French:

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Les fruits[le frɥi]Fruit
    Une pomme[yn pɔm]An apple
    Un abricot[œ̃n abriko]An apricot
    Un avocat[œ̃n avɔka]An avocado
    Une banane[yn banan]A banana
    Une mûre[yn myr]A blackberry
    Un cassis[œ̃ kasis]A blackcurrant
    Une myrtille[yn mirtij]A blueberry
    Une cerise[yn səriz]A cherry
    Une clémentine[yn klemɑ̃tin]A clementine
    Une noix de coco[yn nwa də koko]A coconut
    Une datte[yn dat]A date
    Un pamplemousse[œ̃ pɑ̃pləmus]A grapefruit
    Un raisin[œ̃ rεzε̃]A grape
    Un kiwi[œ̃ kiwi]A kiwi
    Un citron[œ̃ sitrɔ̃]A lemon
    Un citron vert[œ̃ sitrɔ̃ vεr]A lime
    Une mangue[yn mɑ̃g]A mango
    Un melon[œ̃ məlɔ̃]A melon
    Une nectarine[yn nεktarin]A nectarine
    Une olive[yn ɔliv]An olive
    Une orange[yn ɔrɑ̃ʒ]An orange
    Une pêche[yn pεʃ]A peach
    Une poire[yn pwar]A pear
    Un ananas[œ̃n anana(s)]A pineapple
    Une prune[yn pryn]A plum
    Une framboise[yn frɑ̃bwaz]A raspberry
    Une groseille[yn grozεj]A redcurrant
    De la rhubarbe[də la rybarb]Rhubarb
    Une fraise[yn frεz]A strawberry
    Une pastèque[yn pastεk]A watermelon
    *IPA : International Phonetic Alphabet

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  • 30 vegetables in French

    Here are 30 vegetables in French:

    FrançaisIPA*English
    Les légumes[le legym]Vegetables
    Une asperge[yn aspεrʒ]Asparagus
    Une aubergine[yn obεrʒin]An aubergine
    Une betterave[yn bεtrav]A beetroot
    Un brocoli[œ̃ brɔkɔli]A broccoli
    Un chou de Bruxelles[œ̃ ʃu də brysεl]A Brussels sprout
    Un chou[œ̃ ʃu]A cabbage
    Une carotte[yn karɔt]A carrot
    Un chou-fleur[œ̃ ʃuflɶr]A cauliflower
    Une courgette[yn kurʒεt]A courgette
    Un concombre[œ̃ kɔ̃kɔ̃br]A cucumber
    Un haricot vert[œ̃ ʼariko vεr]A French bean
    Un fenouil[œ̃ fənuj]A fennel
    De l’ail[də laj]Garlic
    Du gingembre[dy ʒε̃ʒɑ̃br]Ginger
    Un poireau[œ̃ pwaro]A leek
    Une lentille[yn lɑ̃tij]A lentil
    Une salade[yn salad]A lettuce
    Un champignon[œ̃ ʃɑ̃piɲɔ̃]A mushroom
    Un oignon[œ̃n ɔɲɔ̃]An onion
    Un panais[œ̃ panɛ]A parsnip
    Un petit pois[œ̃ p(ə)ti pwa]A pea
    Une pomme de terre[yn pɔmdətεr]A potato
    Un potiron[œ̃ pɔtirɔ̃]A pumpkin
    Un radis[œ̃ radi]A radish
    Une échalote[yn eʃalɔt]A shallot
    Des épinards[de zepinar]Spinach
    Une courge[yn kurʒ]A squash
    Une patate douce[yn patat dus]A sweet potato
    Une tomate[yn tɔmat]A tomato
    Un navet[œ̃ navε]A turnip
    *IPA : International Phonetic Alphabet

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