The 500 phrases cover a first month in France, the mistakes page covers what goes wrong when two languages look alike, and the statistics page counts what the French half of the corpus holds, level by level and theme by theme. The rest are frequency lists and themed vocabulary.
Start with the 500 if you are moving or travelling, and with the verbs if you are studying, because a small set of French verbs carries most of what you say in a day. French is thinner here than Spanish, and the gap is the situation pages. A restaurant script, a first week at work and a visit to the doctor all exist in Spanish and are still to be written in French. Those are the ones we would write next. What is here goes all the way through: the animal run covers A to Z, and the transport page lists every word we have rather than a sample of five.
Where to start
- Best apps to learn Frenchcompare courses, speaking practice and vocabulary tools by what you want to do.
- French vocabulary app with audiohear a bilingual sample and see how French listening practice works in the app.
- French word countercount a writing exercise and check how apostrophes and hyphens are treated.
- 500 most useful French phrasesthe list for a first month, in the order a day happens.
- French mistakes English speakers makethe traps that come from two languages looking alike.
- The most common French verbs, ranked the way you'll actually meet thema small set of verbs carries most of what you say in a day.
- French vocabulary, by the numberscompare vocabulary coverage by level and topic.
Start here
Choose French phrases to practise, check common mistakes, or explore vocabulary by level.
500 most useful French phrases
500 most useful French phrases for everyday life, travel and work, with English translations and audio. Find what to say at the bakery, métro or pharmacy.
The Vocabcord 500 · FrenchFrench for your first 48 hours in France
The French for bonjour at the door, the platform board, a forfait and an eSIM, the tabac, the carafe of tap water, the duty pharmacy and the guichet.
The Vocabcord 500 · FrenchFrench mistakes English speakers make
Entrée is the starter and un demi is a small beer: the French phrases that are correct and still land wrong, from the notes in our 500-phrase list.
French · CompareBest apps to learn French
Compare French apps for beginners, speaking, listening and useful phrases. See free-access limits, offline options and a bilingual Vocabcord audio sample.
Corpus statisticsFrench vocabulary, by the numbers
Every French entry in the app's language packs, counted by CEFR level and theme.
Words and frequency
Which words to spend your time on, ranked from our own corpus.
18 common French nouns with gender, plurals and audio
Learn 18 everyday French nouns with le, la or l’, their gender, plural forms, examples and audio. Includes elision, liaison and useful spelling patterns.
French · LevelsHow many words are in the French language?
Le Petit Robert lists 60,000 French words; the Académie nearly 53,000 entries. Compare dictionary counts, meanings and practical goals for learners.
French · A1 to C2Most common French adjectives, by frequency
The most common French adjectives are bon, mauvais, grand, petit, nouveau, and vieux. All 272 corpus-ranked describing entries, A1 to C2, with audio.
French · A1 to C2The most common French verbs, ranked the way you'll actually meet them
The most common French verbs are être, avoir, faire, aller, pouvoir, and vouloir. Corpus data ranks the whole ladder: 110 verbs at A1 down to 12 at C2, with native audio.
Situations and themes
Explore a full vocabulary list for a particular situation or topic.
French vocabulary app with audio
Try Vocabcord’s French audio sample. Explore levelled vocabulary, practical phrases, offline downloads and a free starter selection on iPhone and Android.
French · A2Transport or Transportation in French: 19 words
Transport in French is le transport. Learn en voiture, en train, prendre l'avion and marcher à pied, plus 19 more words with audio.
Reference
Look up dates, times and numbers, or review a particular type of word.
Animals That Start With A in French (Plus B to Z)
Find French animal names from A to Z, with English meanings, gender, useful plurals, and clear answers for tricky letters Q, U, W, X, and Y.
French · A1Days of the week in French: lundi to dimanche
Days of the week in French: lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche. Hear each with audio; the French week starts on lundi.
Keep learning
Explore 500 everyday phrases in other languages, with collection details and citation guidance if you want to use them in your own work. For more practice ideas, browse the blog. Teaching a class? Use the lesson plan and downloadable phrase lists to organise your lessons.
You can compare vocabulary coverage by level and topic across languages, and check how the level and topic labels are assignedwhen choosing what to practise next.
If you spot an incorrect translation, level or note, send us a correction. Feedback from people who use the language helps us improve these resources.