Starter Words in French

The best way one can learn basic starter French words is to do so within the context of real life situations.

When it comes to learning French, whether one is an adult or younger, the very best way to approach this task is by associating these words with normal everyday situations. In this way, the words won't seem random, and thereby tedious to learn. Instead, all of the starter French words will have real-world application, and because of this, will hopefully be easier to learn.

Some of the most necessary French words one needs to know crop up frequently in the following situations:

When meeting or greeting someone, these French words will help:

Note that "vous" is used formally and "tu" is used when one already knows the person or when in the same age group.

The weather, le temps, is often discussed to make polite conversation. These French starter words will help:

Notice how the verb “faire”, to make or do, is often used in conjunction with the weather.

If shopping in a French speaking country,these words will help:

Once one is actually at the shopping center of their choice, these words will help:

Combine this list of words with these very necessary French phrases:

• How much does it cost? Combien ça coute?

• Around what price? Dans quel prix?

• I’m just looking. Je regarde seulement.

• Can you gift wrap it for me? Pouvez-vous me faire un paquet-cadeau, s'il vous plaît?

There are many online sites that can help one learn even more. Some of the most thorough sites include:

• Smart Phrase.com: This is a great site because it not only has French vocabulary lists, but also categories to help one navigate the language. Especially helpful are the categories that include medical phrases, like that of J'ai de la fiève (I have a fever). A phrase like that can prove immensely helpful if one happens to fall ill while traveling.

Another category that is not usually discussed on other sites is "Travel". Here you’ll find phrases like Le prochain train pour Bordeaux part à quelle heure? or When does the next train for Bordeaux leave? Again, these phrases can be helpful when traveling.

• French-At-A-Touch: One this site, you can find French words that run the gamut from common foods to times and dates to beverages; all of which are necessary for getting around successfully in a French speaking country.

The only drawback to this site is that they literally only provide vocabulary- there are no phrases. What this means then is that it’s up to the student to learn how to construct a grammatically correct sentence.

In addition to studying the words and phrases listed above, it may also be helpful to create a set a flash cards. A great set can be found at Flash Card Exchange; one can either study the words online, or print them out to carry and study. Also, consider buying a small French dictionary, like that of Barron’s French-English Dictionary: Dictionnaire Francais-Anglais. Using all of these tools in conjunction will have you speaking French in no time!

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