English-French Dictionary

Browse common English words and their French translations, with parts of speech and example sentences. Use this dictionary to look up everyday vocabulary or as a starting point for learning French.

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About French

French is a Romance language that evolved from Latin and has been a language of diplomacy, culture, and international relations for centuries. It is an official language in 29 countries across five continents. French vocabulary draws from Latin and Greek roots, with influences from Germanic languages (Frankish) and more recently from English. The Académie Française regulates the language, though everyday spoken French continues to evolve naturally.

Cultural Note

French pronunciation features nasal vowels (en, on, an), the uvular R, and silent final consonants. Liaison (linking sounds between words) is an important feature of spoken French. Formal vs. informal address (vous vs. tu) is a key social distinction.

Browse common French vocabulary

Word	Part of speech	Translation	Example
Pronouns
I	pron.	je	I am ready now. Je suis prêt maintenant.
you	pron.	tu / vous	You look tired today. Tu as l'air fatigué aujourd'hui.
he	pron.	il	He is my brother. Il est mon frère.
she	pron.	elle	She sings every morning. Elle chante chaque matin.
we	pron.	nous	We live near the school. Nous habitons près de l'école.
they	pron.	ils / elles	They work in the city. Ils travaillent dans la ville.
Question Words
what	int.	quoi / que	What is your name? Quel est votre nom?
where	int.	où	Where is my book? Où est mon livre?
when	int.	quand	When do you arrive? Quand arrives-tu?
who	int.	qui	Who is that man? Qui est cet homme?
why	int.	pourquoi	Why are you sad? Pourquoi es-tu triste?
how	int.	comment	How do you know? Comment sais-tu?
Verbs
to be	v.	être	We are very happy today. Nous sommes très heureux aujourd'hui.
to have	v.	avoir	I have a new car. J'ai une nouvelle voiture.
to do	v.	faire	They do the work well. Ils font bien le travail.
to go	v.	aller	I go to school early. Je vais à l'école tôt.
to come	v.	venir	Come to my house. Viens chez moi.
to see	v.	voir	I see the mountain. Je vois la montagne.
to know	v.	savoir	I know the answer. Je sais la réponse.
to think	v.	penser	We think about it. Nous y pensons.
to want	v.	vouloir	They want more water. Ils veulent plus d'eau.
to need	v.	avoir besoin	I need your help. J'ai besoin de ton aide.
to make	v.	faire	She makes good bread. Elle fait du bon pain.
to take	v.	prendre	Take the book. Prends le livre.
to give	v.	donner	Give me the key. Donne-moi la clé.
to say	v.	dire	He says the truth. Il dit la vérité.
to tell	v.	raconter	Tell me your story. Raconte-moi ton histoire.
to ask	v.	demander	Ask the teacher. Demande au professeur.
to find	v.	trouver	I found my book. J'ai trouvé mon livre.
to look	v.	regarder	Look at the sky. Regarde le ciel.
to work	v.	travailler	They work every day. Ils travaillent chaque jour.
to eat	v.	manger	We eat rice at home. Nous mangeons du riz à la maison.
to drink	v.	boire	I drink tea every morning. Je bois du thé chaque matin.
to sleep	v.	dormir	The child sleeps well. L'enfant dort bien.
to walk	v.	marcher	We walk to the river. Nous marchons jusqu'à la rivière.
to run	v.	courir	The boy runs fast. Le garçon court vite.
to read	v.	lire	She reads a story. Elle lit une histoire.
to write	v.	écrire	I write my name. J'écris mon nom.
to speak	v.	parler	They speak French well. Ils parlent bien français.
to listen	v.	écouter	Listen to the music. Écoute la musique.
to hear	v.	entendre	I hear the wind. J'entends le vent.
to buy	v.	acheter	We buy fresh fruit. Nous achetons des fruits frais.
to help	v.	aider	Help your friend. Aide ton ami.
to love	v.	aimer	I love my family. J'aime ma famille.
to live	v.	vivre	They live in Paris. Ils vivent à Paris.
to learn	v.	apprendre	Children learn quickly. Les enfants apprennent vite.
to teach	v.	enseigner	She teaches French. Elle enseigne le français.
to open	v.	ouvrir	Open the door, please. Ouvre la porte, s'il te plaît.
to close	v.	fermer	Close the window. Ferme la fenêtre.
Nouns
person	n.	personne	Each person has a name. Chaque personne a un nom.
man	n.	homme	That man is my father. Cet homme est mon père.
woman	n.	femme	The woman reads a book. La femme lit un livre.
child	n.	enfant	The child is happy. L'enfant est heureux.
boy	n.	garçon	The boy runs to school. Le garçon court à l'école.
girl	n.	fille	The girl has a book. La fille a un livre.
family	n.	famille	My family eats together. Ma famille mange ensemble.
mother	n.	mère	My mother cooks well. Ma mère cuisine bien.
father	n.	père	His father works hard. Son père travaille dur.
friend	n.	ami / amie	My friend knows the way. Mon ami connaît le chemin.
house	n.	maison	Their house is very big. Leur maison est très grande.
home	n.	chez soi	I want to go home. Je veux rentrer chez moi.
school	n.	école	The school opens at eight. L'école ouvre à huit heures.
city	n.	ville	This city is beautiful. Cette ville est belle.
world	n.	monde	The world is big. Le monde est grand.
time	n.	temps	Time passes quickly. Le temps passe vite.
day	n.	jour	Each day is new. Chaque jour est nouveau.
night	n.	nuit	The night is quiet. La nuit est calme.
morning	n.	matin	The morning is cold. Le matin est froid.
evening	n.	soir	The evening is calm. Le soir est calme.
year	n.	an / année	This year is important. Cette année est importante.
water	n.	eau	The water is cold. L'eau est froide.
food	n.	nourriture	The food is good. La nourriture est bonne.
bread	n.	pain	The bread is fresh. Le pain est frais.
milk	n.	lait	The milk is warm. Le lait est chaud.
fruit	n.	fruit	This fruit is sweet. Ce fruit est sucré.
head	n.	tête	My head hurts. J'ai mal à la tête.
hand	n.	main	Her hand is small. Sa main est petite.
heart	n.	cœur	His heart is strong. Son cœur est fort.
name	n.	nom	Your name is beautiful. Ton nom est beau.
book	n.	livre	This book is old. Ce livre est vieux.
word	n.	mot	That word is hard. Ce mot est difficile.
money	n.	argent	I need money. J'ai besoin d'argent.
love	n.	amour	Love is beautiful. L'amour est beau.
life	n.	vie	Life is good. La vie est belle.
door	n.	porte	The door is open. La porte est ouverte.
table	n.	table	The book is on the table. Le livre est sur la table.
Adjectives
good	adj.	bon / bonne	This bread is good. Ce pain est bon.
bad	adj.	mauvais	The weather is bad. Le temps est mauvais.
big	adj.	grand	They have a big house. Ils ont une grande maison.
small	adj.	petit	The room is small. La pièce est petite.
new	adj.	nouveau	I have a new book. J'ai un nouveau livre.
old	adj.	vieux	This table is old. Cette table est vieille.
beautiful	adj.	beau / belle	The sky is beautiful. Le ciel est beau.
hot	adj.	chaud	The tea is hot. Le thé est chaud.
cold	adj.	froid	The water is cold. L'eau est froide.
true	adj.	vrai	That story is true. Cette histoire est vraie.
strong	adj.	fort	The man is strong. L'homme est fort.
Adverbs
today	adv.	aujourd'hui	I work today. Je travaille aujourd'hui.
tomorrow	adv.	demain	We leave tomorrow. Nous partons demain.
yesterday	adv.	hier	She came yesterday. Elle est venue hier.
now	adv.	maintenant	I need it now. J'en ai besoin maintenant.
not	adv.	ne...pas	I am not ready. Je ne suis pas prêt.
Prepositions
with	prep.	avec	With my friend. Avec mon ami.
without	prep.	sans	Without money. Sans argent.
for	prep.	pour	This is for you. C'est pour toi.
from	prep.	de	From the city. De la ville.
to	prep.	à	Go to school. Va à l'école.
Conjunctions
and	conj.	et	Bread and milk. Pain et lait.
or	conj.	ou	Tea or coffee. Thé ou café.
but	conj.	mais	Tired but happy. Fatigué mais heureux.
if	conj.	si	If it rains, we stay. S'il pleut, nous restons.
Interjections
yes	interj.	oui	Yes, I know. Oui, je sais.
no	interj.	non	No, I do not agree. Non, je ne suis pas d'accord.

How It Works

Type an English word in the search box above to find its French translation instantly. Browse the vocabulary table below to discover common words organized by category. Each entry includes the translation, part of speech, and an example sentence.