100 Most Common French Words for Beginners (With Pronunciation + Examples)

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French sounds beautiful, but it does not always sound how it looks. Silent letters, accents, liaison and noun gender can make even simple french words feel tricky at first.

This guide gives you 100 of the most common French words for beginners, with meanings, pronunciation notes, example sentences and the gender of every noun. Use it to build a strong foundation, avoid bad habits, and start recognising real French in everyday conversations.

A Note on French Noun Gender and Pronunciation

Before you start learning French words, there are two things to pay attention to: gender and sound. French spelling does not always tell you exactly how a word is pronounced, so it is worth learning the word and the pronunciation together.

Every French noun is either masculine or feminine. Masculine nouns usually use le, while feminine nouns use la. For example, le livre means “the book”, while la maison means “the house”. When a noun begins with a vowel, le or la becomes l’, as in l’école.

French also has many silent final letters. In words like chaud, nuit and vous, the final consonant is usually not pronounced. This is one reason French can look very different from how it sounds.

Another important feature is liaison. This happens when a normally silent final consonant is pronounced because the next word begins with a vowel. For example, les enfants is pronounced more like lay-zan-fan, because the s in les links to enfants.

Finally, French has several nasal vowel sounds, especially in words with un, on, en/an and in. These sounds come through the nose and can take time to master, but recognising them early will make French pronunciation much easier.

The 20 Most Frequent French Words

These are some of the most common French words you will see again and again. Many are small “grammar words” rather than exciting vocabulary, but they are essential because they hold sentences together.

French word	Meaning	Pronunciation note	Example sentence
le	the	Like “luh”	Le café est chaud. = The coffee is hot.
la	the	“lah”	La maison est grande. = The house is big.
les	the	“lay”	Les enfants jouent. = The children are playing.
de	of / from	Like “duh”	Je viens de Paris. = I come from Paris.
un	a / one	Nasal sound	J’ai un livre. = I have a book.
une	a / one	Like “oon”	C’est une table. = It is a table.
et	and	“ay”	Toi et moi. = You and me.
en	in / some / of it	Nasal sound	J’habite en France. = I live in France.
que	that / what	Like “kuh”	Je pense que oui. = I think so.
qui	who / which	“kee”	Qui est là ? = Who is there?
je	I	Soft “zhuh” sound	Je parle français. = I speak French.
il	he / it	“eel”	Il est ici. = He is here.
à	to / at / in	“ah”	Je vais à Paris. = I am going to Paris.
pas	not	Final s is silent	Je ne sais pas. = I do not know.
dans	in / inside	Nasal sound, silent s	Il est dans la maison. = He is in the house.
être	to be	Like “ehtr”	Je veux être prêt. = I want to be ready.
avoir	to have	“ah-vwahr”	Je veux avoir le temps. = I want to have time.
faire	to do / make	“fehr”	Je vais faire du café. = I am going to make coffee.
aller	to go	“ah-lay”	Je vais aller au marché. = I am going to go to the market.
dire	to say / tell	“deer”	Je veux dire merci. = I want to say thank you.

Learn these words early because they appear everywhere. Even before you know hundreds of nouns and adjectives, words like le, de, je, être, avoir and aller will help you understand the basic structure of French sentences.

Essential French Verbs (20 verbs)

Verbs are some of the most useful French words to learn early because they let you build real sentences quickly. If you want to go deeper, our French Grammar for Beginners guide covers verb conjugation in full.

With just a few verbs, you can say what you are, what you have, where you are going, what you want, what you know and what you like.

French verbs change depending on the subject, so in this table you will see both the infinitive form and the je form. The infinitive is the basic dictionary form, while the je form shows how to use the verb when talking about yourself.

Infinitive	Je form	Pronunciation	Example
être = to be	je suis	zhuh swee	Je suis étudiant. = I am a student.
avoir = to have	j’ai	zhay	J’ai un livre. = I have a book.
aller = to go	je vais	zhuh vay	Je vais à Paris. = I am going to Paris.
faire = to do / make	je fais	zhuh fay	Je fais du café. = I am making coffee.
dire = to say / tell	je dis	zhuh dee	Je dis merci. = I say thank you.
pouvoir = can / to be able to	je peux	zhuh puh	Je peux aider. = I can help.
vouloir = to want	je veux	zhuh vuh	Je veux apprendre. = I want to learn.
savoir = to know	je sais	zhuh say	Je sais la réponse. = I know the answer.
venir = to come	je viens	zhuh vee-an	Je viens de Londres. = I come from London.
voir = to see	je vois	zhuh vwah	Je vois la maison. = I see the house.
prendre = to take	je prends	zhuh prahn	Je prends le train. = I take the train.
partir = to leave	je pars	zhuh par	Je pars demain. = I am leaving tomorrow.
mettre = to put	je mets	zhuh may	Je mets le livre ici. = I put the book here.
manger = to eat	je mange	zhuh mahnzh	Je mange une pomme. = I eat an apple.
boire = to drink	je bois	zhuh bwah	Je bois de l’eau. = I drink water.
travailler = to work	je travaille	zhuh tra-vy	Je travaille aujourd’hui. = I work today.
parler = to speak	je parle	zhuh parl	Je parle français. = I speak French.
acheter = to buy	j’achète	zhah-shet	J’achète du pain. = I buy bread.
chercher = to look for	je cherche	zhuh shersh	Je cherche mon sac. = I am looking for my bag.
aimer = to like / love	j’aime	zhem	J’aime la musique. = I like music.

Essential French Nouns: People & Relationships (12 words)

People and relationship words are some of the most useful French nouns to learn early. Notice that every noun has a gender, even when the English translation does not. Learn the article with the word: le for masculine, la for feminine, and l’ before a vowel. If you are ever unsure of a noun’s gender, the WordReference French dictionary always lists it.

French noun	Meaning	Pronunciation	Example
l’homme	the man	lom	L’homme parle français. = The man speaks French.
la femme	the woman / wife	lah fam	La femme est ici. = The woman is here.
l’enfant	the child	lon-fon	L’enfant joue. = The child is playing.
l’ami / l’amie	the friend	lah-mee	C’est mon ami. = He is my friend.
la famille	the family	lah fa-mee	Ma famille habite à Paris. = My family lives in Paris.
la mère	the mother	lah mehr	Ma mère travaille. = My mother works.
le père	the father	luh pehr	Mon père est gentil. = My father is kind.
le frère	the brother	luh frehr	J’ai un frère. = I have a brother.
la sœur	the sister	lah suhr	Ma sœur est étudiante. = My sister is a student.
la personne	the person	lah pair-son	Cette personne est gentille. = This person is kind.
le monsieur	the gentleman / man	luh muh-syuh	Le monsieur attend ici. = The gentleman is waiting here.
Madame	Mrs / Madam	mah-dam	Bonjour, Madame. = Hello, Madam.

A useful note: Madame is normally used without la when speaking to someone directly, as in Bonjour, Madame. For “the lady”, French usually says la dame, not la madame. For a full list of polite expressions, see our guide on French greetings.

Essential French Nouns: Places & Objects (15 words)

These French nouns help you talk about everyday places, travel, food, money and basic objects. Pay attention to the article before each word: le is masculine, la is feminine, and l’ is used before a vowel.

French noun	Meaning	Pronunciation	Example
la maison	the house	lah may-zon	La maison est grande. = The house is big.
la ville	the city / town	lah veel	J’habite dans la ville. = I live in the city.
le travail	work / job	luh tra-vy	Je vais au travail. = I am going to work.
la voiture	the car	lah vwah-tur	La voiture est rouge. = The car is red.
le restaurant	the restaurant	luh res-toh-ron	Le restaurant est ouvert. = The restaurant is open.
l’eau	the water	loh	Je bois de l’eau. = I drink water.
la nourriture	the food	lah noo-ree-tur	La nourriture est bonne. = The food is good.
l’argent	the money	lar-zhon	J’ai de l’argent. = I have money.
le temps	time / weather	luh ton	Le temps est mauvais. = The weather is bad.
le livre	the book	luh leevr	Je lis un livre. = I am reading a book.
l’aéroport	the airport	lah-ay-ro-por	Je vais à l’aéroport. = I am going to the airport.
l’hôtel	the hotel	loh-tel	L’hôtel est près de la gare. = The hotel is near the train station.
la rue	the street	lah roo	La rue est calme. = The street is quiet.
la gare	the train station	lah gar	La gare est loin. = The train station is far away.
le magasin	the shop	luh ma-ga-zan	Le magasin est fermé. = The shop is closed.

A useful beginner tip: le temps can mean both time and weather, depending on the sentence. For example, Je n’ai pas le temps means “I do not have time”, while Le temps est mauvais means “The weather is bad”.

French Adjectives (15 words)

French adjectives help you describe people, places, objects and situations. Many adjectives change depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine, so it is useful to learn both forms together.

French adjective	Meaning	Pronunciation	Example
grand / grande	big / tall	grahn / grahnd	La maison est grande. = The house is big.
petit / petite	small / little	puh-tee / puh-teet	Le livre est petit. = The book is small.
bon / bonne	good	bohn / bun	La nourriture est bonne. = The food is good.
mauvais / mauvaise	bad	moh-vay / moh-vez	Le temps est mauvais. = The weather is bad.
nouveau / nouvelle	new	noo-vo / noo-vel	C’est un nouveau restaurant. = It is a new restaurant.
vieux / vieille	old	vyuh / vyay	La voiture est vieille. = The car is old.
beau / belle	beautiful	bo / bel	C’est une belle ville. = It is a beautiful city.
rapide	fast	ra-peed	Le train est rapide. = The train is fast.
lent / lente	slow	lon / lont	Le service est lent. = The service is slow.
cher / chère	expensive	sher	L’hôtel est cher. = The hotel is expensive.
pas cher / pas chère	cheap / not expensive	pah sher	Ce café n’est pas cher. = This coffee is cheap.
facile	easy	fa-seel	C’est facile. = It is easy.
difficile	difficult	dee-fee-seel	Le français est difficile. = French is difficult.
chaud / chaude	hot	sho / shod	Le café est chaud. = The coffee is hot.
froid / froide	cold	frwah / frwahd	L’eau est froide. = The water is cold.

A quick rule: many French adjectives add -e in the feminine form, but pronunciation does not always change. In words like grand/grande, petit/petite, chaud/chaude and froid/froide, the final consonant is often silent in the masculine form but pronounced in the feminine form.

French adjective agreement: must match noun in gender and number

In French, adjectives usually change to match the noun they describe. This is called adjective agreement.

French adjectives must match the noun in:

• Gender: masculine or feminine
• Number: singular or plural

For many adjectives, you add -e for the feminine form and -s for the plural form.

French Question Words & Time Words (12 words)

Question words help you ask for basic information, while time words help you talk about when something happens. These are small words, but they appear constantly in real French conversations. If you want to improve how natural you sound when asking questions, visit our article on sounding natural in French.

French word	Meaning	Pronunciation	Example
Qu’est-ce que ? / Que ?	what?	kes-kuh / kuh	Qu’est-ce que c’est ? = What is it?
Qui ?	who?	kee	Qui est là ? = Who is there?
Où ?	where?	oo	Où est la gare ? = Where is the train station?
Quand ?	when?	kon	Quand pars-tu ? = When are you leaving?
Pourquoi ?	why?	poor-kwah	Pourquoi tu apprends le français ? = Why are you learning French?
Comment ?	how?	ko-mon	Comment ça va ? = How are you?
Combien ?	how much / how many?	kom-byen	Combien ça coûte ? = How much does it cost?
Aujourd’hui	today	oh-zhoor-dwee	Je travaille aujourd’hui. = I am working today.
Demain	tomorrow	duh-man	Je pars demain. = I am leaving tomorrow.
Hier	yesterday	yair	J’ai travaillé hier. = I worked yesterday.
Maintenant	now	man-tuh-non	Je suis prêt maintenant. = I am ready now.
Bientôt	soon	byen-toh	À bientôt ! = See you soon!

A quick note: Qu’est-ce que ? is very common in everyday French and is usually easier for beginners than using que on its own. For example, Qu’est-ce que tu veux ? means “What do you want?”

Essential French Connectors (10 words)

Connectors are small words that make your French sound more natural. They help you join ideas, explain reasons, compare things and build longer sentences. For more on how to use them fluently, see our guide on sounding natural in French.

French word	Meaning	Pronunciation	Example
et	and	ay	Toi et moi. = You and me.
ou	or	oo	Thé ou café ? = Tea or coffee?
mais	but	meh	Je veux venir, mais je travaille. = I want to come, but I am working.
parce que	because	pars-kuh	J’apprends le français parce que j’aime la langue. = I am learning French because I like the language.
si	if	see	Si tu veux, je peux aider. = If you want, I can help.
aussi	also / too	oh-see	Moi aussi. = Me too.
très	very	treh	C’est très bon. = It is very good.
plus	more	ploo / ploos	Je veux plus de temps. = I want more time.
moins	less	mwan	C’est moins cher. = It is less expensive.
avec	with	ah-vek	Je suis avec ma famille. = I am with my family.

A quick pronunciation note: plus changes sound depending on how it is used. When it means “more”, it is often pronounced ploos before a vowel or on its own, but ploo before a consonant.

Numbers 1–10 in French

Numbers are some of the first French words beginners should learn. You will use them for prices, ages, dates, phone numbers, addresses and everyday conversations.

Number	French	Pronunciation
1	un / une	uh / oon
2	deux	duh
3	trois	trwah
4	quatre	katr
5	cinq	sank
6	six	sees
7	sept	set
8	huit	weet
9	neuf	nuhf
10	dix	dees

Use un with masculine nouns and une with feminine nouns. For example, un livre means “one book”, while une maison means “one house”.

For a full guide, see our dedicated article on French numbers.

Pronunciation Tips for Beginners

French pronunciation can feel difficult at first because words do not always sound how they look. Before memorising hundreds of new words, it helps to understand a few common patterns. Tools like Forvo can help you hear native speaker pronunciations for individual French words.

The French R

The French r is different from the English r. Instead of rolling from the front of the mouth, it is usually made at the back of the throat.

For example:

• restaurant
• rue
• frère
• travailler

Do not force it too much at the start. A soft throat sound is better than a strong English r.

Silent Final Consonants

In French, final consonants are often silent. This means the last letter of a word may be written, but not clearly pronounced.

For example:

French word	Pronunciation note
chaud	final d is silent
froid	final d is silent
vous	final s is silent
temps	final ps is silent
petit	final t is usually silent

There are exceptions, but this pattern is one of the biggest reasons French spelling and pronunciation can feel different.

U vs OU

French u and ou are completely different sounds.

French word	Meaning	Pronunciation note
tu	you	French u sound
tout	all / everything	ou sounds like “oo”
rue	street	French u sound
vous	you	ou sounds like “oo”

For English speakers, ou is usually easier because it sounds close to “oo” in “food”. French u is tighter and more forward in the mouth.

Nasal Vowels

French also has nasal vowel sounds, where the sound passes partly through the nose. These appear in common spellings like an, en, in, ain, on and un.

Spelling	Example	Pronunciation note
an / en	enfant, dans	nasal “on/ahn” sound
in / ain	pain, matin	nasal “an” sound
on	bon, maison	nasal “on” sound
un	un, brun	nasal un sound

You do not need perfect pronunciation immediately. Focus first on recognising the patterns: silent final letters, liaison, nasal vowels, and the difference between u and ou. These will make the most common French words much easier to remember and say correctly. Our guide to French listening practice for beginners can also help you tune your ear to these sounds.

Full Reference Table

French word	Article (if noun)	Pronunciation	English	Example sentence
le	—	luh	the	Le café est chaud. = The coffee is hot.
la	—	lah	the	La maison est grande. = The house is big.
les	—	lay	the	Les enfants jouent. = The children are playing.
de	—	duh	of / from	Je viens de Paris. = I come from Paris.
un	—	uh	a / one	J’ai un livre. = I have a book.
une	—	oon	a / one	C’est une table. = It is a table.
et	—	ay	and	Toi et moi. = You and me.
en	—	on	in / some / of it	J’habite en France. = I live in France.
que	—	kuh	that / what	Je pense que oui. = I think so.
qui	—	kee	who / which	Qui est là ? = Who is there?
je	—	zhuh	I	Je parle français. = I speak French.
il	—	eel	he / it	Il est ici. = He is here.
à	—	ah	to / at / in	Je vais à Paris. = I am going to Paris.
pas	—	pah	not	Je ne sais pas. = I do not know.
dans	—	don	in / inside	Il est dans la maison. = He is in the house.
être	—	ehtr	to be	Je suis étudiant. = I am a student.
avoir	—	ah-vwahr	to have	J’ai un livre. = I have a book.
aller	—	ah-lay	to go	Je vais au marché. = I am going to the market.
faire	—	fehr	to do / make	Je fais du café. = I am making coffee.
dire	—	deer	to say / tell	Je dis merci. = I say thank you.
pouvoir	—	poo-vwahr	can / to be able to	Je peux aider. = I can help.
vouloir	—	voo-lwahr	to want	Je veux apprendre. = I want to learn.
savoir	—	sah-vwahr	to know	Je sais la réponse. = I know the answer.
venir	—	vuh-neer	to come	Je viens de Londres. = I come from London.
voir	—	vwahr	to see	Je vois la maison. = I see the house.
prendre	—	prondr	to take	Je prends le train. = I take the train.
partir	—	par-teer	to leave	Je pars demain. = I am leaving tomorrow.
mettre	—	metr	to put	Je mets le livre ici. = I put the book here.
manger	—	mon-zhay	to eat	Je mange une pomme. = I eat an apple.
boire	—	bwahr	to drink	Je bois de l’eau. = I drink water.
travailler	—	tra-vy-ay	to work	Je travaille aujourd’hui. = I work today.
parler	—	par-lay	to speak	Je parle français. = I speak French.
acheter	—	ash-tay	to buy	J’achète du pain. = I buy bread.
chercher	—	shair-shay	to look for	Je cherche mon sac. = I am looking for my bag.
aimer	—	eh-may	to like / love	J’aime la musique. = I like music.
homme	l’homme	lom	man	L’homme parle français. = The man speaks French.
femme	la femme	lah fam	woman / wife	La femme est ici. = The woman is here.
enfant	l’enfant	lon-fon	child	L’enfant joue. = The child is playing.
ami / amie	l’ami / l’amie	lah-mee	friend	C’est mon ami. = He is my friend.
famille	la famille	lah fa-mee	family	Ma famille habite à Paris. = My family lives in Paris.
mère	la mère	lah mehr	mother	Ma mère travaille. = My mother works.
père	le père	luh pehr	father	Mon père est gentil. = My father is kind.
frère	le frère	luh frehr	brother	J’ai un frère. = I have a brother.
sœur	la sœur	lah suhr	sister	Ma sœur est étudiante. = My sister is a student.
personne	la personne	lah pair-son	person	Cette personne est gentille. = This person is kind.
monsieur	le monsieur	luh muh-syuh	gentleman / man	Le monsieur attend ici. = The gentleman is waiting here.
madame	Madame	mah-dam	Madam / Mrs	Bonjour, Madame. = Hello, Madam.
maison	la maison	lah may-zon	house	La maison est grande. = The house is big.
ville	la ville	lah veel	city / town	J’habite dans la ville. = I live in the city.
travail	le travail	luh tra-vy	work / job	Je vais au travail. = I am going to work.
voiture	la voiture	lah vwah-tur	car	La voiture est rouge. = The car is red.
restaurant	le restaurant	luh res-toh-ron	restaurant	Le restaurant est ouvert. = The restaurant is open.
eau	l’eau	loh	water	Je bois de l’eau. = I drink water.
nourriture	la nourriture	lah noo-ree-tur	food	La nourriture est bonne. = The food is good.
argent	l’argent	lar-zhon	money	J’ai de l’argent. = I have money.
temps	le temps	luh ton	time / weather	Le temps est mauvais. = The weather is bad.
livre	le livre	luh leevr	book	Je lis un livre. = I am reading a book.
aéroport	l’aéroport	lah-ay-ro-por	airport	Je vais à l’aéroport. = I am going to the airport.
hôtel	l’hôtel	loh-tel	hotel	L’hôtel est près de la gare. = The hotel is near the train station.
rue	la rue	lah roo	street	La rue est calme. = The street is quiet.
gare	la gare	lah gar	train station	La gare est loin. = The train station is far away.
magasin	le magasin	luh ma-ga-zan	shop	Le magasin est fermé. = The shop is closed.
grand / grande	—	grahn / grahnd	big / tall	La maison est grande. = The house is big.
petit / petite	—	puh-tee / puh-teet	small / little	Le livre est petit. = The book is small.
bon / bonne	—	bohn / bun	good	La nourriture est bonne. = The food is good.
mauvais / mauvaise	—	moh-vay / moh-vez	bad	Le temps est mauvais. = The weather is bad.
nouveau / nouvelle	—	noo-vo / noo-vel	new	C’est un nouveau restaurant. = It is a new restaurant.
vieux / vieille	—	vyuh / vyay	old	La voiture est vieille. = The car is old.
beau / belle	—	bo / bel	beautiful	C’est une belle ville. = It is a beautiful city.
rapide	—	ra-peed	fast	Le train est rapide. = The train is fast.
lent / lente	—	lon / lont	slow	Le service est lent. = The service is slow.
cher / chère	—	sher	expensive	L’hôtel est cher. = The hotel is expensive.
pas cher / pas chère	—	pah sher	cheap / not expensive	Ce café n’est pas cher. = This coffee is cheap.
facile	—	fa-seel	easy	C’est facile. = It is easy.
difficile	—	dee-fee-seel	difficult	Le français est difficile. = French is difficult.
chaud / chaude	—	sho / shod	hot	Le café est chaud. = The coffee is hot.
froid / froide	—	frwah / frwahd	cold	L’eau est froide. = The water is cold.
Qu’est-ce que ? / Que ?	—	kes-kuh / kuh	what?	Qu’est-ce que c’est ? = What is it?
Où ?	—	oo	where?	Où est la gare ? = Where is the train station?
Quand ?	—	kon	when?	Quand pars-tu ? = When are you leaving?
Pourquoi ?	—	poor-kwah	why?	Pourquoi tu apprends le français ? = Why are you learning French?
Comment ?	—	ko-mon	how?	Comment ça va ? = How are you?
Combien ?	—	kom-byen	how much / how many?	Combien ça coûte ? = How much does it cost?
Aujourd’hui	—	oh-zhoor-dwee	today	Je travaille aujourd’hui. = I am working today.
Demain	—	duh-man	tomorrow	Je pars demain. = I am leaving tomorrow.
Hier	—	yair	yesterday	J’ai travaillé hier. = I worked yesterday.
Maintenant	—	man-tuh-non	now	Je suis prêt maintenant. = I am ready now.
Bientôt	—	byen-toh	soon	À bientôt ! = See you soon!
ou	—	oo	or	Thé ou café ? = Tea or coffee?
mais	—	meh	but	Je veux venir, mais je travaille. = I want to come, but I am working.
parce que	—	pars-kuh	because	J’apprends le français parce que j’aime la langue. = I am learning French because I like the language.
si	—	see	if	Si tu veux, je peux aider. = If you want, I can help.
aussi	—	oh-see	also / too	Moi aussi. = Me too.
très	—	treh	very	C’est très bon. = It is very good.
plus	—	ploo / ploos	more	Je veux plus de temps. = I want more time.
moins	—	mwan	less	C’est moins cher. = It is less expensive.
avec	—	ah-vek	with	Je suis avec ma famille. = I am with my family.
deux	—	duh	two	J’ai deux livres. = I have two books.
trois	—	trwah	three	J’ai trois amis. = I have three friends.
quatre	—	katr	four	Il y a quatre personnes. = There are four people.
cinq	—	sank	five	J’ai cinq euros. = I have five euros.
six	—	sees	six	Il y a six livres. = There are six books.
sept	—	set	seven	J’ai sept jours. = I have seven days.
huit	—	weet	eight	Il est huit heures. = It is eight o’clock.
neuf	—	nuhf	nine / new	J’ai neuf euros. = I have nine euros.
dix	—	dees	ten	J’ai dix minutes. = I have ten minutes.

French Words FAQ

What are the most common French words?

Some of the most common French words are small function words like le, la, les, de, un, une, et, en, que and qui. These words appear constantly because they hold sentences together. Common verbs like être “to be”, avoir “to have”, faire “to do/make” and aller “to go” are also essential for beginners. To keep practising, explore our guide on the best tools and apps to learn French.

How many French words do I need for basic conversation?

For basic French conversation, aim to learn around 500 to 1,000 useful words. This gives you enough vocabulary for greetings, simple questions, travel situations, food, family, work, opinions and everyday needs. The first 100 words are only the foundation, but they help you start recognising sentence patterns quickly.

Is French noun gender important to learn from the start?

Yes. French noun gender is very important because it affects articles, adjectives and sentence structure. Instead of learning maison as “house”, learn la maison. Instead of learning livre as “book”, learn le livre. This helps you build the right habits from the beginning.

What is the most common French verb?

The most common French verb is être, which means “to be”. It appears in everyday sentences like je suis “I am”, il est “he is / it is” and c’est “it is”. It is one of the first verbs every French beginner should learn. You can explore its full conjugation in the Larousse conjugation guide.