The purpose of this list is to give a rough idea of the French language. The words listed below are not the most common French words, but a broad sampling of words. See the Word Lists page for more details.
| English | French (Français) |
| I | je |
| you (singular) | tu, vous *(formal)* |
| he | il |
| we | nous |
| you (plural) | vous |
| they | ils |
| this | ceci |
| that | cela |
| here | ici |
| there | là |
| who | qui |
| what | quoi |
| where | où |
| when | quand |
| how | comment |
| not | ne pas |
| all | tout |
| many | beaucoup |
| some | quelques |
| few | peu |
| other | autre |
| one | un |
| two | deux |
| three | trois |
| four | quatre |
| five | cinq |
| big | grand |
| long | long |
| wide | large |
| thick | épais |
| heavy | lourd |
| small | petit |
| short | court |
| narrow | étroit |
| thin | mince |
| woman | femme |
| man (male) | homme |
| man (human) | homme |
| child | enfant |
| wife | femme, épouse |
| husband | mari, époux |
| mother | mère |
| father | père |
| animal | animal |
| fish | poisson |
| bird | oiseau |
| dog | chien |
| louse | pou |
| snake | serpent |
| worm | ver |
| tree | arbre |
| forest | forêt |
| stick | bâton |
| fruit | fruit |
| seed | graine |
| leaf | feuille |
| root | racine |
| bark (of a tree) | écorce |
| flower | fleur |
| grass | herbe |
| rope | corde |
| skin | peau |
| meat | viande |
| blood | sang |
| bone | os |
| fat (noun) | graisse |
| egg | œuf |
| horn | corne |
| tail | queue |
| feather | plume |
| hair | cheveux |
| head | tête |
| ear | oreille |
| eye | œil |
| nose | nez |
| mouth | bouche |
| tooth | dent |
| tongue | langue |
| fingernail | ongle |
| foot | pied |
| leg | jambe |
| knee | genou |
| hand | main |
| wing | aile |
| belly | ventre |
| guts | entrailles, intestins |
| neck | cou |
| back | dos |
| breast | sein, poitrine |
| heart | cœur |
| liver | foie |
| to drink | boire |
| to eat | manger |
| to bite | mordre |
| to suck | sucer |
| to spit | cracher |
| to vomit | vomir |
| to blow | souffler |
| to breathe | respirer |
| to laugh | rire |
| to see | voir |
| to hear | entendre |
| to know | savoir |
| to think | penser |
| to smell | sentir |
| to fear | craindre |
| to sleep | dormir |
| to live | vivre |
| to die | mourir |
| to kill | tuer |
| to fight | se battre |
| to hunt | chasser |
| to hit | frapper |
| to cut | couper |
| to split | fendre |
| to stab | poignarder |
| to scratch | gratter |
| to dig | creuser |
| to swim | nager |
| to fly | voler |
| to walk | marcher |
| to come | venir |
| to lie (as in a bed) | s'étendre *(action)*, être étendu*(state)* |
| to sit | s'asseoir *(action)*, être assis *(state)* |
| to stand | se lever *(action)*, se tenir debout *(state)* |
| to turn (intransitive) | tourner |
| to fall | tomber |
| to give | donner |
| to hold | tenir |
| to squeeze | serrer |
| to rub | frotter |
| to wash | laver |
| to wipe | essuyer |
| to pull | tirer |
| to push | pousser |
| to throw | jeter, lancer |
| to tie | lier |
| to sew | coudre |
| to count | compter |
| to say | dire |
| to sing | chanter |
| to play | jouer |
| to float | flotter |
| to flow | couler |
| to freeze | geler |
| to swell | gonfler |
| sun | soleil |
| moon | lune |
| star | étoile |
| water | eau |
| rain | pluie |
| river | rivière |
| lake | lac |
| sea | mer |
| salt | sel |
| stone | pierre |
| sand | sable |
| dust | poussière |
| earth | terre |
| cloud | nuage |
| fog | brouillard |
| sky | ciel |
| wind | vent |
| snow | neige |
| ice | glace |
| smoke | fumée |
| fire | feu |
| ash | cendre |
| to burn | brûler |
| road | route |
| mountain | montagne |
| red | rouge |
| green | vert |
| yellow | jaune |
| white | blanc |
| black | noir |
| night | nuit |
| day | jour |
| year | an, année |
| warm | chaud |
| cold | froid |
| full | plein |
| new | nouveau |
| old | vieux |
| good | bon |
| bad | mauvais |
| rotten | pourri |
| dirty | sale |
| straight | droit |
| round | rond |
| sharp (as a knife) | tranchant |
| dull (as a knife) | émoussé |
| smooth | lisse |
| wet | mouillé |
| dry | sec |
| correct | juste |
| near | près |
| far | loin |
| right | droite |