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This French word meanings collection was developed by David Issokson, a graduate of McGill University and professional French teacher since 2014. These lessons help students understand the meanings of common French words and expressions through clear explanations and real examples drawn from everyday French. All pronunciation audio is recorded by Marie Assel Cambier, a professional voice artist and native French speaker.
Understanding the meanings of common French words and expressions is an essential part of learning the language. This page explains the meanings of many French words, phrases and expressions used in everyday conversation.
Each entry links to a full lesson with example sentences and pronunciation audio, showing how the word or expression is used in real French and helping learners quickly understand what French words mean and how they are used in spoken language.
✅ Everyday French phrases
✅ Common French words
✅ Connector words
✅ Common French expressions
✅ French loanwords
✅ Reaction words and interjections
✅ French verbs
✅ Prepositions, pronouns, and grammar words
✅ Slang and informal French
Everyday French phrases
These are common phrases used in daily conversation, greetings and polite interactions.
👉 bonjour — hello; good morning
👉 bonsoir — good evening
👉 Je m’appelle — my name is
👉 au revoir — goodbye
👉 à bientôt — goodbye
👉 moi — me
👉 Monsieur — Mr., Sir »
👉 bon voyage — have a good trip
👉 bon appétit — enjoy your meal
👉 bonne continuation — all the best moving forward
👉 merci beaucoup — thank you very much
👉 s’il vous plaît — please
👉 de rien — you’re welcome
👉 bienvenue — welcome
👉 enchanté — nice to meet you
👉 d’accord — okay; agreed
Common French words and meanings
Many everyday French words have multiple meanings and are used in different contexts. These lessons explain what the words mean and how they appear in real spoken French.
👉 voilà — here it is; there it is; that’s it
👉 déjà — already
👉 encore — again; still; yet
👉 souvent — often
👉 parfois — sometimes
👉 toujours — always; still
👉 beaucoup — a lot; much; many
👉 aussi — also, too
👉 plus — more
👉 environ — about; approximately
👉 presque — almost
👉 surtout — especially; above all
👉 notamment — notably; especially
Connector words and transition expressions
Connector words help link ideas together in French sentences. Learning these expressions makes it easier to understand spoken French and express ideas clearly.
👉 en effet — indeed; in fact
👉 d’abord — first; first of all
👉 ensuite — then; next
👉 par conséquent — therefore; consequently
👉 À condition que — provided taht
👉 cependant — however
👉 pourtant — however; yet
👉 de plus — moreover
👉 par ailleurs — besides; moreover
👉 autrement dit — in other words
👉 en résumé — in summary
👉 dorénavant — from now on
👉 désormais — from now on
Common French expressions and their meanings
French speakers often use short expressions that cannot be translated word-for-word. These lessons explain what the expressions mean and when to use them.
👉 bien entendu — of course
👉 pas mal — not bad
👉 ça y est — that’s it; it’s done
👉 tant pis — too bad; never mind
👉 tant mieux — so much the better
👉 tout de suite — right away; immediately
👉 tout à coup — suddenly
👉 tout à fait — absolutely
👉 n’importe quoi — nonsense; whatever
👉 au fur et à mesure — gradually; as things progress
👉 de temps en temps — from time to time
👉 en tout cas — in any case
👉 c’est la vie — that’s life
👉 faire semblant — to pretend
French loanwords used in English
Many French words have been adopted into English and are commonly used in everyday language. These lessons explain the original meanings and pronunciation of these French loanwords.
👉 déjà-vu — the feeling of having experienced something before
👉 je ne sais quoi — an indescribable attractive quality
👉 crème de la crème — the very best
👉 cul-de-sac — a dead-end street
👉 façade — the front of a building; outward appearance
👉 coup de grâce — the final decisive blow
👉 carte blanche — complete freedom to decide
👉 hors d’œuvre — small appetizer served before a meal
👉 au gratin — cooked with a browned crust
👉 rendez-vous — meeting or appointment
Reaction words, interjections, and filler words
These short words and expressions are used in everyday conversation to react, express emotion, or keep a conversation flowing naturally.
👉 allez — come on; let’s go
👉 tiens — here; oh; look
👉 bref — in short; anyway
👉 en fait — actually; in fact
👉 ah bon — oh really?
👉 mince — darn
👉 flûte — darn
👉 zut — darn
👉 bof — meh
👉 dommage — too bad; what a pity
👉 génial — great; brilliant
👉 oh là là — oh wow; oh dear
French verbs and their meanings
Understanding common French verbs is essential for speaking and understanding the language. These lessons explain what the verbs mean and how they are used.
👉 avoir — to have
👉 être — to be
👉 faire — to do; to make
👉 aller — to go
👉 venir — to come
👉 vouloir — to want
👉 pouvoir — can; to be able to
👉 devoir — must; to have to
👉 savoir — to know
👉 connaître — to know; to be familiar with
👉 prendre — to take
👉 mettre — to put
Useful prepositions, pronouns, and grammar words
Some small French words appear constantly in sentences and are essential for understanding how the language works.
👉 par — by; through; per
👉 pour — for; in order to
👉 avec — with
👉 chez — at the home of
👉 y — there; to it
👉 en — of it; some; in
👉 dont — whose; of which
👉 que — that; what; than
👉 qui — who; which
👉 est-ce que — question marker
👉 pourquoi — why
👉 depuis — since; for
Slang and informal everyday French
Informal French often includes slang words and expressions used in everyday speech. These lessons explain what the words mean and how they are used.
👉 mec — guy
👉 flic — cop
👉 bagnole — car
👉 fric — money
👉 boulot — work; job
👉 bouffer — to eat
👉 kiffer — to like; love
👉 crevé — exhausted
👉 chiant — annoying
👉 bordel — mess; chaos
👉 se barrer — to leave; get out
👉 fait chier — that sucks
Learn French words with native audio
FrenchLearner contains hundreds of lessons explaining the meanings of French words and expressions with clear pronunciation recordings.
These resources help learners understand how words are used in real spoken French while improving listening and pronunciation skills.
👉 French Word of the Day archive »
👉 French vocabulary lists »
👉 French Listening Practice with Native Audio »
👉 French Interjections and Exclamations »
👉 French Connector Words »
👉 French Greetings (with audio) »
