A List of 25 Common French Words to Learn

French can be difficult to learn: The grammar is often different than in English, and correct pronunciation is key to mastering this Romance language. But learning basic terms can help. This list contains varied terms such as auparavant   (beforehand),  Ãƒ ©gard  (exhausted), and toucher  (to touch). You might know this last term by its pronunciation: too shay, a term anyone who has read the novel ​The Three Musketeers  or seen a movie with swashbuckling swordfights will readily recognize. The Top 25 Each French term on this list is followed its pronunciation in parentheses, and then its definition. Some of the words provide  links to web pages that provide ​more complete explanations, background information, and even tips on how to conjugate the words where appropriate. Word Pronunciation Definition auparavant o pa ra van Beforehand, previously bis bees a musical encore at the end of a concert; detour or diversion bouffer boo fay to be full; have volume chouette shweht owl; great, nice or cool coucou koo koo (exclamation) hello, hi, peek-a-boo; cuckoo (clock) dou doo wee gifted gard e gar respect gnial zhay nyal genius, inspired; great, cool incontournable a(n)-ko(n)-toor-nabl inescapable, inevitable, or indispensable intressant eh(n) tay ray sa(n) interesting, attractive, worthwhile justement ystm exactly lendemain la(n)d-ma(n) the next day, day after; future matriser meh tree zay to control, overcome, suppress; to master malin mah-la(n) Shrewd, cunning normal nor mal normal occasion uh ka zyo(n) chance, opportunity pige pj trap piger pie to get it pinard pee nar cheap wine, plonk projet p intention; plan rater ra tay misfire, miss, fail, bungle, miscarry, to mess up taux to rate toucher too shay to touch; to approach, be/go near; to affect untel oo(n) tel so-and-so vachement vahsh ma(n) really