French for English speakers
French lessons for beginners
Start with a useful conversation. Learn how to greet someone in French, introduce yourself and say your age, then explore the grammar behind your sentences.
Start with greetings
Your first three words
- salut
- hi, hello (casual)
- au revoir
- goodbye
- bonjour
- hello, good morning, good afternoon
Beginner lessons and grammar
Choose a question. Read the explanation, see it in context, then practise.
- French greetings: bonjour, bonsoir and salutLearn how to say hello and goodbye in French, when to use bonjour, bonsoir and salut, and follow a short conversation with English translations.
- How to introduce yourself in FrenchLearn how to say your name and ask someone theirs in French, with tu and vous. Read useful phrases, English translations and a short model conversation.
- How to say your age in French: j'ai… ansLearn how to ask and answer about age in French with avoir. Follow examples with English meanings and practise a short everyday conversation.
- Le or la? French noun gender with examplesUnderstand le, la and l' in French, the endings that hint at gender and the main exceptions. Read examples with English meanings, then practise.
- Être in the present tense: je suis, tu es, il estLearn the present-tense forms of être and use them to say who you are and where you are from. See examples, sentence patterns and common mistakes.
- Avoir: to have, and how to say your ageLearn the forms of avoir, why je ai becomes j'ai, and when French uses avoir where English uses "to be". Includes examples and common mistakes.
- Numbers in French from 1 to 50Learn to count in French from un to cinquante. See the numbers with English meanings, the pattern behind the tens and a short conversation about counting.
- Days of the week in French: lundi to dimancheLearn the seven days of the week in French, why they take no capital letter and no word for "on", and use them to make a plan in a short conversation.
- Months of the year in FrenchLearn the twelve months in French, from janvier to décembre, with English meanings and a short conversation about birthdays.
- Telling time in French: quelle heure est-il ?Learn to ask and tell the time in French with il est une heure, il est deux heures, et demie and et quart. Read examples with English meanings and a dialogue.
- Colors in French: rouge, bleu, vert and moreLearn the basic colors in French, why the color comes after the noun and how it changes for masculine and feminine words, with a short conversation.
- Family members in French: mère, père and moreLearn the French words for mother, father, brother and sister, how le and la help you, and talk about a family photo in a short conversation.
- French -er verbs in the present tenseLearn the present-tense endings for regular -er verbs like travailler and parler, which endings sound the same, and common mistakes, with English meanings.
- Aimer: how to say what you like in FrenchLearn the forms of aimer, how to say what you like, love and do not like in French, and how to ask other people. Includes examples and common mistakes.
Continue beyond the basics
The Study workspace includes guided lessons, conversations, grammar and a word library across A1–C1. You can choose any module and keep unfinished lessons for later. Levels organize the content; they are not a certification.
Free · 7-day travel pack
A few words before you go
Greetings, food, directions and hotels: start with 28 useful phrases for your next trip.