Start French: 120 French words to know

Start French: 120 Words to Know gives complete beginners a practical foundation of everyday French vocabulary — with simple pronunciation cues and the essential grammar you need to understand what you're learning.

Instead of memorising random vocabulary lists, you'll learn French words grouped around 12 familiar parts of everyday life, including people and family, your home, food and drink, getting around, work and study, technology, time and seasons, and shops and essentials.

Inside you'll find:

• 120 everyday French words
• English meanings for every word
• Simple pronunciation cues to help you say unfamiliar words
• 12 practical vocabulary sections
• An introduction to French articles — le, la, l', les, un, une, des
• A beginner-friendly explanation of masculine and feminine nouns
• Useful gender patterns to help you spot clues as you learn
• Examples showing you how to learn the article + noun together, rather than memorising words in isolation.

This is for you if...

• You're completely new to French
• You've started learning but don't know which words to learn first
• You want to build an everyday French vocabulary
• You find French pronunciation intimidating
• You want to understand the basics of le/la, un/une, masculine/feminine
• You want a simple resource you can return to as you learn