A1 French Vocabulary: Concrete Words You Can Use

An A1 vocabulary selection should help you do something concrete: say who you are, locate a place, give a simple time and ask for a basic item. Learn the words with their articles and short sentence patterns, then use them in the original exchange below.

Selection 1: identify yourself and another person

Learn un prénom (m., given name), un nom (m., family name in this introduction), une personne (f., person), un ami / une amie (friend) and une famille (f., family) through short patterns. Je m'appelle Lina. Mon prénom est Lina et mon nom est Moreau. Voici mon amie Sara. Je m'appelle... means “My name is...”; it is more natural in an everyday introduction than reciting the labels. For another person, Il s'appelle... or Elle s'appelle... means “His/Her name is...”. Je suis (I am), tu es (you are, familiar) and il/elle est (he/she is) let you attach a simple role: Elle est étudiante. She is a student.

Selection 2: say where you are

Attach articles to une ville (f., city), un pays (m., country), une rue (f., street), une maison (f., house) and un appartement (m., apartment). Use j'habite à (I live in) with a city: J'habite à Ottawa. Use je viens de (I come from) for an origin in a simple introduction: Je viens de Montréal. The location words ici (here), là (there) and près de (near) help with a short question: La bibliothèque est près d'ici ? Is the library near here? Country names require different articles and prepositions; do not generalise a city pattern to every country name.

Selection 3: give a simple time

Un jour (m., day), une date (f., date), une heure (f., hour or time), le matin (m., morning) and le soir (m., evening) help with a schedule. Use aujourd'hui (today) and demain (tomorrow) to anchor it: Aujourd'hui, le cours est à neuf heures. Demain, il est à dix heures. À quelle heure ? means “At what time?”, while Quel jour ? means “Which day?”. Je suis libre le matin means “I'm free in the morning”; it does not specify an appointment time.

Selection 4: ask for a concrete need

Je voudrais... (“I would like...”) makes a polite request: Je voudrais un billet, s'il vous plaît. Où est... ? (“Where is...?”) asks for a place; Combien ça coûte ? (“How much does it cost?”) asks for a price; Est-ce que... ? starts a simple yes/no question. The practice objects are un billet (m., ticket), une carte (f., card, such as a library card), un livre (m., book) and un café (m., coffee). They are not a mandatory vocabulary set. Je ne comprends pas (“I don't understand”) and Vous pouvez répéter, s'il vous plaît ? (“Can you repeat, please?”) help repair a conversation. Merci means “Thank you,” and au revoir means “Goodbye.”

Original A1 practice exchange

Employée : Bonjour !
Lina : Bonjour. Je voudrais une carte de bibliothèque, s'il vous plaît.
Employée : Vous habitez dans cette ville ?
Lina : Oui, j'habite ici, près de la gare.
Employée : Très bien. Le bureau est ouvert demain matin.
Lina : Pardon, à quelle heure ? Vous pouvez répéter ?
Employée : À neuf heures.
Lina : Merci. Je reviens demain à neuf heures. Au revoir.

This exchange uses a name, a location, a request and a time. It is fictional language practice. The last line confirms understanding rather than pretending Lina heard the time the first time.

Try it without looking back

1. Fill in the article: ___ ville, ___ appartement.
2. Write one sentence saying that you live in Toronto.
3. Ask what time the office opens.
4. What does Lina ask for in the exchange?
5. When will Lina return?
6. Write a polite one-sentence request for a book.
7. Which phrase can you use if you did not understand a time?

Answers and explanations

1. une ville; un appartement. The articles carry gender.
2. J'habite à Toronto. The city follows à.
3. À quelle heure le bureau ouvre-t-il ? or the simpler spoken Le bureau ouvre à quelle heure ? Both ask for time.
4. A library card. Je voudrais une carte de bibliothèque states her request.
5. Tomorrow at nine. She repeats demain à neuf heures.
6. Je voudrais un livre, s'il vous plaît. Un livre is masculine.
7. Vous pouvez répéter, s'il vous plaît ? It asks the other person to repeat, without guessing.

To use this selection, replace Lina's name, city and request with your own truthful details; then practise the seven questions without looking. When you can handle these short exchanges, move to the A2 selection for routine transactions.

Sources and selection note

Council of Europe: CEFR global scale; reference level descriptions. The selection, exchange and exercises are original.