Learn French vocabulary

Here are our 19 best tips for learning French vocabulary

1. Revise briefly but regularly

‍‍Study for a few minutes every day rather than cramming right before the exam. Try to build up a short routine by reviewing your French vocabulary at a certain time every day. Over time, and you'll get used to it and find it easier and easier to follow this routine.

2. Progress step by step

If you've struggled with learning French vocabulary before, it's best to lower your expectations first. Otherwise you will put yourself under too much pressure and become frustrated. Always remember that you are building up your vocabulary step by step and that you will keep making progress. You should also celebrate the small wins and be proud of yourself for what you have achieved.

3. Create sample sentences

For each French word, spontaneously come up with an example sentence. This will encourage you to actively use the language and memorise the vocabulary even better.

4. Learn the most common vocabulary first

This tip is important for anyone who has fallen behind at school. Instead of getting out your old textbooks and catching up on all the French vocabulary, focus on the most common words. This will give you a solid basic vocabulary. A quick search on the internet will help you find suitable lists that you can work through.

‍💡 TIP: We've put together a free list of 500 common French vocabulary words for you: download French basic vocabulary as a free PDF here

5. Learn vocabulary with their gender

For many French nouns, their gender is not obvious. This means you often have to memorise it. If you are learning with flashcards, use different colours depending on whether the gender is feminine or masculine. A fun idea is to use different voices when reading the vocabulary aloud: a very high-pitched voice for feminine nouns or a very low-pitched voice for masculine nouns. Just try out what works best for you!

6. Create a mind map

To make vocabulary learning a little more interesting, why not create a mind map? A mind map summarises vocabulary on a certain topic. You can also create sub-categories. How about making a mind map on the topic of 'animals', 'travelling' or 'family'? This technique is great for the brain, as it loves to categorise and associate newly learned words. It also helps you remember vocabulary better!

7. Recognise word families

A French word rarely comes alone: sometimes there are other words that belong to the same word family. This allows you to learn several words at once. Examples: 'l'espoir' (m., hope), 'espérer' (to hope), 'désespérément' (hopeless), 'espérons' (hopefully). Can you think of any other word families?

8. Memorise the spelling

Pronounce the word clearly with each syllable to memorise the spelling. A simple example: 'bonjour' is actually pronounced [bɔ̃ʒuʁ]. To memorise the spelling also say out loud 'bon-jo-ur'. Or with 'beaucoup': 'be-au-co-up'.

💡 READING TIP: Is learning vocabulary a struggle for your child and causing frustration at home? Read about the 8 most common mistakes when learning vocabulary with children here.

9. Learn the pronunciation

Pronunciation is the crux of French. To learn it and also master the correct spelling, watch videos with French audio and subtitles of native French speakers. This will help you get the hang of the pronunciation.

10. Learn with your senses

If you associate different sensory impressions with a word, you will memorise it better. Our vocabulary learning app cabuu shows you suitable animations and graphics and also reads the vocabulary out loud to you. You can also add a visual element to your flashcards by drawing mnemonic bridges or sticking stickers on them.

11. Talk to yourself

If you have already developed a basic vocabulary, start talking to yourself. For instance, try to formulate what you are doing at the moment or how your day was today.

12. Interact with others

Learning French vocabulary alone does not make you fluent in the language. It's important that you practise using the vocabulary actively if you really want to master French. The best way to do this is by interacting with other people who also speak French. You could look for a language tandem partner, either 'in real life' or via a tandem app. Or you could practise with your friends by trying to discuss something in French.

13. Record yourself

Record your French vocabulary as a voice memo on your smartphone. You could simply read out your vocabulary list (or even better: including example sentences) and listen to it from time to time. Or you could read out a text in French. It may be strange to listen to yourself at first, but this way you can check and improve your pronunciation. It's also exciting to hear your progress over time!

14. Think in pictures

Some vocabulary is particularly difficult to memorise. In these cases, close your eyes and visualise the word in as much detail as possible and say it out loud a few times. This will help you to memorise the vocabulary as you will involve as many senses as possible with the word.

15. Make a gesture that matches the vocabulary

Neuroscientific studies have proven it: if you make a gesture that matches the vocabulary, you memorise it faster and for longer! For example, if you want to learn the word 'le pont' (the bridge), draw an arch in the air with your hands to visualise the word. If you don't feel like using so much 'sign language' when learning vocabulary, you should take a look at our vocabulary learning app cabuu which is in fact centred around the gesture-based learning method.

16. Surround yourself with French

Are you bored of learning French vocabulary? Make sure you breathe life into the vocabulary now and then and go on a journey of discovery. You could also listen to a French song and read through the lyrics at the same time. Which words do you already know? Why don't you also read a French text on a topic that interests you personally? This could be a simple book or a newspaper article. French magazines and newspapers often provide apps where you can always read the latest articles. If you come across any interesting vocabulary, write it down or type it into your vocabulary app to review later.

17. Get to know the French culture

It is very motivating to get to know the customs and traditions of a country. Do some research to see if you can find exciting facts about France or legends and fairy tales. Maybe you'll come across some interesting vocabulary?

18. Stay focussed

Before starting your study session, eliminate all distractions. If anything pops into your head while studying, write it down on a piece of paper and deal with it afterwards. Otherwise your learning session will be unnecessarily interrupted or prolonged and you'll be stuck at your desk for even longer. And it would be a shame to lose your free time, wouldn't it?

19. Take breaks and reward yourself

Your brain needs a break from time to time to process the new information. Depending on how you're feeling on a given day, you should interrupt your vocabulary learning session every 25 to 45 minutes to relax. You could take a short walk outside to get some fresh air, do some exercise or listen to your favourite song. This will allow you to carry on with renewed energy.

What is the fastest way to learn French vocabulary?

Learning methods and materials

Having read the tips above, you've certainly realised that there are different ways to learn French vocabulary. The most important thing is that you keep at it: the only way to get French vocabulary into your long-term memory and recall it at any time is through repetition. We'll present some helpful tools, strategies and methods to you below.

Learn vocabulary from a book or worksheet

Open the book, cover one column and learn the vocabulary in order. This method is okay for occasional revision, but the fact that only a few senses are involved and the order of the vocabulary is also memorised means that long-term learning success and motivation are not achieved.

Advantages:

• This method is okay for a quick revision - but nothing more.

Disadvantages:

• No long-term learning success and little motivation as too few senses are involved.

Copy vocabulary into a vocabulary notebook

Many are absolutely convinced that only those who have copied the vocabulary at least once will remember it. Unfortunately, it's not that simple: although copying is a little mnemonic exercise, it still requires regular repetition of the French vocabulary afterwards. There is also a lack of sensory impressions and a further learning method. If all you do is write down all the vocabulary every day, you're very likely to get sick of it and give up sooner or later.

Advantages:

• All vocabulary is gathered in one place and is available for reference.
• Copying is a small memorisation exercise - but only with limited retention time if the vocabulary is not revised and applied.
• According to an assumption of the 'Goldlist' method, as much as 30% of newly learnt vocabulary remains in long-term memory after copying.

Disadvantages:

• Only a small percentage remains in the memory making repetition absolutely necessary.
• Few sensory impressions and associations prevent a long-term learning effect.
• Once again, it is not possible to randomise the vocabulary order, so that the order is learned.

Listen to and visualise French vocabulary

We recommend this method for vocabulary that is particularly difficult to remember: say it out loud, close your eyes and visualise it. What does it look like, does it have a smell and a colour? Perhaps you can think of a mnemonic? As this method is very time-consuming, it is not suitable for all words that need to be learned on a daily basis.

Advantages:

• By using many different senses, you memorise the vocabulary more easily.
• You stimulate your imagination making vocabulary learning less tedious.

Disadvantages:

• As this learning method is time-consuming, it is not suitable for learning a large vocabulary list. However, it is a great addition to your other learning methods when it comes to difficult vocabulary or to switch it up occasionally.

The flashcard box

It is still considered a tried and tested method whose secret of success is based on the spaced-repetition effect. This means that vocabulary is better memorised if it is learned and repeated over a longer period of time. The flashcards are sorted into different compartments and moved further back the better you have mastered the vocabulary and the learning intervals are extended.

Advantages:

• Supports the long-term learning effect when used correctly.
• The flashcards can be customised and the vocabulary can be said aloud to involve more senses.

Disadvantages:

• A high level of self-motivation is required: learning success is only achieved with regular repetition.
• The flashcard box does not notice if it has not been used in a long time. This means that the cards in the back compartments may have long since been forgotten.
• Time-consuming preparation: before being able to start learning, you have to copy the vocabulary onto the flashcards. However, this can also be considered a 'warm-up' (with a short-term learning effect if there is no repetition shortly afterwards.)

Learn French vocabulary with an app

Almost all teenagers have a smartphone by now: according to Statista (2021), 95 % of all 12 to 15-year-olds have one. It accompanies us in everyday life and can also be a fantastic learning tool. With a good vocabulary learning app, you will kill many birds with one stone. You'll engage different senses (audio, animations, graphics) and always carry your vocabulary with you. Ideally, there is also an integrated systematic learning guide that accompanies you over a period of time and includes learning goals. Learning reminders will help you stay on track. You should also be able to learn vocabulary in the app offline so that you are not distracted by notifications.

Advantages:

• Depending on the app, different senses are activated: through audio and matching animations or graphics.
• Learning reminders help you keep on track.
• Some apps also create a learning plan to help you prepare in a structured way.
• The smartphone is a daily companion which means you can learn whenever and wherever you like.
• Well-made vocabulary apps also offer an age-appropriate design and motivate users with learning incentives.

Disadvantages:

• Possible distraction from notifications: therefore, the vocabulary app of choice should also work offline.

Are you still looking for the right vocabulary learning app for you?
‍With our vocabulary learning app cabuu, you will learn your French vocabulary with ease. Try it now for free!

Combine learning methods

That was a selection of different ways to learn your French vocabulary. The best thing is that you don't have to choose just one method, you can also combine several ones. The most important thing is that you stay motivated and enjoy the challenge.