A1 French Vocabulary Book for Beginners | Simple French with Hems

Learn the everyday words you need to understand and create basic French sentences

The A1 French Vocabulary Book helps learners move beyond memorizing disconnected word lists. It introduces foundational vocabulary through familiar situations such as meeting people, describing family, talking about a daily routine, ordering food, shopping and navigating a town.

The objective is not simply to recognize French words. It is to help you begin using them in clear, practical sentences.

This book is designed for learners progressing from A0 into A1 within the Simple French with Hems learning pathway.

What You Will Learn

Build vocabulary for essential beginner situations, including:

1. Greetings and polite expressions
2. Personal information
3. Countries and nationalities
4. Family members
5. Numbers and quantities
6. Dates, days and months
7. Telling the time
8. Daily routines
9. The home and its rooms
10. Furniture and household objects
11. Food and drinks
12. Meals and restaurants
13. Clothing and colours
14. School and classroom objects
15. Jobs and workplaces
16. Places around town
17. Basic transportation
18. Weather and seasons
19. The body and basic health
20. Hobbies and leisure activities
21. Shopping and prices
22. Common descriptive adjectives
23. Frequency words
24. Essential everyday actions

The vocabulary is organized by situation so that related words are learned together rather than as an unconnected alphabetical list.

Ten Examples of A1 Vocabulary

FrenchEnglishla famillefamilyle voisinneighbourle petit-déjeunerbreakfastla chemiseshirtla ruestreetaujourd’huitodayacheterto buytravaillerto workcontent / contentehappysouventoften

See the Vocabulary in Basic Sentences

The book helps you connect new words with simple sentence structures.

• Je prends le petit-déjeuner à sept heures.
• I have breakfast at seven o’clock.
• Ma sœur travaille près de la gare.
• My sister works near the train station.
• J’achète une chemise bleue.
• I am buying a blue shirt.
• Aujourd’hui, il fait froid.
• Today, it is cold.
• Je vais souvent au parc le samedi.
• I often go to the park on Saturday.

These examples show how nouns, verbs, adjectives and time expressions can work together in complete beginner-level sentences.

What Should You Know Before Starting?

This book is best suited to learners who have completed an introductory A0 foundation or who can already recognize:

• the French alphabet and basic pronunciation;
• common greetings and introductions;
• numbers from 0 to 20;
• subject pronouns such as je, tu, il, elle, nous and vous;
• basic forms of être and avoir;
• simple masculine and feminine articles;
• very short questions and answers.

You do not need to speak French confidently before starting. The purpose of the book is to help you develop the vocabulary needed to begin communicating.

A1 Vocabulary Book Versus the A1 Verbs Book

These are two different learning resources.

The A1 Vocabulary Book

Use this book to learn:

• nouns for people, places and everyday objects;
• descriptive adjectives;
• time and frequency expressions;
• practical phrases;
• vocabulary grouped by real-life topic;
• words needed to understand and construct basic sentences.

The A1 Verbs Book

Use the A1 Verbs Book to study:

• the meaning of essential French verbs;
• how verbs change according to the subject;
• common present-tense forms;
• verb patterns;
• affirmative and negative verb sentences;
• how individual verbs are used in context.

The vocabulary book expands what you can talk about. The verbs book develops how you express actions and states. They are designed to be used together without duplicating the same purpose.

How to Study With This Book

For each topic:

1. Read and pronounce the words aloud.
2. Cover the English meanings and test your recall.
3. Write one short sentence using each important word.
4. Group related nouns, verbs and adjectives together.
5. Review difficult vocabulary again after one day and one week.
6. Use the words while completing your Simple French with Hems lessons, speaking activities and writing practice.

A small group of words used repeatedly is more valuable than a long list reviewed only once.

Who Is This Book For?

This resource is suitable for:

• learners moving from A0 to A1;
• complete beginners who need an organized vocabulary system;
• students who recognize grammar but lack usable words;
• learners following the full Simple French with Hems pathway;
• students preparing to begin more structured French study;
• learners who want vocabulary for everyday conversations.

What This Book Helps You Do

By working through the vocabulary systematically, you can develop the language needed to:

• introduce yourself and provide personal information;
• describe your family, home and routine;
• discuss food, clothing, work and leisure;
• understand common beginner instructions;
• ask and answer simple everyday questions;
• write short A1-level sentences;
• prepare for more advanced reading, listening, writing and speaking work.

This book provides the vocabulary foundation. Your full Simple French with Hems program helps you apply that vocabulary through lessons, quizzes, reading, listening, writing and speaking practice.

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Edition 2.1 · Revised August 2026