A1 – Beginning French

A1 French Lessons and Practice – Beginning French

A1 is beginning French, consisting of everyday language like greetings and personal details – learn more.

French for beginnersSelf-study checklist:
Lawless French for Beginners

Grammar Lessons

Avoir – to have

Avoir - to have - French verbAvoir is one of the two most important French verbs and has irregular conjugations in just about every tense and mood. Avoir literally means "to have" but also serves an an auxiliary verb and is found in many idiomatic expressions.

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Vocabulary Lists

Body

French body parts
Knowing the parts of the body can come in handy when playing sports, clothes shopping, seeing the doctor, and more. Learn how to talk about your body in French, from head to toe.

   

   

Fun with French

Brainmap Your Progress

French brainmapVisualize your French progress with the PwLF Brainmap. The color-coded overview shows your strengths and weaknesses by level and topic, and you can drill down to access individual lessons. Prove your mastery by turning the whole map green!

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Expressions

C’est

C'est un garçon !
C'est, literally "this is," is the required contraction of ce + est. It's one of the most important French expressions with a few possible meanings, including that is, it is, and he is.

   

Expressions

Ça va

Ça va ?
Once you read this lesson on the French expression ça va, you'll feel fine.

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Vocabulary Lists

Calendar

French calendar
Knowing the days of the week, months of the year, and seasons will come in handy when traveling, making plans with friends, talking about history, and lots more.

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Vocabulary Lists

Clothing

French clothing
Learn the French words for clothing so that you can dress yourself in French. Click any underlined word or phrase to hear it pronounced.

   

Vocabulary Lists

Colors

French colors
What do buying clothes, talking about art, and shopping for fruits and vegetables have in common? Color! If you want to make sure to buy red tomatoes and critique an artist's use of green, you'll need to know the French colors.

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Pronunciation Guides

Consonants for Beginners

Pronunciation of French consonantsMore than half of French consonants are very similar to their English counterparts, but a few are completely different. Here's a quick overview to help you get started learning French.

   

Grammar Lessons

Contractions

French contractionsContractions occur when two words are combined into one, sometimes with a distinctly different spelling. In English, contractions like "won't" are optional and indicate informality. In French, however, contractions are required, regardless of the register you're speaking or writing in.

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