Grammar guide · Vocabulary by CLB · Common mistakes · Exam strategy · Mini-tests
🌱 Complete Beginner — Start Here
Never studied French before? This is your starting point. Learn to read, pronounce, and count before anything else.
How to use this section
Work through each lesson in order. Click ▶ Listen on any phrase to hear it spoken in French. Repeat out loud — your ear and mouth learn faster than your eyes alone.
Lesson 1 — French Sounds
💡 French and English share the same 26 letters but most are pronounced differently. The 3 sounds that trip everyone up: R (throat), U (round lips), H (always silent).
R — back of throat
Like gentle gargling — NOT the English R
rouge (red) · rue (street) · répondre (reply)
U — round lips
Round lips like "oo", then say "ee" — unique to French
une (a) · lune (moon) · tu (you)
H — always silent
The H is NEVER pronounced in French — ever
l'heure (the hour) · l'homme (the man)
É — "ay" sound
Like the "ay" in "day"
café · été (summer) · étudier (to study)
È / Ê — "eh" sound
Like the "e" in "bed"
être (to be) · mère (mother) · tête (head)
Nasal sounds: an, en, in, on, un
Vowel + N/M = nasal — the N/M is NOT fully pronounced
enfant (child) · bon (good) · vin (wine)
Lesson 2 — The Alphabet
💡 Each letter has its own sound in French — different from English. Click ▶ Hear to hear each one individually, as slowly and clearly as possible.
Letter
Sounds like
Play
A
ah
B
bay
C
say
D
day
E
uh
F
ef
G
zhay
H
ash (silent h)
I
ee
J
zhee
K
kah
L
el
M
em
N
en
O
oh
P
pay
Q
koo
R
air (throat)
S
es
T
tay
U
ü (round lips)
V
vay
W
doobluh-vay
X
eeks
Y
ee-grek
Z
zed
Practice: spell your name out loud. Example: Marie → M (em) · A (ah) · R (air) · I (ee) · E (uh). Click each letter above to hear it clearly.
Lesson 3 — Numbers 0 to 20
💡 Click ▶ Hear next to each number to hear it individually and clearly. Memorise 0–16 as unique words — 17/18/19 = dix + 7/8/9.
Number
French
Sounds like
Play
0
zéro
ZAY-roh
1
un
uh(n)
2
deux
duh
3
trois
twah
4
quatre
KAT-ruh
5
cinq
sank
6
six
sees
7
sept
set
8
huit
weet
9
neuf
nuhf
10
dix
dees
11
onze
onz
12
douze
dooz
13
treize
trez
14
quatorze
kah-TORZ
15
quinze
kanz
16
seize
sez
17
dix-sept
dee-SET
18
dix-huit
deez-WEET
19
dix-neuf
deez-NUHF
20
vingt
van
Lesson 4 — Numbers 21 to 100
⚠️ Numbers 70, 80, 90 are UNIQUE to French (France and Quebec). These are the most common mistakes for everyone.
21–29: vingt + number
vingt et un (21) · vingt-deux (22) · vingt-trois (23)
Mon–Tue–Wed–Thu–Fri–Sat–Sun. No capitals in French.
Months
janvier · février · mars · avril · mai · juin · juillet · août · septembre · octobre · novembre · décembre
No capitals. Le 15 janvier = January 15th.
Telling time
Il est + hour + heures (+ minutes)
Il est neuf heures. (9:00) · Il est 15h30. (3:30pm)
Today / tomorrow / yesterday
aujourd'hui · demain · hier
Aujourd'hui c'est lundi. Demain c'est mardi.
✅ You've completed the Complete Beginner section! You now know French sounds, the alphabet, numbers 0–100, 20 survival phrases, days and months. Move to the Grammar Guide → Stage 2 next.
Grammar Guide — 5 Stages
From absolute beginner to CLB 9. Work through each stage in order.
Vocabulary by Topic & CLB Level
300+ essential words and phrases organized for the TCF/TEF exam.
Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them
The exact errors that cost candidates CLB points — with corrections.
TCF/TEF Exam Strategy
Module-by-module tactics used by candidates who score CLB 7+.
Stage Mini-Tests
10 questions per stage. Get 80%+ before moving on.