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5,000+ French words from 40 simple rules

Verbamor's free French word patterns list turns English you already know into French you can understand and say. Learn one of the 40 rules and a whole group of words comes with it, so together they cover 5,000+ words. The page and the PDF give you 317 examples to start with. The first 4 are open below. Leave your email to open the other 36 and get the printable PDF.

Verbamor screenshot titled ‘Your words become cards.’ A French recording’s transcript, with the words to learn from it listed below (du coup, le quai, voilà) and a button adding the selected words to a deck.

Verbamor turns the words from your own lessons and recordings into flashcards, and brings each one back before you’d forget it.

-ty → -té

university in English is université in French.

40 patterns
317 example words
7 groups
Free PDF

Words you already know 23

English shares thousands of words with French. Learn one ending and you get the whole group.

-tion stays -tionFeminine, la Nation, station, information -tion stays -tion

English words that end in -tion end in -tion in French. The spelling is the same or almost the same. These words are feminine. Say la nation.

la nationnation
l'informationinformation
l'éducationeducation
la stationstation
la conversationconversation
l'attentionattention
la célébrationcelebration
la situationsituation

-sion stays -sionFeminine, la Television, decision, version -sion stays -sion

English words that end in -sion end in -sion. The spelling is the same. These words are feminine. Say la décision.

la télévisiontelevision
la décisiondecision
la versionversion
l'occasionoccasion
la passionpassion
la tensiontension
la confusionconfusion
l'explosionexplosion

-ty-téFeminine, la University, liberty, quality -ty becomes -té

English words that end in -ty end in -té. These words are feminine. Say la liberté.

l'universitéuniversity
la libertéliberty
la sociétésociety
la réalitéreality
la qualitéquality
l'activitéactivity
la possibilitépossibility
la beautébeauty

-ly-ment Finally, normally, probably -ly becomes -ment

English adverbs that end in -ly end in -ment. Take the feminine adjective. Add -ment. Rapide becomes rapidement.

finalementfinally
normalementnormally
probablementprobably
généralementgenerally
exactementexactly
rapidementrapidly
complètementcompletely
spécialementespecially

-ous-eux Delicious, curious, serious -ous becomes -eux

English adjectives that end in -ous end in -eux. Use -euse with a feminine noun. Un homme curieux. Une femme curieuse.

délicieuxdelicious
curieuxcurious
nerveuxnervous
généreuxgenerous
dangereuxdangerous
précieuxprecious
mystérieuxmysterious
sérieuxserious

-ic-ique Fantastic, romantic, electric -ic becomes -ique

English adjectives that end in -ic or -ical end in -ique. The word is the same for masculine and feminine.

fantastiquefantastic
romantiqueromantic
électriqueelectric
typiquetypical
politiquepolitical
classiqueclassic
économiqueeconomic
magiquemagic

-ist-iste Artist, tourist, journalist -ist becomes -iste

English words for people that end in -ist end in -iste. The word is the same for men and women. Only the article changes. Un artiste. Une artiste.

artisteartist
touristetourist
dentistedentist
pianistepianist
optimisteoptimist
spécialistespecialist
journalistejournalist
réalisterealist

-ism-ismeMasculine, le Tourism, optimism, realism -ism becomes -isme

English words that end in -ism end in -isme. These words are masculine. Say le tourisme. The final e is silent.

le tourismetourism
l'optimismeoptimism
le capitalismecapitalism
le réalismerealism
l'organismeorganism
le mécanismemechanism
le socialismesocialism
le journalismejournalism

-ble stays -ble Possible, terrible, flexible -ble stays -ble

English adjectives that end in -ble end in -ble. The spelling is usually the same. The word is the same for masculine and feminine.

possiblepossible
terribleterrible
responsableresponsible
horriblehorrible
probableprobable
flexibleflexible
visiblevisible
impossibleimpossible

-ent / -ant stays -ent / -ant Important, different, restaurant -ent / -ant stays -ent / -ant

English words that end in -ent or -ant often keep the same ending. The spelling is close. The last t is silent.

importantimportant
différentdifferent
présidentpresident
étudiantstudent
éléphantelephant
restaurantrestaurant
intelligentintelligent
excellentexcellent

-ance / -ence stays -ance / -enceFeminine, la Distance, experience, science -ance / -ence stays -ance / -ence

English words that end in -ance or -ence keep the same ending in French. These words are feminine. Say la science.

la distancedistance
l'importanceimportance
l'expérienceexperience
la différencedifference
la patiencepatience
la sciencescience
la présencepresence
l'éléganceelegance

sê ô î â Forest, hospital, island The hat hides an s

A hat on a vowel often replaces an old s. Put the s back. You get an English word. Forêt is forest. Hôpital is hospital.

forêtforest
hôpitalhospital
îleisland
fêtefeast
châteaucastle
bêtebeast
côtecoast
intérêtinterest

-age stays -ageMasculine, le Message, garage, village -age stays -age

English words that end in -age often end in -age in French. These words are masculine. Say le voyage. A few short words are feminine. Say la page, la plage and l'image.

le messagemessage
le garagegarage
le villagevillage
le couragecourage
le passagepassage
le massagemassage
le bagagepiece of luggage
le voyagetrip

-ment stays -mentMasculine, le Moment, document, apartment -ment stays -ment

English nouns that end in -ment end in -ment in French. These words are masculine. Say le moment. The last t is silent.

le momentmoment
le documentdocument
le gouvernementgovernment
l'appartementapartment
le monumentmonument
le mouvementmovement
l'instrumentinstrument
le sentimentfeeling

-or-eurFeminine, la Color, error, terror -or becomes -eur

English idea words that end in -or often end in -eur. These words are feminine. Say la couleur. Words for people and machines are masculine. Say le docteur and le moteur. Honneur and bonheur are masculine too.

la couleurcolor
l'erreurerror
la terreurterror
l'horreurhorror
la faveurfavor
l'odeurodor
la valeurvalue
la saveurflavor

-ate-er Celebrate, create, participate -ate becomes -er

English verbs that end in -ate often end in -er in French. Remove -ate. Add -er. But verbs that end in -cate end in -quer. Communicate is communiquer. These verbs are regular. Say je participe.

célébrerto celebrate
créerto create
participerto participate
communiquerto communicate
décorerto decorate
séparerto separate
éduquerto educate
calculerto calculate

-ize / -ify-iser / -ifier Organize, authorize, identify -ize / -ify becomes -iser / -ifier

English verbs that end in -ize end in -iser. English verbs that end in -ify end in -ifier. Organize is organiser. Identify is identifier.

organiserto organize
utiliserto utilize
autoriserto authorize
moderniserto modernize
identifierto identify
modifierto modify
simplifierto simplify
vérifierto verify

-sis-seFeminine, la Crisis, analysis, thesis -sis becomes -se

English words that end in -sis end in -se in French. These words are feminine. Say la crise. The plural adds s. Say les crises.

la crisecrisis
l'analyseanalysis
la thèsethesis
l'hypothèsehypothesis
la synthèsesynthesis
la basebasis
la genèsegenesis

s-é- State, strange, study S- becomes é-

Old French words that started with s + consonant now start with é. Change é to s. You get an English word. État is state. Étrange is strange.

étatstate
étrangestrange
étudestudy
épicespice
épongesponge
étrangerstranger, foreigner
écranscreen
épousespouse

-ology-ologieFeminine, la Biology, technology, psychology -ology becomes -ologie

English words that end in -ology end in -ologie in French. These words are feminine. Say la biologie.

la biologiebiology
la psychologiepsychology
la technologietechnology
l'écologieecology
la sociologiesociology
l'archéologiearchaeology
la mythologiemythology
l'idéologieideology

-ary-aire Necessary, vocabulary, salary -ary becomes -aire

English words that end in -ary often end in -aire. Necessary is nécessaire. The adjectives are the same for masculine and feminine. Anniversaire is also the word for birthday.

nécessairenecessary
vocabulairevocabulary
salairesalary
anniversairebirthday, anniversary
dictionnairedictionary
contrairecontrary
itinéraireitinerary
commentairecommentary

-ive-if Active, positive, creative -ive becomes -if

English adjectives that end in -ive end in -if. Use -ive with a feminine noun. Un homme actif. Une femme active.

actifactive
positifpositive
négatifnegative
créatifcreative
attentifattentive
exclusifexclusive
agressifaggressive
natifnative

-ure stays -ureFeminine, la Culture, temperature, adventure -ure stays -ure

English words that end in -ure often end in -ure in French. These words are feminine. Say la culture.

la cultureculture
la températuretemperature
la structurestructure
la naturenature
la littératureliterature
l'architecturearchitecture
l'aventureadventure
l'agricultureagriculture

Gender and articles 8

The ending or the meaning of a word often gives its gender. Learn the group, not each word.

le / la France, Canada, Japan A country that ends in -e is feminine

A country that ends in -e is feminine. Say la France. Other countries are masculine. Say le Canada. Le Mexique is one exception. Use en for feminine, au for masculine and aux for plural. Say en France, au Canada and aux États-Unis.

la FranceFrance
l'ItalieItaly
l'EspagneSpain
l'AllemagneGermany
le CanadaCanada
le JaponJapan
le BrésilBrazil
les États-UnisUnited States

à London, Rome, Brussels Cities take à and no article

Cities take no article. Use à to say in or to. Say j'habite à Londres. A few city names include an article. Say Le Havre, La Rochelle and Le Caire.

LondresLondon
RomeRome
BruxellesBrussels
GenèveGeneva
LisbonneLisbon
MoscouMoscow
VeniseVenice
PékinBeijing

-eauMasculine, le Boat, cake, hat Words in -eau are masculine

Words that end in -eau are masculine. Say le bateau. The plural adds x. Say les bateaux. Two words are feminine. Say l'eau and la peau.

le bateauboat
le gâteaucake
le chapeauhat
le bureaudesk
le cadeaugift
le manteaucoat
le couteauknife
l'oiseaubird

-meMasculine, le Problem, system, program Greek words in -me are masculine

Most words that end in -e are feminine. Words from Greek that end in -me are masculine. Say le problème. Many are almost the same in English.

le problèmeproblem
le systèmesystem
le programmeprogram
le thèmetheme
le poèmepoem
le diplômediploma
le dramedrama

+ier Apple, pear, cherry Add -ier for the tree

The fruit is often feminine. Add -ier for the tree. The tree is masculine. La pomme grows on le pommier.

la pomme · le pommierapple
la poire · le poirierpear
la cerise · le cerisiercherry
la banane · le bananierbanana
l'olive · l'olivierolive
la mandarine · le mandariniermandarin
la prune · le prunierplum
la figue · le figuierfig

la Head, arm, leg Body parts take the article, not my

French uses the article with parts of the body. It does not use my or your. Say j'ai mal à la tête. Say je me lave les mains.

la têtehead
le brasarm
la jambeleg
le piedfoot
la mainhand
la bouchemouth
le dosback
le ventrebelly

leMasculine, le Monday, Friday, Sunday Le lundi means each Monday

Days are masculine. Lundi with no article means this Monday. Le lundi means each Monday. There is no word for on. Write days with a small letter.

le lundiMonday
le mardiTuesday
le mercrediWednesday
le jeudiThursday
le vendrediFriday
le samediSaturday
le dimancheSunday

l' Friend, school, hotel Le and la become l' before a vowel

Le and la become l' before a vowel. Say l'ami and l'école. Most words that start with h do the same. Say l'hôtel. A few h words keep le. Say le héros.

l'ami (m)friend
l'école (f)school
l'hôtel (m)hotel
l'homme (m)man
l'heure (f)hour
l'arbre (m)tree
l'enfant (m)child
l'histoire (f)story

Exceptions 2

These common words break the rules. Learn each set together.

≠ Museum, silence, beach Words that break the ending rules

Words in -ée and -ence are usually feminine. Le musée, le lycée and le silence break the rule. Words in -age are usually masculine. La page, la plage and l'image break the rule.

le muséemuseum
le lycéehigh school
le silencesilence
le squeletteskeleton
la pagepage
la plagebeach
l'image (f)image
la peauskin

≈ Bookshop, wait, grape Words that look like English but are not

Most look-alike words mean the same in English. These do not. Librairie means bookshop, not library. Learn the real meaning of each one.

librairiebookshopnot library
actuellementcurrentlynot actually
attendreto waitnot attend
blesserto hurtnot bless
monnaiesmall changenot money
coincornernot coin
locationrentalnot location
raisingrapenot raisin

Plurals and other rules 1

One small rule changes many words.

al → aux Animal, newspaper, horse The plural of -al is -aux

Words that end in -al end in -aux in the plural. Un animal becomes des animaux. A few words add s. Say des festivals and des carnavals.

animal becomes animauxanimal
journal becomes journauxnewspaper
cheval becomes chevauxhorse
canal becomes canauxcanal
signal becomes signauxsignal
métal becomes métauxmetal
terminal becomes terminauxterminal
tribunal becomes tribunauxcourt

Word building 3

Add a small part to a word you know. You get a new word.

-erieFeminine, la Bakery, cheese shop, fish shop Add -erie for the shop

Add -erie for the shop. Use the product or the person who makes it. Fromage becomes fromagerie. Boulanger becomes boulangerie. These words are feminine.

le boulanger becomes la boulangeriebakery
le pâtissier becomes la pâtisseriepastry shop
le boucher becomes la boucheriebutcher shop
le fromage becomes la fromageriecheese shop
le poisson becomes la poissonneriefish shop
la crêpe becomes la crêperiecrêpe restaurant
le bijou becomes la bijouteriejewelry shop
le parfum becomes la parfumerieperfume shop

-eurMasculine, le Singer, dancer, seller -eur names the person who does it

Add -eur to a verb stem for the person who does it. Chanter becomes chanteur. Use -euse for a woman. Say la chanteuse.

vendre becomes le vendeurseller
chanter becomes le chanteursinger
danser becomes le danseurdancer
jouer becomes le joueurplayer
servir becomes le serveurwaiter
coiffer becomes le coiffeurhairdresser
voyager becomes le voyageurtraveler
nager becomes le nageurswimmer

dé- Undo, unplug, undress Dé- makes the opposite

Add dé- to make the opposite. Faire becomes défaire. Before a vowel, use dés-. Agréable becomes désagréable.

faire becomes défaireto undo
agréable becomes désagréableunpleasant
ordre becomes désordredisorder
avantage becomes désavantagedisadvantage
accord becomes désaccorddisagreement
brancher becomes débrancherto unplug
bloquer becomes débloquerto unblock
habiller becomes déshabillerto undress

Verbs 1

Each set of verbs behaves in one way. Learn the set together.

être Go, come, stay Verbs that take être in the past

Most verbs use avoir for the past. Say j'ai mangé. A small set of movement verbs uses être. Say je suis allé. A woman writes je suis allée.

aller becomes je suis alléto go
venir becomes je suis venuto come
arriver becomes je suis arrivéto arrive
partir becomes je suis partito leave
entrer becomes je suis entréto enter
sortir becomes je suis sortito go out
rester becomes je suis restéto stay
tomber becomes je suis tombéto fall

Pronunciation 2

Some letters do not sound the way an English reader expects.

c r f l With, hello, nine Only c, r, f and l sound at the end

A last consonant is usually silent. Say puh-TEE for petit. The letters c, r, f and l are usually sounded. Think of the word careful. The r of an -er verb is silent. Say par-LAY for parler.

avecwithsay the c
sacbagsay the c
bonjourhellosay the r
hiverwintersay the r
neufninesay the f
chefchef, bosssay the f
selsaltsay the l
cielskysay the l

h Live, happy, yesterday The letter h is silent

The letter h is always silent in French. Say a-bee-TAY for habiter. The pair ch sounds like sh in shop.

habiterto livea-bee-TAY
heureuxhappyuh-RUH
herbegrasserb
huileoilweel
hieryesterdayee-YAIR
horlogeclockor-LOZH
habitudehabita-bee-TEWD
humainhumanew-MAN

C Colin Taylor Oct 22, 2026 · 8 min read Drafted with Claude (AI), reviewed and edited by Colin Taylor. How pieces are written

How to use these patterns

Read one pattern a day. Say the example words out loud. Then look for that pattern in what you read and hear that week. A pattern you notice three times in real French stays with you. Soon you hear those words in speech and use them in your own sentences.

Start with the first group, words you already know. Those 23 patterns turn English words you use every day into French ones. The gender group comes next. It tells you le or la before you look the word up.

The same kind of list exists for Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Russian, each with its own free PDF.

A pattern is a guide, and every guide has exceptions. The exceptions group lists the common ones, like le musée. When a word you made from a pattern sounds wrong, check it.

Patterns cover the words you can work out. For the words you can't, the cognate checker marks the false friends that look like English and mean something else.

Questions people ask

What is a French word pattern?

A rule that changes many words at once. English words that end in -tion end in -tion in French. The spelling is the same or almost the same. When you know that rule, you know la nation, l'information and l'éducation before anyone teaches them to you.

Do the patterns always work?

Most of the time, and each pattern says where it stops. The exceptions group lists common words that break the rules, like le musée. The false friends pattern lists words that look like English and mean something else, like librairie, which means bookshop.

Is this the same as the Word patterns screen in Verbamor?

Yes. These are the same 40 French patterns. In the app you can pick any example word and save it as a flashcard with a picture, an example sentence and audio.

What do I get by email?

A printable PDF with all 40 patterns and 317 example words, and my post-lesson debrief handbook. Then a few short emails. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Turn a pattern into words you can say.

Open Word patterns in Verbamor, pick the words you want, and save them. Each card gets a picture, an example sentence and audio, and comes back just before you forget it, so the word is there when you need it in a conversation.

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