---
title: French A1 — Essentials
lang: fr
description: High-frequency French vocabulary for CEFR A1. Demonstrates `definition` and `basic` card types, including image-attached basic cards (the renderer auto-applies the image-dominant 65/35 layout when the caption is short).
tags:
  - french
  - language
  - a1
  - vocabulary
visibility: private
---

# French A1 — Essentials

> Front shows a French word or scene; back gives the English meaning with a usage hint.
> Demonstrates the **definition** and **basic** card types. Cards with a short front caption + image automatically render with the image-dominant layout — no special card type needed.

---

## Front

bonjour

## Back

**hello / good morning** — *interjection.*

Standard daytime greeting; switch to **bonsoir** in the evening.

<!-- card:
  cardType: definition
  subject: French
  topic: Greetings
  frontType: text
  backType: markdown
  prompt: "Translate and note when to use it."
  difficulty: easy
-->

---

## Front

merci beaucoup

## Back

**thank you very much.**

`merci` (*interjection*) on its own already means "thanks"; `beaucoup` ("a lot") intensifies it.

<!-- card:
  cardType: definition
  subject: French
  topic: Politeness
  frontType: text
  backType: markdown
  difficulty: easy
-->

---

## Front

s'il vous plaît

## Back

**please** — *adverbial phrase.*

Formal/plural form; the informal singular is **s'il te plaît**.

<!-- card:
  cardType: definition
  subject: French
  topic: Politeness
  frontType: text
  backType: markdown
  difficulty: easy
-->

---

## Front

How do you greet someone in the evening in French?

## Back

`bonsoir` ("good evening").

`bonjour` is correct only during the day. The transition is fuzzy but typically happens late afternoon.

<!-- card:
  cardType: basic
  subject: French
  topic: Greetings
  frontType: text
  backType: markdown
  difficulty: easy
-->

---

## Front

What is shown in the picture?

## Back

**un chat** — a cat (masculine).

The indefinite article is **un** (m.) / **une** (f.); for plural use **des**.

<!-- card:
  cardType: basic
  subject: French
  topic: Animals
  prompt: "Name the animal in French and give the article."
  frontType: text
  backType: markdown
  difficulty: easy
  frontMedia:
    imageUrl: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/Cat03.jpg/320px-Cat03.jpg
    imageAlt: A black-and-white cat sitting
-->

---

## Front

What is this object?

## Back

**un livre** — a book (masculine).

> info: French nouns always carry grammatical gender; learn each noun together with its article.

<!-- card:
  cardType: basic
  subject: French
  topic: Everyday objects
  frontMedia:
    imageUrl: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Open_book_nae_02.svg/320px-Open_book_nae_02.svg.png
    imageAlt: An open book
  backType: markdown
  difficulty: easy
-->