Teach your baby French

It’s never too early to start teaching your child a foreign language. In fact, the earlier you start, the better! And, what could be more fun than teaching your baby French? With just a few simple words and phrases, you can help get your child started on their linguistic journey.

In this article, we will provide a list of some of the most common French words related to everyday activities. We'll also share some tips for incorporating these into your life and making your kid's learning journey easy and fun. Read on to get started now.

Basic French Words

Teach your baby French

Basic French words are essential for any beginner. These are words that you will use frequently in everyday conversations, so it’s important that your child knows them well. Fortunately, these are simple and very easy to incorporate into our daily life.

Here is some basic French vocabulary to teach your little one:

French

English

Bonjour

Hello, Good morning

Salut

Hi

Ça va?

How are you?

Au revoir

Goodbye

Oui

Yes

Non

No

Merci

Thank you

Merci beaucoup

Thank you very much

Bien

Good

Fille

Girl

Garçon

Boy

Femme

Woman

Homme

Man

Mère

Mother

Père

Father

Français

French

S’il vous plaît

Please

Bonsoir

Good evening

Bonne Nuit

Good night

Excusez-moi

Excuse me

De Rien

You’re welcome (casual)

Je vous en prie

You’re welcome (formal)

Temps

Time

Jour

Day

Monsieur

Mister, Mr.

Madame

Madam, Mrs.

Voici

Here is…

Je ne comprends pas

I don’t understand

J'ai besoin d'aide

I need help

Je ne sais pas

I don’t know

Il y a

There is

Colors

Teach your baby French

If you want your child to learn French, it’s important to expose them to simple, basic words that they can use in everyday activities. Another group of such words is colors – if your baby learns them, they can further use them when playing or drawing.

Here’s the list of basic colors in French. Remember that since these are adjectives, they need to agree in number and gender with the noun they modify, which means they change their endings. Below, we list both their masculine and feminine forms. Note that some of them have just one form.

French

English

Rouge

Red

Orange

Orange

Jaune

Yellow

Vert, verte

Green

Bleu, bleue

Blue

Violet, violete

Purple

Rose

Pink

Blanc, blanche

White

Gris, grise

Grey

Noir, noire

Black

Brun, brune

Brown

Doré, dorée

Gold

Argenté, argentée

Silver

Shapes

Another common group of words your kid will be exposed to when playing or learning is shapes. Here are their translations in French:

French

English

Un carré

Square

Un cercle

Circle

Un triangle

Triangle

Un rectangle

Rectangle

Un ovale

Oval

Un demi-cercle

Half circle

Une pyramide

Pyramid

Un cône

Cone

Un cube

Cube

Une boîte

Box

Un cœur

Heart

Une étoile

Star

Objects and Baby Words

Teach your baby French

Finally, there are also some common objects that appear in almost every baby’s life. If you want your child to learn basic French words, these should definitely find their way into your kid’s vocabulary.

French

English

Le lolo, le lait

Milk (in baby talk and regular word)

Un nounours

Teddy bear (in baby talk)

Une poupée

Doll

Un doudou

Stuffed animal or blankie

Un joujou

Toy (in baby talk)

Un jouet de bain

Bath toy

Une balle

Ball

Un livre

Book

Les cubes

Blocks

Une comptine

Nursery rhyme

Un crayon (de couleur)

(Colored) pencil

La tétine, la sucette de bébé

Pacifier

Le bavoir

Bib

Un bibi (biberon)

Baby’s bottle

Un bol

Bowl

Une cuillerée

Spoon

Un biscuit

Cookie

Un toutou

Doggy (baby talk)

Un minou

Kitty (baby talk)

Un dada

Horsey (baby talk)

Un lapin

Bunny

Un oiseau

Bird

Une fleur

Flower

Une maison

House

Une voiture

Car

Un train

Train

Un camion

Truck

Un bateau

Boat

As you can see, these are very simple words, with some baby talk thrown in. These will be perfect to start your baby’s journey with the French language. And then, as they grow, you can move to more complex vocabulary and grammar.

Of course, this is just a small part of the vocabulary your child should know. If you want to learn more baby-related words, check out this article on our blog.

How to Incorporate French Words into Everyday Activities?

Teaching your children the French language may seem daunting at first, but with the right tools and methods, it can be easy and enjoyable for you both.

One of the best ways to do this is by exposing your kids to the language in everyday activities. This can be done in a number of ways – from playing games that focus on vocabulary to incorporating simple phrases into your conversations. Below are some ideas on how you can do this:

  • When reading stories together, choose books that are written in French or have bilingual versions available.
  • Sing French lullabies and children’s songs.
  • Watch movies or cartoons that are dubbed in French (you can always use subtitles to boost comprehension if your kid reads well).
  • Play word games or puzzles that focus on French phrases and words.
  • Draw pictures together and label them with French words describing the objects pictured.

Apart from that, don't forget about other ways of learning French. You can always look for free French resources online (such as kids' exercise books, for example), or look into French classes for kids.

Of course, if you want to teach French to your children yourself, that is perfectly fine. But, if the process is getting too challenging or just tiresome, remember that there are professionals who can take care of that for you. You can also look for a children’s tutor (a native French speaker, for example) or look for a school with additional French classes.

Teach your baby French

Bottom Line

Teaching your baby French can be easy and enjoyable, both for them and for you. You can start by exposing them to the language in everyday activities, such as through books, songs, movies, games, and drawings. They don’t need to memorize new words in bunches – instead, add basic vocabulary in French to your daily life, and see how your baby learns.

If you are having trouble figuring out a way to teach your kid a new language, remember that there are many free learning and teaching resources available online. You can also look into professional classes to ease the process, especially after your baby grows a little.

Regardless of what you want your kid to learn and how it is going, make sure to remember one thing: let your child experience their childhood. Make the learning process as fun as possible, and ensure that it’s enjoyable for your baby.

Blog Author Image

Beata Hardzei

Beata Hardzei loves languages and shares this passion through her writing. Speaking English, Polish, Russian, and French, she explores the nuances of foreign languages, aiming to make learning feel more like a journey than a task. Beata's background as a teacher and translator enriches her insights, helping you see language learning as an accessible, enriching experience.