Basic French Vocabulary

French is a Romance language official in 29 countries around the world. A few words in French are very useful to know while you travel to Marrakech and in Morocco. French is the most spoken western language around the country so you will probably want to quickly have a revision or just learn a few words that can get you through some occasions easily.

French is the administrative language and is commonly used in Morocco. France’s colonial history between the 17th and 20th centuries, made the French language being introduced to America, Africa, Polynesia, and the Caribbean.

Quick Basic French vocabulary

Bonjour – Good Morning
Bonsoir – Good Evening
Bonne nuit – Good Night
Allo – Hello
Merci – Thank You
Adieu – Bye
S’il vous plait – Please
Avec - With
Pourquoi? – Why?
Combien de – How much of
Mon – Mine
Quand? – When?
Plus – More

Quick French/Moroccan History

During several years Morocco was upon French rule, which means that Morocco actually was France, just being another region of a vast Empire – The French Empire.

France started to show a strong interest in Morocco as early as 1830. During the Agadir Crisis in 1911, Britain supported France, and, Morocco became a French protectorate so that is why this the implement of the French language in Morocco. The Treaty of Fez signed on March 30, 1912, made Morocco a important protectorate of France in north Africa.

Morocco recovered its political independence on March 2nd, 1956 and on April 7th France officially relinquished its protectorate. 1956 was a very important year for all Moroccans as they gained their independence back.

Learn French: 145 minutes to learn French

Quick Basic French Vocabulary

  • I want this please – Je veux ça s’il vous plait.
  • How much does it cost – Combien ça coûte.
  • Where is the main square please – Où est la place principale s’il vous plait.
  • Can you please help me? – Pouvez-vous m’aider s’il vous plait?
  • I must to go to my hotel - Je dois aller à  mon hôtel.
  • I don’t want to be here, please let me go – Je ne veux pas être ici, laisse moi partir s’il vous plait.

Quick Basic French Verbs: Present

If you want to learn the Past and Future conjugation of these verbs in French.

Verbe Faire/Verb to do Verbe Avoir/Verb to have Verbe Être/Verb to be Verbe Aller/Verb to go Verbe Vouloir/Verb to want
Je fais J’ai Je suis Je vais Je veux
Tu fais Tu as Tu es Tu vas Tu veux
Il fait Il a Il est Il va Il veut
Nous faisons Nous avons Nous sommes Nous allons Nous voulous
Vous faites Vous avez Vous êtes Vous allez Vous voulez
Ils faisons Ils ont Ils sont Ils vont Ils veulent

Countries that speak French as Official Language

Belgium, Benin, Burkina-Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, France, Gabon, Guinea, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Monaco, Niger, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Togo, Vanuatu.

French Verbs, French Verb Conjugations, Conjugating French Verbs

French verbs are conjugated by isolating the stem of the verb and adding an ending to it, so you can basically identify the root infinitive of the verb by the start of the word itself. Comparing to English, to learn French language is a bit complicated in terms of verb conjugation. This page gives you the Past, Present and Future conjugation of the French verbs: faire / to do; avoir / to do; être / to be; aller / to go; vouloir / to want.

French Verbs: Past / Passé simple

Verbe Faire/Verb to do Verbe Avoir/Verb to have Verbe Être/Verb to be Verbe Aller/Verb to go Verbe Vouloir/Verb to want
Je fis Je eus Je fus Je allai Je voulus
Tu fis Tu eus Tu fus Tu allas Tu voulus
Il fit Il eut Il fut Il alla Il voulut
Nous fîmes Nous eûmes Nous fûmes Nous allâmes Nous voulûmes
Vous fîtes Vous eûtes Vous fûtes Vous allâtes Vous voulûtes
Ils firent Ils eurent Ils furent Ils allèrent Ils voulurent

French Verbs: Present / Présent

Verbe Faire/Verb to do Verbe Avoir/Verb to have Verbe Être/Verb to be Verbe Aller/Verb to go Verbe Vouloir/Verb to want
Je fais J’ai Je suis Je vais Je veux
Tu fais Tu as Tu es Tu vas Tu veux
Il fait Il a Il est Il va Il veut
Nous faisons Nous avons Nous sommes Nous allons Nous voulous
Vous faites Vous avez Vous êtes Vous allez Vous voulez
Ils faisons Ils ont Ils sont Ils vont Ils veulent

French Verbs: Future / Futur simple

Verbe Faire/Verb to do Verbe Avoir/Verb to have Verbe Être/Verb to be Verbe Aller/Verb to go Verbe Vouloir/Verb to want
Je ferai Je aurai Je serai Je vais Je voudrai
Tu feras Tu auras Tu seras Tu vas Tu voudras
Il fera Il aura Il sera Il va Il voudra
Nous ferons Nous aurons Nous serons Nous allons Nous voudrons
Vous ferez Vous aurez Vous serez Vous allez Vous voudrez
Ils feront Ils auront Ils seront Ils vont Ils voudront