150 Essential French Academic Words for Thriving at University and Beyond

French words learners regularly get wrong — beaucoup, croissant, restaurant, heure, oeuf, oeil, fille, famille — grouped by the sound causing the trouble: silent endings, nasal vowels and disappearing liaisons.

French vocabulary for environmental topics: le changement climatique, le réchauffement climatique, l'environnement, la pollution, la durabilité. Covers recycling, renewable energy and the terms used in the news.

French vocabulary for international relations, where wording is deliberately precise: la diplomatie, l'ambassadeur, l'ambassade, le consulat, le ministère des Affaires étrangères. Plus treaties and negotiation terms.

French vocabulary for music: la musique, la chanson, le chanteur, le groupe, le concert, la guitare, le piano, la batterie. Covers genres and instruments plus everything around a live show, tickets to encore.

French vocabulary for getting around by road: la voiture, le conducteur, le moteur, le pneu, la roue, le volant, le frein. Plus road signs and traffic rules and the phrases for a petrol station or rental desk.

French vocabulary for everyday technology: le smartphone, l'ordinateur portable, la tablette, le chargeur, la batterie, l'écran, le clavier. Plus apps and accounts and the words for a fault or a setting.

French vocabulary for crime and public safety: le crime, la police, le policier, l'enquêteur, le suspect, la victime, le témoin. Covers news coverage, the legal terms behind it and reporting an incident.

French vocabulary for building and renovating: la rénovation, la construction, la réparation, l'entrepreneur, le maçon, l'architecte. Covers tools and materials and explaining a job to a contractor.

French vocabulary for building a company: la startup, l'entrepreneur, le fondateur, le cofondateur, l'investisseur, le financement. Covers pitching and metrics, hiring and growth — the language of a first meeting.

French vocabulary for talking about mental health properly: l'anxiété, la dépression, le stress, l'épuisement professionnel, la thérapie, le thérapeute. Plus the wording that keeps a hard conversation respectful.

French phrases for the phone, where there is no body language to help: puis-je parler à…?, c'est de la part de qui?, j'appelle au sujet de ma commande. Covers messages, transfers and customer service calls.

French phrases for professional email, where conventions are stricter than in English: Madame, Monsieur, je vous écris pour vous informer, veuillez trouver ci-joint. Plus requests, follow-ups and polite refusals.