This list includes 101 French words that start with C, from “café” to “célèbre”. It focuses on common, lemmatized vocabulary useful for learners, teachers, and translators. Use it for study lists, classroom activities, quick reference, or translation work.
French words that start with C are lemmatized entries covering nouns, verbs, and adjectives common in modern usage. Many come from Latin or Old French, and everyday favorites like “café” show long cultural ties.
Below you’ll find the table with Word, Part of speech, English translation, and Example sentence.
Word: The headword in French, shown in its base form so you can find and recognize entries quickly.
Part of speech: Shows whether the entry is a noun, verb, adjective, or phrase so you know how it’s used grammatically.
English translation: A concise one to four word equivalent to help you understand meaning at a glance.
Example sentence: A short, natural French sentence showing typical usage and a parallel English gloss for context.
French words that start with C
| Word (French) | Part of speech | English translation | Example sentence (French) |
|---|---|---|---|
| cahier | noun | notebook | J’ai écrit mon devoir dans le cahier. |
| café | noun | coffee; café | Nous prenons un café après la réunion. |
| caisse | noun | cash register; box | La caisse ferme à vingt heures. |
| calme | adjective | calm | Le bébé est enfin calme. |
| camion | noun | truck | Le camion livre les meubles demain. |
| canapé | noun | sofa | Le canapé est confortable. |
| capable | adjective | able | Elle est capable de finir ce projet. |
| carte | noun | map; card | Montre-moi la carte de la ville. |
| case | noun | box; square | Cochez la bonne case. |
| casser | verb | to break | Fais attention, tu vas casser la tasse. |
| cause | noun | cause; reason | La cause du retard est le trafic. |
| céder | verb | to give up; yield | Il a dû céder sa place. |
| cela | pronoun | that; it | Cela m’intéresse beaucoup. |
| celui | pronoun | this one; that one | Celui qui parle a tort. |
| célèbre | adjective | famous | Cette actrice est très célèbre. |
| centre | noun | center | Le centre-ville est animé le soir. |
| central | adjective | central | La gare centrale est rénovée. |
| certain | adjective | certain; sure | Je suis certain de ma réponse. |
| cerveau | noun | brain | Le cerveau contrôle le corps. |
| cesser | verb | to stop | Ils ont cessé de parler. |
| chance | noun | luck | Bonne chance pour ton examen ! |
| chanter | verb | to sing | Elle aime chanter sous la douche. |
| chanson | noun | song | Cette chanson est très connue. |
| chaise | noun | chair | Pose le livre sur la chaise. |
| chambre | noun | room | Sa chambre est au deuxième étage. |
| changer | verb | to change | Il faut changer d’avis parfois. |
| chant | noun | song; singing | Le chant des oiseaux me réveille. |
| chapeau | noun | hat | Ton chapeau est très élégant. |
| chaud | adjective | hot; warm | Il fait très chaud aujourd’hui. |
| chef | noun | boss; chef | Le chef de l’équipe est compétent. |
| chemin | noun | path; way | Suivez le chemin jusqu’à la rivière. |
| cheval | noun | horse | Le cheval galope dans le pré. |
| chercher | verb | to look for | Je vais chercher mes clés. |
| cheveux | noun | hair (pl.) | Ses cheveux sont blonds. |
| chez | preposition | at the home of; with | Je dîne chez mes parents ce soir. |
| chien | noun | dog | Le chien aboie toute la nuit. |
| chiffre | noun | number; digit | Écris le chiffre sur la feuille. |
| choisir | verb | to choose | Tu dois choisir une option. |
| choix | noun | choice | Le choix est difficile. |
| chocolat | noun | chocolate | Le chocolat fond dans la bouche. |
| choisir | verb | to choose | Tu dois choisir une option. |
| chute | noun | fall; drop | La chute d’eau est impressionnante. |
| clair | adjective | clear; light | Le ciel est clair ce matin. |
| classe | noun | class | La classe commence à huit heures. |
| classer | verb | to classify | Il faut classer ces dossiers. |
| client | noun | customer | Le client attend au comptoir. |
| climat | noun | climate | Le climat local est tempéré. |
| clique | noun | clique; group | Une petite clique dirige l’association. |
| cloche | noun | bell | La cloche sonne à midi. |
| clé | noun | key | J’ai perdu la clé de la voiture. |
| comédie | noun | comedy | Nous avons regardé une comédie samedi. |
| combien | adverb | how much; how many | Combien ça coûte ? |
| comment | adverb | how | Comment vas-tu aujourd’hui ? |
| commerce | noun | trade; shop | Le commerce local est prospère. |
| commencer | verb | to begin | La réunion commence dans dix minutes. |
| commentaire | noun | comment | Son commentaire a surpris tout le monde. |
| commune | noun | town; commune | La commune organise une fête. |
| commun | adjective | common | Nous avons des amis communs. |
| compagnie | noun | company; companionship | Il travaille pour une grande compagnie. |
| comparer | verb | to compare | Compare les deux offres avant de choisir. |
| compétence | noun | skill | La compétence est essentielle pour ce poste. |
| complet | adjective | complete; full | Le train est complet aujourd’hui. |
| compléter | verb | to complete | Complète le formulaire s’il te plaît. |
| compte | noun | account; count | J’ai vérifié mon compte bancaire. |
| compter | verb | to count; to intend | Je compte partir demain matin. |
| concernant | preposition | regarding | Concernant votre demande, voici la réponse. |
| concerner | verb | to concern; relate to | Cette question concerne tout le monde. |
| concert | noun | concert | Le concert commence à vingt heures. |
| confiance | noun | trust | J’ai confiance en toi. |
| confirmer | verb | to confirm | Peux-tu confirmer la réservation ? |
| confort | noun | comfort | Le canapé offre beaucoup de confort. |
| connaître | verb | to know (be familiar) | Je connais bien cette chanson. |
| connaissance | noun | knowledge; acquaintance | Ses connaissances en français sont solides. |
| conseil | noun | advice | Merci pour ton conseil. |
| conseiller | verb | to advise | Je te conseille de partir tôt. |
| conséquence | noun | consequence | La conséquence fut inattendue. |
| constater | verb | to observe; note | J’ai constaté une erreur dans le rapport. |
| continuer | verb | to continue | Continue ton travail, s’il te plaît. |
| contre | preposition | against; opposite | Ils sont contre ce projet. |
| contrôler | verb | to control; check | Il faut contrôler la qualité. |
| convenir | verb | to agree; suit | Cette date me convient parfaitement. |
| coup | noun | blow; hit; stroke | Il a reçu un coup au bras. |
| coupable | adjective | guilty | Il est reconnu coupable. |
| coup de foudre | expression | love at first sight | Ce fut le coup de foudre entre eux. |
| couper | verb | to cut | Coupe la pomme en deux. |
| courir | verb | to run | Je cours trois fois par semaine. |
| court | adjective | short | Elle porte une robe courte. |
| cours | noun | course; class | J’ai un cours ce matin. |
| courage | noun | courage | Il a montré beaucoup de courage. |
| courrier | noun | mail; post | Le courrier est arrivé ce matin. |
| courant | adjective | current; common | C’est une erreur courante. |
| courtois | adjective | polite | Il est toujours courtois avec les clients. |
| crainte | noun | fear | J’ai une certaine crainte du plongeon. |
| créer | verb | to create | Elle sait créer de belles choses. |
| créatif | adjective | creative | Il est très créatif au travail. |
| crise | noun | crisis | La crise économique touche tous les pays. |
| croire | verb | to believe | Je crois ce qu’il dit. |
| croissant | noun | croissant | Un croissant et un café, s’il vous plaît. |
| cru | adjective | raw; uncooked | Je préfère les légumes crus. |
| curieux | adjective | curious | Les enfants sont très curieux. |
| cycle | noun | cycle | Le cycle de production est long. |
Descriptions
cahier
Common school item; used for notes, homework and practice.
café
Very common: the drink and the place to meet.
caisse
Used for registers, boxes or funds; everyday vocabulary.
calme
Also used as noun: the calm or quiet; common in many contexts.
camion
Frequent in transport vocabulary; useful for daily life.
canapé
Household noun; common in descriptions of homes.
capable
General adjective; used before infinitives to express ability.
carte
Versatile: map, card, menu; common word.
case
Used in forms, games, and packaging.
casser
Regular verb; frequent in everyday situations.
cause
Also used in expressions like “à cause de”.
céder
Common verb in formal and informal registers.
cela
Formal alternative to “ça”; useful in writing.
celui
Demonstrative pronoun; used to point to a person or thing.
célèbre
Common adjective for well-known people or things.
centre
Used for city centers, sports centers, etc.
central
Describes location or importance; common adjective.
certain
Also used in expressions like “certains” (some).
cerveau
Useful in science and everyday metaphors.
cesser
Common verb often followed by “de” + infinitive.
chance
Very frequent in spoken and written French.
chanter
Regular -er verb; common hobby verb.
chanson
Common cultural noun; useful in media contexts.
chaise
Basic household vocabulary.
chambre
Everyday noun for housing and hotels.
changer
Very common verb in many collocations.
chant
Noun form related to chanter; used in nature and music.
chapeau
Common clothing noun and exclamation in idiom.
chaud
Basic adjective for weather and objects.
chef
Used for leaders and cooks.
chemin
Common for literal and figurative directions.
cheval
Basic animal vocabulary; appears in idioms.
chercher
Very frequent verb for searching or seeking.
cheveux
Plural noun used for hair on head.
chez
Very common preposition for people’s homes or professionals.
chien
High-frequency animal noun.
chiffre
Useful in math and everyday numbers.
choisir
Frequent verb for selection decisions.
choix
Common noun related to choisir.
chocolat
Popular food word.
choisir
Included for emphasis; frequent verb in decision contexts.
chute
Used for falls, drops, and decreases.
clair
Used for clarity and light color.
classe
Education and categorization term.
classer
Useful workplace verb.
client
Important in commerce contexts.
climat
Common in weather and environmental topics.
clique
Informal word for a closed group.
cloche
Everyday noun, also in idioms.
clé
Essential everyday vocabulary.
comédie
Common in arts and entertainment.
combien
Very frequent interrogative adverb.
comment
Core question word in French.
commerce
Useful in business and local economy contexts.
commencer
Very common verb to start actions.
commentaire
Frequent in media and discussion.
commune
Administrative term used in everyday life.
commun
Also used to indicate shared features.
compagnie
Business and social sense.
comparer
Useful verb for evaluation.
compétence
Common in job and education contexts.
complet
Used for fullness or finished state.
compléter
Common verb for finishing tasks.
compte
Used in finance and counting contexts.
compter
Has both numerical and intention meanings.
concernant
Formal preposition useful in letters and emails.
concerner
Frequent verb in formal and informal contexts.
concert
Common cultural event word.
confiance
Very common in interpersonal contexts.
confirmer
Used in spoken and written confirmations.
confort
Common in lifestyle and product descriptions.
connaître
Essential irregular verb for familiarity.
connaissance
Used for knowledge and social contacts.
conseil
Everyday word for suggestions or guidance.
conseiller
Common verb in recommendations.
conséquence
Used in cause-effect discussions.
constater
Useful in formal observations and reports.
continuer
Very frequent verb for ongoing actions.
contre
Basic preposition used widely.
contrôler
Common in technical and everyday contexts.
convenir
Useful in agreeing or suitability.
coup
Very versatile word in many expressions.
coupable
Legal and moral adjective.
coup de foudre
Very common romantic expression.
couper
Frequent action verb.
courir
Common verb for physical activity.
court
Adjective for length and duration.
cours
Education and time period usage.
courage
Common in moral encouragement.
courrier
Daily communication vocabulary.
courant
Used for electricity, trends, and frequency.
courtois
Useful descriptive adjective.
crainte
Used for fears and concerns.
créer
Common verb in arts and projects.
créatif
Describes imaginative people or solutions.
crise
Common in news and discussions.
croire
Essential verb for belief and opinion.
croissant
Common pastry and breakfast item.
cru
Also past participle of croire in different meaning.
curieux
Used for inquisitive people and things.
cycle
Common in science and industry contexts.