This list includes 62 French words that start with L, from “laine” to “légèrement”. It focuses on high-frequency lemmas—nouns, verbs, adjectives—and useful phrases for learners and translators.
French words that start with L are lemmas and common inflected forms that begin with the letter L. Many come from Latin roots, and familiar examples like “laine” reflect France’s long textile tradition.
Below you’ll find the table with Word, Part of Speech, English Translation, and Example Sentence.
Word: Shows the French lemma so you can scan and learn the base form used in dictionaries and vocabulary lists.
Part of Speech: Identifies noun, verb, adjective, or phrase so you know usage and how to conjugate or decline it.
English Translation: Gives a concise one- to four-word English equivalent so you grasp meanings quickly and focus study.
Example Sentence: Provides a short natural sentence showing the word in context so you learn collocations and register.
French words that start with L
| Word | Part of speech | English translation | Example sentence (French) |
|---|---|---|---|
| là | adverb | there | Je suis là depuis huit heures. |
| là-bas | adverb | over there | Regarde là-bas, près de l’arbre. |
| lâcher | verb | to let go,release | Ne lâche pas la corde maintenant. |
| laïcité | noun (f) | secularism | La laïcité est un principe républicain. |
| lait | noun (m) | milk | Je prends du lait dans le frigo. |
| laine | noun (f) | wool | Ce pull est en laine mérinos. |
| langue | noun (f) | language,tongue | Il parle trois langues couramment. |
| langage | noun (m) | speech,language | Le langage des enfants évolue vite. |
| large | adjective | wide,large | Cette rue est très large. |
| laver | verb | to wash | Lave tes mains avant de manger. |
| laisser | verb | to leave,let | Laisse la porte ouverte, s’il te plaît. |
| laisser tomber | phrase | to drop,forget it | Tu peux laisser tomber, ce n’est pas important. |
| leçon | noun (f) | lesson | La leçon commence à neuf heures. |
| lettre | noun (f) | letter | J’ai reçu une lettre ce matin. |
| livre | noun (m) | book | J’ai acheté un livre hier. |
| lire | verb | to read | Je lis un roman en ce moment. |
| librairie | noun (f) | bookshop | Je vais à la librairie ce week-end. |
| libre | adjective | free,available | Je suis libre cet après-midi. |
| liberté | noun (f) | freedom | La liberté est un droit fondamental. |
| ligne | noun (f) | line,row | La ligne 1 du métro est en grève. |
| lieu | noun (m) | place,site | Le mariage a eu lieu à Lyon. |
| léger | adjective | light,slight | Ce sac est très léger. |
| légèrement | adverb | slightly | Il a changé légèrement d’avis. |
| lent | adjective | slow | Le service est lent aujourd’hui. |
| lentement | adverb | slowly | Conduis lentement sous la pluie. |
| long | adjective | long | C’est un long voyage en train. |
| longtemps | adverb | for a long time | Je ne l’ai pas vu depuis longtemps. |
| loin | adverb | far | Il habite loin d’ici. |
| lointain | adjective | distant | Un souvenir lointain me revient parfois. |
| logement | noun (m) | housing,accommodation | Nous cherchons un logement abordable. |
| louer | verb | to rent,to praise | Ils vont louer un appartement en ville. |
| location | noun (f) | rental | La location de l’appartement coûte cher. |
| loisir | noun (m) | leisure, pastime | Le sport est mon loisir favori. |
| logique | adjective | logical | Ton raisonnement est très logique. |
| logiquement | adverb | logically | Logiquement, il devrait arriver bientôt. |
| local | adjective | local | Le produit est d’origine locale. |
| localiser | verb | to locate | Le GPS permet de localiser la voiture. |
| loi | noun (f) | law | La loi a été votée hier. |
| loyal | adjective | loyal | Elle est loyale envers ses amis. |
| lourd | adjective | heavy | Ce colis est trop lourd pour moi. |
| lourdement | adverb | heavily,severely | L’équipe a été lourdement sanctionnée hier. |
| lumière | noun (f) | light | La lumière entre par la fenêtre. |
| lumineux | adjective | bright,light-filled | La pièce est lumineuse et agréable. |
| lune | noun (f) | moon | La lune est pleine ce soir. |
| lundi | noun (m) | Monday | Le lundi je vais au marché. |
| lutte | noun (f) | fight,struggle | La lutte contre la pauvreté continue. |
| lutter | verb | to fight,struggle | Nous devons lutter pour nos droits. |
| liste | noun (f) | list | J’ai fait une liste de courses. |
| limite | noun (f) | limit,boundary | Respecte la limite de vitesse indiquée. |
| limiter | verb | to limit | Il faut limiter la consommation d’énergie. |
| lièvre | noun (m) | hare | Un lièvre a traversé la route ce matin. |
| lien | noun (m) | link,tie | Il a un lien fort avec sa famille. |
| légal | adjective | legal | Cette procédure est tout à fait légale. |
| légalité | noun (f) | legality | La légalité du contrat est contestée. |
| légende | noun (f) | caption,legend | La légende de la photo explique le contexte. |
| légume | noun (m) | vegetable | Les légumes sont dans le panier. |
| lécher | verb | to lick | Le chien aime lécher son maître. |
| laverie | noun (f) | laundromat | La laverie est ouverte jusqu’à vingt heures. |
| loger | verb | to accommodate,stay | Nous logeons chez des amis ce week-end. |
| lycée | noun (m) | high school | Mon frère est au lycée à Paris. |
| littérature | noun (f) | literature | La littérature française est riche. |
| littéraire | adjective | literary | Elle a des goûts littéraires variés. |
Descriptions
là
Simple locative adverb used for position or emphasis; very frequent in spoken and written French.
là-bas
Colloquial adverb indicating a distant place; often used in speech and direction.
lâcher
Common verb used literally and figuratively (lâcher prise); irregular for reflexive uses.
laïcité
Abstract political term frequent in France; important in civic and educational contexts.
lait
Basic food vocabulary; highly frequent and useful for everyday contexts.
laine
Material noun used for clothing; common collocation: pull en laine.
langue
High-frequency; refers to human language or the physical tongue; feminine.
langage
Slightly more general/technical than langue; used in linguistics and everyday talk.
large
Common adjective meaning broad or roomy; used for objects and figurative senses.
laver
Essential everyday verb; regular -er conjugation.
laisser
Very common verb used in many constructions (laisser faire, laisser tomber).
laisser tomber
Colloquial fixed phrase meaning ‘forget it’ or ‘let it go’.
leçon
Basic classroom vocabulary; feminine noun often used with prendre une leçon.
lettre
Common noun (correspondence) and also a character; feminine.
livre
Very frequent noun; also a unit (livre de poche).
lire
Fundamental verb; irregular in present (je lis, nous lisons).
librairie
Useful for learners buying materials; not to be confused with bibliothèque (library).
libre
Common adjective meaning free in time or freedom; antonym: occupé.
liberté
Core abstract noun in politics and ethics; feminine.
ligne
Used for lines, queues, routes; feminine.
lieu
Frequent formal noun often in fixed phrase “au lieu de”.
léger
Common adjective (weight or degree); variable: léger/légère.
légèrement
Common adverb from léger; used to soften statements.
lent
Basic adjective; used for people, processes, machines.
lentement
Common adverb; formed from lent.
long
Frequent adjective for duration or physical length.
longtemps
Common adverb of duration.
loin
Basic locative adverb; used in many expressions.
lointain
Adjective for temporal or spatial distance; somewhat literary.
logement
Useful everyday noun in housing contexts.
louer
Common verb with two senses: rent (se louer) and praise (louer quelqu’un).
location
Noun related to louer; frequent in housing and car-rental contexts.
loisir
Useful for talking about hobbies; masculine.
logique
Common adjective; also used as noun in some contexts.
logiquement
Adverbial form used in arguments and reasoning.
local
Everyday adjective referring to origin or nearby area.
localiser
Useful verb for maps, apps and technical contexts.
loi
Core civic vocabulary; feminine noun used in politics and media.
loyal
Describes fidelity; fair frequency in interpersonal descriptions.
lourd
Common adjective for weight or figurative burden.
lourdement
Adverbial form used for physical or metaphorical intensity.
lumière
Very common noun in physical and metaphorical senses.
lumineux
Describes brightness, clarity; frequent for rooms and ideas.
lune
Basic celestial noun; feminine.
lundi
Day of the week; lowercase in French; masculine.
lutte
Abstract and concrete uses; feminine noun.
lutter
Frequent verb in social and personal contexts.
liste
Everyday noun; used for inventories, tasks, etc.
limite
Common noun used physically and figuratively.
limiter
Useful transitive verb; regular -er conjugation.
lièvre
Wild animal noun; masculine.
lien
Very useful noun for relationships or hyperlinks.
légal
Common adjective in formal/legal contexts.
légalité
Abstract noun used in law and administration.
légende
Used for map legends or picture captions; also myths.
légume
Basic food vocabulary; masculine.
lécher
Everyday verb in animal contexts and figurative expressions.
laverie
Useful for practical life; place where one washes clothes.
loger
Common verb about housing or hosting.
lycée
Essential school vocabulary; masculine.
littérature
Cultural term used in education and critique.
littéraire
Describes matters related to literature or style.