👥 Japanese People & Family Vocabulary Les gens et la famille

47 essential French words for the People & Family scene, each with IPA, English meaning, CEFR level and native speaker audio, plus example sentences. Tap 🔊 to listen.

gens /ʒɑ̃/ A1
people (plural only: les gens)
Il y a beaucoup de gens dans la rue ce matin.There are a lot of people in the street this morning.
maman /mamɑ̃/ A1
mom, mum (familiar; family word for mère)
Je téléphone à maman tous les dimanches.I call Mom every Sunday.
gars /ga/ A2
guy, lad (informal; final -rs is silent)
C'est un gars très sympa, tu vas l'adorer.He's a really nice guy, you'll love him.
papa /papa/ A1
dad, daddy (familiar; family word for père)
Mon fils attend papa devant l'école.My son is waiting for Dad in front of the school.
mec /mɛk/ A2
guy, bloke (very informal slang; also 'boyfriend' as son mec)
Le mec devant moi parle beaucoup trop fort.The guy in front of me is talking way too loud.
garçon /gaʁsɔ̃/ A1
boy (neutral, standard)
Ce petit garçon joue dans le jardin.This little boy is playing in the garden.
soeur /sœʁ/ A1
sister (also written sœur)
Ma petite soeur apprend le piano.My little sister is learning the piano.
capitaine /kapitɛn/ A2
captain (of a ship, an army unit or a sports team)
Le capitaine du bateau nous a souhaité la bienvenue.The ship's captain welcomed us.
seigneur /sɛɲœʁ/ B2
lord (feudal nobleman; capitalized Seigneur = the Lord, God)
Au Moyen Âge, le seigneur vivait dans un château.In the Middle Ages, the lord lived in a castle.
dame /dam/ A2
lady, woman (polite; also the queen in cards and chess)
Une vieille dame attend le bus au coin de la rue.An old lady is waiting for the bus on the street corner.
colonel /kolonɛl/ B1
colonel (senior army officer rank)
Le colonel a donné ses ordres aux soldats.The colonel gave his orders to the soldiers.
foule /ful/ B1
crowd, throng
Une foule immense attendait devant le stade.A huge crowd was waiting in front of the stadium.
grand-père /gʁɑ̃pɛʁ/ A1
grandfather (plural: des grands-pères)
Mon grand-père raconte des histoires formidables.My grandfather tells wonderful stories.
agent /aʒɑ̃/ A2
agent, officer (un agent de police = police officer)
Un agent de police règle la circulation.A police officer is directing the traffic.
grand-mère /gʁɑ̃mɛʁ/ A1
grandmother (plural: des grands-mères)
Ma grand-mère fait le meilleur gâteau du monde.My grandmother makes the best cake in the world.
groupe /gʁup/ A2
group; band (of musicians)
Un petit groupe d'étudiants visite le musée.A small group of students is visiting the museum.
lieutenant /ljøtənɑ̃/ B1
lieutenant (junior officer rank)
Le lieutenant a transmis le message au capitaine.The lieutenant passed the message on to the captain.
mademoiselle /madəmwazɛl/ A2
miss (address for a young woman; now dated in official use, madame is preferred)
Bonjour, mademoiselle, que puis-je faire pour vous ?Hello, miss, what can I do for you?
flic /flik/ B1
cop (very informal slang; say policier in polite speech)
Un flic nous a demandé nos papiers.A cop asked us for our papers.
prince /pʁɛ̃s/ A2
prince (feminine: princesse)
Le jeune prince salue la foule depuis le balcon.The young prince greets the crowd from the balcony.
pote /pɔt/ B1
buddy, mate (very informal; friendly equivalent of ami)
Je sors ce soir avec un pote du lycée.I'm going out tonight with a buddy from high school.
inspecteur /ɛ̃spɛktœʁ/ B1
inspector, detective (feminine: inspectrice)
Un inspecteur interroge les témoins du vol.An inspector is questioning the witnesses of the robbery.
gosse /gɔs/ B1
kid (informal, masc. or fem.; note: in Quebec it is vulgar, use enfant there)
Quand j'étais gosse, je passais l'été à la campagne.When I was a kid, I spent the summer in the countryside.
copain /kopɛ̃/ A2
friend, pal (informal); with a possessive, boyfriend (fem.: copine)
Je vais au cinéma avec un copain de la fac.I'm going to the movies with a friend from university.
bonne /bɔn/ B2
maid, housemaid (somewhat dated; today one says femme de ménage)
Autrefois, la bonne servait le thé à cinq heures.In the old days, the maid served tea at five o'clock.
tueur /tɥœʁ/ B1
killer, murderer
La police recherche un tueur dans toute la région.The police are looking for a killer throughout the region.
comte /kɔ̃t/ B2
count, earl (noble title)
Le vieux château appartenait à un comte très riche.The old castle belonged to a very rich count.
shérif /ʃeʁif/ B2
sheriff
Dans ce western, le shérif porte une étoile en argent.In this western, the sheriff wears a silver star.
chauffeur /ʃofœʁ/ A2
driver, chauffeur
Mon oncle est chauffeur de bus depuis vingt ans.My uncle has been a bus driver for twenty years.
commissaire /komisɛʁ/ B1
police superintendent, commissioner
Le commissaire nous a posé quelques questions.The superintendent asked us a few questions.
majesté /maʒɛste/ B2
majesty, grandeur
Le roi est entré avec beaucoup de majesté.The king came in with great majesty.
maréchal /maʁeʃal/ C1
marshal (highest military rank)
Napoléon a nommé ce général maréchal d'Empire.Napoleon made that general a marshal of the Empire.
vieillard /vjɛjaʁ/ B2
old man, elderly man (formal/literary)
Un vieillard nourrissait les oiseaux sur le banc.An old man was feeding the birds on the bench.
môme /mom/ B2
kid, child (informal)
Quand j'étais môme, je jouais dans cette cour.When I was a kid, I used to play in this courtyard.
empereur /ɑ̃pəʁœʁ/ B1
emperor
Cet empereur a régné pendant quarante ans.That emperor reigned for forty years.
officier /ofisje/ B1
officer (military)
Mon grand-père était officier dans la marine.My grandfather was an officer in the navy.
mémé /meme/ B1
granny, grandma (familiar)
Ma mémé fait le meilleur gâteau au chocolat.My granny makes the best chocolate cake.
compagnon /kɔ̃paɲɔ̃/ B1
companion, partner
Le chien a été son fidèle compagnon pendant dix ans.The dog was his faithful companion for ten years.
fiston /fistɔ̃/ B2
son, sonny, kid (affectionate)
Allez au lit, fiston, il est déjà très tard.Off to bed, son, it's already very late.
propriétaire /pʁopʁijetɛʁ/ B1
owner, landlord/landlady
Le propriétaire de l'appartement augmente le loyer.The owner of the apartment is raising the rent.
procureur /pʁokyʁœʁ/ B2
prosecutor
Au tribunal, le procureur a présenté ses preuves.In court, the prosecutor presented his evidence.
maire /mɛʁ/ A2
mayor
Le maire a inauguré la nouvelle bibliothèque.The mayor opened the new library.
nana /nana/ B1
girl, woman; girlfriend (informal)
Il est venu à la fête avec sa nana.He came to the party with his girlfriend.
sergent /sɛʁʒɑ̃/ B1
sergeant
Le sergent a rassemblé les soldats dans la cour.The sergeant gathered the soldiers in the courtyard.
monseigneur /mɔ̃sɛɲœʁ/ C1
Monsignor, My Lord (title for a bishop or prince)
Les fidèles ont accueilli monseigneur à la cathédrale.The faithful welcomed the Monsignor at the cathedral.
ambassadeur /ɑ̃basadœʁ/ B1
ambassador
Hier, l'ambassadeur a rencontré le ministre.Yesterday the ambassador met the minister.
concierge /kɔ̃sjɛʁʒ/ B1
caretaker, building superintendent; concierge
Je salue la concierge chaque matin en sortant de l'immeuble.I greet the caretaker every morning as I leave the building.

FAQ

How many French people & family words are in this list?

47 words, including A1: 7, A2: 11, B1: 18, B2: 9, C1: 2. Every word has playable native audio and example sentences.

Are these words CEFR-graded?

Yes — every word carries its CEFR level (A1–C2), so you can start with the level you need.

What is the best way to memorise them?

Scene groups plus spaced repetition: listen, repeat, learn the word inside its example sentence, then review the next day. LingoVoya has SRS and four quiz types built in.

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