· 32 lists · 1123 words

Home and family

Who belongs, where you live, how you are.

What holds these lists together

Everything you say about yourself and the place you live: who is in the family, how you feel, what you wear, what breaks in the flat and who comes to mend it. Together these lists are the best practice there is for French gender, because they are full of everyday nouns whose article cannot be guessed. English offers no help at all, having no grammatical gender, so each noun is learned with its article: la chaise, le lit, la clé. And gender decides more than the article. Sa chambre is his room or her room alike, because sa agrees with chambre, not with the person who sleeps in it.

The 32 lists

A2In the flatThe parts of a home that only appear when something breaks.50 words A1Person and familySaying who you are and who belongs to you.41 words A1Living and the householdThe rooms, the furniture and what is done to keep them.54 words A1ClothesBuying them, trying them on and taking them back.40 words A1The body and healthThe parts of the body, what hurts and what is done about it.50 words A2Feelings and characterHow somebody is doing, and how somebody is.29 words B2Feelings, more preciselyIrritation, resentment, composure, disillusion — the half-tones between glad and sad.50 words A2House and technologyPower, water, heating — and what to say when nothing works.40 words A2Free time and sportWhat people do when they are not working.29 words B1Doctor and chemistAppointment, prescription, and the words for what hurts.35 words B1Opinion and discussionAgreeing, objecting, and the words that hold an argument together.40 words B1Media and newsHeadline, report, source, broadcast.38 words B1Technology and the internetConnection, account, key, update.32 words B2Data, security, the networkEncryption, breach, consent, data set — the words for what happens to your own data.50 words B1Flat and contractWhat is signed, what is deposited, and what is on the bill.32 words B1Art and cultureThe exhibition, the stage, the book, the review.32 words B1Do-it-yourself and repairsThe tool, the screw, the leak under the sink.28 words B1Safety and emergenciesThe number to call, and the words to say when you do.32 words B1Society and politicsThe vote, the law, the meeting in the town hall.32 words B1Children and bringing them upNursery, school run, and the rules at home.30 words B1Washing, shaving and the hairdresserThe bathroom shelf and the chair at the salon.30 words B1Quarrelling and making upThe reproach, the silence, and the way back.30 words B1Moving house and furnitureThe boxes, the stairs, the keys handed back.30 words B2Neighbours and the shared buildingThe staircase, the house rules and asking a neighbour for a favour.28 words C1Moving houseFrom the notice letter to the deposit, in the order it actually happens.34 words C1Site managementTrades, delay notices and variations — the words that are spoken on a building site.40 words C1Saving energy at homeWhat really makes a difference, and what only looks as though it does.35 words C1Hiring a tradesmanFrom the quotation to the handover, and what goes wrong in between.34 words C2How a shoe is builtAn object that has to fit one particular foot.25 words C2Joinery and cabinetmakingWood keeps moving, and every joint has to allow for it.24 words C2Building servicesHeat, air and water in a house.23 words C2Plumbing and sanitationTwo networks of pipe that must never meet.26 words

Spread across the levels

The category runs across the levels — it is an area, not a difficulty. If you practise it, you can also choose a level at the top of the practice page and then get only the part that sits there.

Level	Words	Share
A1	163	15 %
A2	150	13 %
B1	441	39 %
B2	128	11 %
C1	143	13 %
C2	98	9 %

Practise this category

Multiple choice and gaps, across all 32 lists and all 1123 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.