Basic French Vocabulary: Life and Death 🌱⚰️

When learning a new language, it’s important to know how to talk about the most fundamental aspects of existence: life and death.

These words often appear in literature, news, conversations, and even everyday expressions.

This guide gives you the essential French vocabulary about life and death, with English translations and examples for beginners.

---

🌱 Life Vocabulary in French

• La vie – life

• Vivre – to live

• Être en vie – to be alive

• Un être vivant – a living being

• La naissance – birth

• Naître – to be born

• Un bébé – baby

• Un enfant – child

• Un adolescent / une adolescente – teenager

• Un adulte – adult

• La vieillesse – old age

👉 Example: Mon grand-père est encore en vie.
(My grandfather is still alive.)

---

⚰️ Death Vocabulary in French

• La mort – death

• Mourir – to die

• Être mort(e) – to be dead

• Décéder – to pass away (formal)

• Un défunt / une défunte – a deceased person

• Un cadavre – a dead body / corpse

• Un enterrement – burial / funeral

• Un cercueil – coffin

• Un cimetière – cemetery

• Un deuil – mourning

👉 Example: Il est mort en 1999.
(He died in 1999.)

---

🕊️ Related Expressions

• La survie – survival

• Survivre – to survive

• Un survivant / une survivante – survivor

• Tuer – to kill

• Un meurtre – a murder

• Un meurtrier / une meurtrière – murderer

• Se souvenir de – to remember

• Oublier – to forget

👉 Example: Il a survécu à un accident de voiture.
(He survived a car accident.)

---

💬 Useful Phrases

• La vie est belle. – Life is beautiful.

• La mort fait partie de la vie. – Death is part of life.

• Elle est née en France. – She was born in France.

• Nous assistons à un enterrement demain. – We are attending a funeral tomorrow.

• Il est décédé paisiblement. – He passed away peacefully.

---

🎯 Practice Activity

👉 Write 3–4 sentences in French using words from this list. For example:

• Je suis né en 1990.

• La vie est courte.

• Nous visitons le cimetière.

---

✅ Conclusion

By learning this basic French vocabulary about life and death, you’ll be able to understand conversations, books, and cultural references that deal with these universal themes. These French words are simple but essential for everyday communication and deeper understanding of the language.

If you liked this guide, explore more of our French vocabulary lists for beginners to keep expanding your knowledge step by step.