Goal: French
Learn French instead of scrolling Instagram
Sorry Scroll (sorryscroll.com) puts two new French words in front of Instagram, TikTok or any app you block. Learn them, answer a quick check, and the app opens. At 25 opens a day that's 12 new words a day, so your first week covers 84 words and all 500 take about 6 weeks.
| Words | 500, the most-used everyday French words, in a set order |
|---|---|
| With every word | meaning, an example sentence with its translation, and audio for both |
| Learner tips | 121 of the 500 words, where there's a common trap |
| Each step | 2 new words, a check on each, then 1 older word to recall; about 30 seconds |
| Pace | Up to 12 new words a day · all 500 in about 6 weeks at 25 opens a day |
| Price | Free for 1 blocked app · Pricing |
Nouns come with le, la or l', so you learn each word's gender with it.
Day one: your first 12 French words
In the order the app teaches them, two per step:
| Word | English meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| bonjour | hello | |
| merci | thank you | |
| s'il vous plaît | please | |
| oui | yes | |
| non | no | |
| au revoir | goodbye | |
| pardon | excuse me | |
| l'eau | the water | |
| le pain | the bread | |
| le café | the coffee | |
| la maison | the house | |
| le chien | the dog |
The rest of week one
Twelve new words a day, plus reviews of the ones before. By day seven you've met 84:
Day 2 le chat · le livre · la table · la chaise · la porte · la fenêtre · la voiture · le train · la ville · le pays · la rue · l'école
Day 3 le travail · l'ami · la famille · la mère · le père · le frère · la sœur · l'enfant · l'homme · la femme · le jour · la nuit
Day 4 le matin · le soir · la semaine · le mois · l'année · aujourd'hui · demain · hier · maintenant · toujours · jamais · souvent
Day 5 ici · là-bas · un · deux · trois · quatre · cinq · six · sept · huit · neuf · dix
Day 6 cent · mille · être · avoir · faire · aller · venir · voir · savoir · pouvoir · vouloir · dire
Day 7 parler · manger · boire · dormir · lire · écrire · aimer · acheter · chercher · trouver · donner · prendre
Tips you'll meet first
121 words in the deck carry a tip, where there's a common trap. The first few:
bonjour
hello
Say it once per day per person; twice sounds odd. After about 6pm, switch to bonsoir.
merci
thank you
Reply with de rien or je vous en prie.
s'il vous plaît
please
With friends and children use s'il te plaît.
oui
yes
In casual speech you'll hear ouais (yeah).
non
no
Non merci is the polite refusal; mais non adds emphasis.
au revoir
goodbye
Salut works for both hi and bye with friends.
How fast, by how often you open your apps
| Blocked-app opens a day | New words a day | All 500 in |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 6 | about 13 weeks |
| 15 | 8 | about 9 weeks |
| 25 | 12 | about 6 weeks |
Your own numbers: the calculator. Every word: The 500 most common French words, with audio.
Also on Sorry Scroll: Japanese, Korean, Spanish, German, English. How the language goal works step by step: the language goal.
Questions
Can you learn French while scrolling?
You can learn French vocabulary, a little at a time, in the moments you'd open an app anyway. Sorry Scroll asks for two new words and a quick check each time; words come back for review after 20 minutes, then 1, 3, 7 and 21 days, and a word counts as learned after two correct recalls.
How long does it take to learn 500 French words this way?
About 6 weeks at 25 blocked-app opens a day, because new words are capped at 12 a day. At 10 opens a day, about 13 weeks.
Which words come first?
The most-used everyday ones, in the order shown above: day one starts with bonjour, merci, s'il vous plaît.
Is this enough to speak French?
It's a vocabulary habit, not a full course. 500 everyday words make a course, a show or a conversation much easier to follow, but grammar and speaking practice need a course or a tutor alongside.
Can I see meanings in Hindi?
Yes. Meanings and tips can be shown in Hindi, as well as English, Spanish, German, Japanese, Korean.