Remembering a translation is only the first step. To use French vocabulary during the TCF Canada, connect each expression to a situation and a sentence you could actually say. A small collection of words you can recognise and reuse is a useful starting point; an arbitrary word-count target does not tell you whether you can communicate.
The themes below are practice ideas, not predictions of exam questions. Try a free reading topic with an account first, and notice which words genuinely prevent you from understanding. Those gaps are a better guide than copying a long list of unfamiliar vocabulary.
Housing: ask for information you need
Learn “le loyer” (rent), “les charges” (additional housing costs), “le bail” (lease), “le locataire” (tenant) and “le propriétaire” (landlord or owner) with a verb. Try “payer le loyer,” “signer un bail” and “demander une visite.” The question “Le loyer comprend-il les charges ?” puts several useful pieces together.
Imagine looking for a place near your workplace. Explain your budget, ask three questions and justify one preference. Use a familiar experience, whether it happened in Casablanca, Toronto or another city. Give enough context for someone who has never visited your neighbourhood rather than relying on a local reference they may not know.
Work: explain an action and a reason
Useful expressions include “poser sa candidature,” “passer un entretien,” “suivre une formation” and “demander un congé.” Notice the verbs, prepositions and articles. Knowing “formation” helps, but “Je souhaite suivre une formation pour mieux accueillir les clients” gives you a sentence you can adapt to a real task.
Describe a normal working day, then write a short message asking a manager to change your schedule. The first task is a description; the second is a request. Reusing the same vocabulary with a different purpose is more demanding, and more informative, than reciting the definition twice.
Transport: follow the final decision
Keep “trajet” (journey), “correspondance” (connection), “retard” (delay), “détour” (detour) and “arrêt” (stop) together. Pay attention to changed plans. Understanding every individual word in the first sentence will not help if you miss the correction in the next sentence.
Consider this invented practice message: “Nous pensions partir à huit heures, mais le rendez-vous est reporté. Retrouvons-nous à neuf heures devant la gare.” The final meeting time is nine. Eight is still a real detail in the message, but it answers a different question. Vocabulary and careful interpretation work together.
Everyday services: make a clear request
Practise “prendre rendez-vous,” “vérifier les disponibilités,” “fournir un document” and “demander un remboursement.” Choose ordinary situations you can explain without specialist knowledge. State what happened, the information you need and the next step you are asking for.
Write one message to a friend and another to an organisation about the same issue. Keep the facts, but change the greeting, the amount of background information and the closing. This helps you practise register rather than assuming that a formal-looking word makes every sentence appropriate.
Opinions: connect ideas for a reason
Start with “parce que,” “pourtant,” “par exemple” and “donc.” Each connector should express a real relationship. Give your position, explain a reason and develop an example. Add a limitation when it makes your view more precise. Avoid inserting a complicated connector only because it appears on an exam vocabulary list.
For practice, discuss whether your city should invest more in public transport. Use a journey you know as an example, explain one benefit and acknowledge one difficulty. This is also a way to use personal experience from your country of origin without making broad claims about an entire culture.
A twenty-minute routine
Select five expressions from a completed exercise. Spend five minutes checking their meaning in context and ten minutes making your own spoken or written examples. Hide your notes for the final five minutes and describe a situation using at least three expressions. Keep the list short enough to finish the task.
Return to the expressions a few days later with a new topic. If you only remember the original sentence, change the person, purpose or setting. If you recognise a word while reading but cannot retrieve it while speaking, practise short answers before trying to give a long explanation.
Apply the vocabulary in context
Keep a small notebook with the expression, its context and a personal example. Focus on words that help you understand a message or explain something you need. There is no benefit in copying every unfamiliar term if the collection becomes too large to review.
Start a free reading exercise, then select three useful expressions from the correction. Three topics per skill are available with an account. The guidance can be in English, but the practice is in French. Check the official TCF Canada description for the actual structure of the exam.