Free TEF Canada Vocabulary List: 100 Essential Words for CLB 7+

When candidates fail to achieve Level B2 or C1 (CLB 7+) on the TEF Canada exam, it is rarely because they don't know basic French grammar. It is because their vocabulary is too informal, generic, or repetitive.

Whether you are writing a formal letter to the editor in Section B or trying to understand a complex radio broadcast in the Listening test, you need an arsenal of high-level vocabulary.

Here is your free, curated list of 100 essential words and expressions for TEF Canada, organized by category, to help you break through the CLB 7 ceiling.

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1. Professional & Bureaucratic Vocabulary (Workplace & Society)

The TEF Canada relies heavily on topics related to employment, public policy, and societal trends.

1. Un enjeu – A major issue / stake (better than un problème)
2. La mise en œuvre – The implementation (e.g., la mise en œuvre d'une loi)
3. Une ébauche – A draft / initial outline
4. La main-d'œuvre – The workforce / labor force
5. Le télétravail – Remote work
6. Une subvention – A government grant / subsidy
7. Un cadre légal – A legal framework
8. Les pouvoirs publics – The public authorities / government
9. Le pouvoir d'achat – Purchasing power
10. Une pénurie – A shortage (e.g., une pénurie de main-d'œuvre)
11. La rémunération – Compensation / salary
12. Un citoyen à part entière – A full-fledged citizen
13. Une mesure drastique – A drastic measure
14. Le gaspillage – Waste (e.g., le gaspillage alimentaire)
15. Une contrainte – A constraint / restriction
16. Un sondage – A poll / survey
17. Le civisme – Good citizenship / public spiritedness
18. Une campagne de sensibilisation – An awareness campaign
19. La croissance économique – Economic growth
20. Un compromis – A compromise

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2. Advanced Verbs for Writing & Speaking

Stop using faire, avoir, dire, and être for everything. 21. Engendrer – To cause / lead to (replaces faire) 22. Favoriser – To promote / encourage 23. Freiner – To curb / slow down (e.g., freiner l'inflation) 24. Revendiquer – To demand / claim 25. Aggraver – To worsen / aggravate 26. Préconiser – To advocate / recommend 27. Susciter – To arouse / provoke (e.g., susciter le débat) 28. Poursuivre – To pursue / continue 29. Envisager – To consider / contemplate 30. Remettre en question – To call into question / challenge 31. Souligner – To underline / emphasize 32. Disséquer – To dissect / analyze deeply 33. Abolir – To abolish / get rid of 34. Pallier – To compensate for / mitigate (pallier un manque) 35. Exiger – To require / demand 36. Contourner – To bypass / circumvent 37. Détériorer – To deteriorate / damage 38. Bénéficier de – To benefit from 39. S'efforcer de – To strive to / make an effort to 40. Aboutir à – To result in / lead to

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3. Sophisticated Adjectives & Adverbs

Inject nuance into your argumentative essays (Section B) and speaking roleplays. 41. Indéniable – Undeniable (Il est indéniable que...) 42. Primordial(e) – Essential / paramount 43. Néfaste – Harmful / adverse (des effets néfastes) 44. Bénéfique – Beneficial 45. Obsolète – Obsolete / outdated 46. Éphémère – Short-lived / fleeting 47. Lucrative – Profitable 48. Omniprésent(e) – Omnipresent / everywhere 49. Draconien(ne) – Draconian / extremely harsh 50. Incontournable – Unavoidable / essential 51. Dorénavant / Désormais – From now on / henceforth 52. Auparavant – Previously 53. Sciemment – Knowingly / deliberately 54. Progressivement – Gradually 55. Radicalement – Radically

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4. Connectors of Argumentation (Les Mots Charnières)

Cohesion and coherence account for over 25% of your writing and speaking scores. 56. D'une part... d'autre part... – On the one hand... on the other hand... 57. De surcroît – Furthermore / moreover 58. Par ailleurs – Additionally / what is more 59. Néanmoins – Nevertheless 60. Cependant – However 61. Toutefois – However / nonetheless 62. En revanche – On the other hand / in contrast 63. Bien que (+ Subjonctif) – Although 64. Malgré (+ Nom) – Despite 65. En raison de – Due to / because of 66. Par conséquent – Consequently / therefore 67. Dès lors – From then on / consequently 68. À titre d'exemple – By way of example 69. Notamment – Notably / particularly 70. En somme / En fin de compte – In short / ultimately

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5. Daily Life, Health & Environment Vocabulary

Common themes in TEF Reading and Speaking Section A/B. 71. Le réchauffement climatique – Global warming 72. Les énergies renouvelables – Renewable energies 73. L'empreinte carbone – Carbon footprint 74. Le tri sélectif – Waste sorting / recycling 75. La sédentarité – Sedentary lifestyle 76. L'alimentation biologique – Organic food 77. La santé mentale – Mental health 78. L'espérance de vie – Life expectancy 79. Les transports en commun – Public transportation 80. Les embouteillages – Traffic jams 81. Le logement abordable – Affordable housing 82. La colocation – Shared apartment / flatsharing 83. Un mode de vie – A lifestyle 84. Le bénévolat – Volunteering / charity work 85. Le patrimoine culturel – Cultural heritage

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6. High-Frequency Idioms for Speaking (CLB 8/9 Level)

Using natural idioms appropriately in Speaking Section B shows native-like ease. 86. Avoir le vent en poupe – To be on the rise / successful 87. Jeter l'argent par les fenêtres – To throw money down the drain 88. Faire d'une pierre deux coups – To kill two birds with one stone 89. Prendre le taureau par les cornes – To take the bull by the horns 90. Mettre les points sur les i – To make things crystal clear 91. Avoir du pain sur la planche – To have a lot of work to do 92. Coûter les yeux de la tête – To cost an arm and a leg 93. Revenons à nos moutons – Let's get back to the point 94. Passer du coq à l'âne – To jump from one topic to another 95. Être dans le même bateau – To be in the same boat 96. Tourner autour du pot – To beat around the bush 97. Rendre la pareille – To return the favor 98. Faire la part des choses – To put things into perspective 99. En faire tout un plat – To make a big deal out of something 100. Avoir le dernier mot – To have the final word

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How to Memorize These Words Effectively

Do not just read this list once and forget it.

1. Pick 5 words per day and write your own sentences using them.
2. Use them in AI mock exams. At PrepMyFrench, our AI Writing and Speaking Simulators reward you for incorporating advanced vocabulary. Try injecting indéniable, de surcroît, and freiner into your next practice session and watch your Canadian CLB score jump!

Stop studying generic French. Start practicing for your CLB 7+ with PrepMyFrench today.