Write the root of the verb. This is "couch" in the verb coucher, or "dorm" in the verb domir.
Write the ending of the verb. This will be -er, -ir or -oir in regular verbs. Conjugating regular verbs will change their endings but not their root.
Write out verbs that are irregular as they are shown in your textbook or dictionary. Irregular verbs include "etre" (to be) and "avoir" (to have).
Find the noun you are looking for in your English/French dictionary.
Copy the noun exactly as you see it in the dictionary.
Pay attention to whether the noun is masculine or feminine. The dictionary will tell you this. There is no trick to understanding which nouns are male or female; it is something that must be memorized.
Add a "le" to the beginning of a masculine noun or a "la" to the beginning of a feminine noun. If the noun begins with a vowel or a silent H, use l' followed immediately by the noun--for example, "l'avion" (airplane). Before plural nouns, use "les" regardless of whether the noun is masculine or feminine.
Add accents as they appear in your dictionary. The two most common accents in French are the acute accent (a line over a vowel that goes from lower left to upper right) and the grave accent (a line over a vowel that goes from upper left to lower right). To leave off an accent or use the incorrect accent is to misspell the word.
Memorize each word as you write it down. To a non-native French speaker, words cannot be sounded out or guessed. As you learn French you will eventually be able to guess some spellings based on the way that they sound, but as you start you must look up and write down each word to ensure it is correctly spelled, so memorize their use when you see them.
Unlike English, most French adjectives come after the noun they modify. For example, "the green car" in English is written as "the car green" ("l'auto verte") in French.