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In this study, we sought to determine the language profile of the three variants of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and to compare it with that of a group of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) sufferers and a control group. We recruited seventy participants with PPA, thirty-two patients with AD and forty-one healthy controls. Participants underwent an oral language assessment. Analyses revealed significant differences between the PPA and AD groups and the control group for most tests, as well as between clinical groups. A ROC curve, calculated for each experimental group, highlighted the good psychometric qualities of the GréMots test battery for several subtests. The present research helps shed light on the language difficulties experienced at the onset of these conditions in the three PPA variants and in AD. Our results confirm the value of rigorous, in-depth language assessment in diagnosing the three variants of PPA and AD.