Essentials on star formation and dust

Some aspects of the star formation process are reviewed, in particular those more relevant to illustrate the role of the dust in the different evolutive phases starting with the pre-stellar cloud fragments up to the main sequence stars, After a brief introduction on dense interstellar clouds as elective sites for collective star formation: the evolution of a single stellar object is followed through phases associated to the presence of a circumstellar disc. This is discussed as an environment in which the dust grains can coalesce and grow, potentially giving rise to planets.