101 French Words You

Regularly Use in English

Alysa Salzberg75 Comments June 26, 2020

Even if you’re just starting to study French, believe it or not, you’ve already got a
pretty extensive vocabulary!

The reason for this is over 10,000 English words come from French. Many
others come from Latin, the language from which French originated.
This means that a significant number of English words have either exact French
counterparts or very similar equivalents in French.
That’s something to celebrate! But, you might be wondering, just how did all of
these French words get into English? How many French words are there in English?
Let’s take a look at the French influence on the English language, and how it can
help you with French vocabulary today!

Contents
1 When were French words borrowed into English?
2 French words in English today
3 Why is the French (and Latin) influence on English important to French learners?
4 Six suffixes that are the same in French and English
5 French circumflex words and English
6 False cognates – and why they exist in the first place
7 French words that are the same in English
8 The three kinds of French words in English – and where to find them all

When were French words borrowed into

English?

In order to understand the way French influenced the English language, you have to
know a little bit of history.

In antiquity, Celtic languages were spoken in the British Isles. Then, around 50 CE,
most of the territory was invaded by the Romans. “Britannia” became a part of the
Roman Empire, and Latin became the language of political and administrative life.
In the 5th and 6th centuries CE, Germanic tribes, including the Angles and the
Saxons, invaded Britain, bringing their language with them.
But Latin remained a strong presence, since it was the language of the powerful and
far-reaching Catholic Church (the Germanic tribes had quickly converted to
Catholicism).

All religious services and texts were in Latin. This led to words commonly heard
during masses and in religious parables becoming a part of everyday vocabulary.

Some of the Latin words that began to infiltrate the language of British people at
this time include “devil” (Latin: diabolus) and “angel” (Latin: angelus).
Like its fellow Romance languages, French is a form of Vulgarized (that is,
spoken by the people and influenced by previously existing local dialects)
Latin. This is one of the reasons why there are so many similar words in
French and Latin-influenced English. But it’s not the only reason why – not by
far.
The main reason for the large number of French words in English can be
chalked up to another invasion: the Norman Invasion of 1066, when William
the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquerant in French) staked his claim to the British
throne and won it in the Battle of Hastings.
If you’re an art person, rather than a linguistics or history person, this battle may
sound familiar – it’s immortalized on the Bayeux Tapestry.
After William’s accession to the throne, the royal court was made up of Norman
(from Normandy) nobility, who spoke French.

Old English and French coexisted, often quite separately, since most people in
Britain never had contact with nobility.

But over time, French words began to creep into English.

These were mainly in areas like law, administration, and, unsurprisingly, food. For
example, this excellent (and very funny) video about the history of English points
out that while words like “pig” and “sheep” have Germanic roots, their food forms–
“pork” (porc) and “mutton” (mouton) – come from French.
A few other French words that entered the English language in this era include
sovereign (souverain), justice (justice), and counsel (conseil).
As the centuries went by, English continued to evolve, and and became recognized
in its own right. It was used in the daily life of the upper classes and clergy, as well
as the commoners. Latin did make a comeback, though. During the Renaissance,
cultured people spoke it, and later, in the Age of Enlightenment, Latin was used
again when classifying scientific discoveries and phenomena.

French words in English today

Over the course of its tumultuous history, and English has borrowed from and been
influenced by many different languages. But French and Latin have had the most
influence. French and Latin words make up 58 % of modern English
vocabulary today. On their own, purely French words make up 29% of
English.
It’s generally thought that around 10,000 words have been borrowed into
English from French. Of those, according to this source, there are over 1,700
“true cognates” – that is, words that not only look the same or similar, but
have exactly the same meaning in both languages.
Why is the French (and Latin) influence on
English important to French learners?
Sure, etymology is fascinating, and sure, what you’ve just read might make for
some fun party conversation (well, depending on what kind of parties you go to…).
But is all of this really important? After all, even if you can speak English, that
doesn’t mean you can speak French.

But in fact, knowing this tie to French can help you. For one thing, you may have
already experienced reading something in French and realizing that you understood
more than you’d expected, because some of the words are the same in both
languages. And on an even more helpful scale, since certain lexical features
like suffixes can be the same in French and English, you may be able to
guess how to say certain French words.
Six suffixes that are the same in French
and English

Action and other words in -tion often have the same meaning in French and in
English.
With that in mind, let’s look at six fairly common suffixes that are the same in both
languages.

Before we do that, though, remember that a suffix is an ending that gives a

particular meaning when it’s tacked onto a word. For example, -ly is a suffix in
English that indicates a word is an adjective or adverb (examples: lovely, quietly).

Like English, French has many suffixes. A number of these come from Latin. These
include:

 -ation. Examples: nation/la nation ; information/l’information

 -tion. Examples: acceleration/l’accélération ; attention/attention
 -ssion. Examples: mission/une mission ; passion/la passion
 -able. Examples : capable/capable ; table/la table ;
adorable/adorable
 -isme. Examples: Impressionism/l’impressionnisme ; racism/le
racisme
 -if/ive. Examples: furtive/furtif/furtive; creative/créatif/créative
As you can see, not all of these words are identical down to the letter. But knowing
that root words in both languages can have these suffixes added to them can be
helpful, especially in French conversation. Personally, this rule was one of the things
that made speaking French a lot easier for me. If I knew a word in English that had
one of these suffixes, there was a good chance that it was the same or similar in
French.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you’ll no longer have to memorize vocabulary for
words with these endings. After all, there are some that don’t follow the rule. Take
“vacation” – in French, it’s les vacances. Still, these common suffixes are good to
keep in mind.
French circumflex words and English
French words with a circumflex like forêt often have a similar English counterpart.
Unlike English, the French language involves a lot of diacritical marks. While most
accents in French words are used to indicate things like pronunciation, verb tense,
or gender, one of them, the circumflex, is basically just a historical marker.

Most French words that have a circumflex once had an “s” after the
accented letter. So, for example, the word château was once chasteau. The
word forêt was once forest.
That “once” is a time when French words were being borrowed into English, and so,
interestingly enough, many French circumflex words have English counterparts that
are very similar, with an “s”. You may already know or have guessed the English
equivalents of château and forêt, for example – castle and forest.
(Before we continue, yes, I know château is also “chateau” in English, but that word
has a very specific connotation and isn’t used as a general term the way château is
in French.)
As you can see with château/castle, not all French circumflex words have remained
exactly the same in the two languages. And in some cases, like être , there’s no
similar English word at all. So, while the tie between French circumflex words and
English could be helpful to keep in mind in some cases
(forêt/forest; hôtel/hotel; hôpital/hospital; théâtre/theatre, etc.), it isn’t a constant.
But for etymology fans like myself, it is a pretty neat tie to history, at the very least.

False cognates – and why they exist in the

first place
Some English and French words are written the same way or very similarly
but have evolved to have very different meanings.
One of the most notorious of these faux amis is préservatif, which does not mean
“preservative” in French, but…condom. Misusing this word is one of the
most awkward French mistakes you can make!
So, the moral here is to still learn your vocabulary. But if you’re in a bind, you
have a good chance of being able to find an equivalent French word if it
contains one of those six suffixes I mentioned, or is related to a French
circumflex word.
You may be wondering why faux amis exist at all, since English borrowed words
directly from French and Latin. The answer is, it’s simply because of how language
evolves. Even in English itself, certain words have changed meaning over time or
have additional connotations than they previously did. A very interesting example of
this – in both languages – is the word “gay”.
“Gay” was borrowed into English from the French gai (joyful, flashy). Over the
20th century, it came to have an additional meaning in English: homosexual. Today,
this is the dominant connotation that comes to mind for most English-speakers. The
English “gay” has been borrowed back into French, where it also means
“homosexual.” The French word gai(e) still means “happy” in French, although
some francophones, including those in Quebec, also use this spelling instead of
“gay”.
One of the most important things that etymology can teach us is that words are
always evolving. While they’re being spoken and used by human beings, languages
are living things. Faux amis aside, that’s pretty cool.
French words that are the same in English
Still, there are many words in English and French that are the same or very similar,
both in spelling and meaning. Here’s a list of some of the most common. If you want
to go further, at the end of this article, you’ll find a link to an extremely long and
thorough alphabetical list.

French food and dining words that are the same in English
Many English food-related words originally came from French, but a majority of
these have changed a bit over the centuries, to be pronounced and written in a
more Anglophone way.

A good example of this are the words derived from the French word and verb dîner,
which include dinner, diner, and dinette, as well as the verb “to dine”.
You’ll notice, first of all, that all of these words are pronounced differently than their
French ancestors. You’ll also notice that their meanings have expanded from these
two original borrowed words: “dinner” and “to dine” are the counterparts of le
dîner and dîner, respectively, but a diner and dinette are types of restaurant.
Interestingly, “dinette” is also a French word, but it’ s a classic example of a faux
ami. In French, une dinette in French is a child’s tea party set or set of plastic food
toys. (It can also mean a light, late evening meal, although I’ve personally never
heard it used that way, for what it’s worth.)
This being said, there are other French words related to food and dining whose
meaning and spelling have remained more or less the same in French and English.
A number of these were borrowed into English in recent centuries, when French
cooking became a hallmark of class for Anglophones.

Here are some of the most common food- and dining -related words that are the
same (or extremely similar) in French and English:

 à la carte : when you want to order individual dishes which are not part of a
pre-established sequence of courses.
  menu
 apéritif
 café (a type of restaurant)
 picnic
 salade
 soupe
 omelette
 bon appétit
 hors d’œuvre
 vinaigrette
 restaurant
 alcool (This word was originally borrowed into French from Arabic, by way of
Latin)
 chef (This means boss in French and not only “cook”.)
British English speakers also often use some common French food words, including:

 cornichon
 gateau
 courgette
 aubergine
French fashion and appearance words that are the same or
similar in English
Every culture has its trends, fashions, and notions of beauty, but France has an
international reputation for expertise in this area. It’s no wonder, then, that so many
French words related to fashion and appearance have been borrowed into English.
Here’s a list of some of the most common -including one that’s a very recent
addition to the English language:

 prêt-à-porter
 chic
 couture
 silhouette
 petite
 faux (usually used to describe synthetic fur (faux fur), as opposed to fur from
an animal)
 sans fard – If you’re a fan of pop culture and celebrity gossip, you’ve
probably come across this term in recent years. “Sans fard” (sometimes
written “sans fards”) means “without makeup” and describes a photo where
a person is wearing no makeup, and may not even be groomed in a
glamorous way (for example, unbrushed hair, etc.). Of course, sans fard
photos aren’t always truthful – many celebrities have been called out for
abusing the term, since they are wearing at least very basic makeup and
have their hair done in the shot.
French art and culture words that are the same or similar in
English

Here are some French words that you’ll often hear or come across (or use) in
English.

 Art Nouveau
 avant-garde
 bas-relief
 film noir
 matinee (Note that in French, this word is most commonly used as a way to
say “morning”.)
  papier mâché (For many English speakers, this is written slightly differently:
papier mache)
 trompe l’oeil
In addition to artistic movements like Art Nouveau and Art Deco, which keep their
French names in English, many artistic movements are written in a similar
way in French and English. One of the main reasons for this is the suffix -ism/-
isme. Here are a few examples:
 Impressionism/impressionnisme
 Realism/réalisme
 Surrealism/surréalisme
 Cubism/cubisme
You can find many other French words related to culture and the arts, including
classical dance-related vocabulary on this excellent and extensive list.
Other common French words used in English
Some French words we use in English, like repertoire and protégé, don’t have
exactly the same meaning in both languages – or at least, not the same primary
meaning. For example, répertoire in French is most commonly used to describe a
list of phone numbers; protégé means “protected” in French). But many other
French words in English are used the same way in French, more or less. Here are
some of them:
 bourgeois
 brunette
 blond(e)
 adieu
 au contraire
 chauffeur
 chic
 critique
 depot
 déjà vu
 (eau de) cologne
 eau de toilette
 en route
 entrepreneur
 fiancé (Note that while in English, this can refer to a man or a woman, in
French, a female person someone is engaged to is fiancée, the word’s
feminine form.)
 genre
 laissez-faire
 maître d’ (this is used in its complete form, maître d’hôtel, in French)
 joie de vivre
 toilette
 nouveau riche
 faux pas
 je ne sais quoi
 carte blanche
 voyeur
 R.S.V.P (Many English-speakers don’t realize this is an abbreviation of
Répondez s’il vous plait)
 souvenir
 par excellence
 potpourri
 Bon voyage
 cliché (Note that in French, in addition to its most well-known meaning,
cliché is another way to say “photo”)
 au pair
 femme fatale
 bouquet
 boutique
  coup
 milieu
 ménage à trois
 bon vivant
 bon mot
 coup d’état
 de rigueur
 savoir-faire
 tête à tête
 Voila (I usually see the word written without an accent in English, but
remember that it’s actually written like this in French: Voilà).
 du jour
These are just the most common French words in English, but there are many more,
especially if you’re watching or reading something featuring educated, possibly
pretentious characters – or spending time with them in real life. You can find a
more extensive list of French words and expressions in English here.
The three kinds of French words in English
– and where to find them all
The words on our lists are among the most noticeable French words in English,
because they haven’t changed (or haven’t changed much) from their original
spellings and meanings. But what about the thousands of other French words that
are supposed to make up the English language?

Since most of these words have evolved over the centuries, they may still be very
similar to their French ancestors, or quite a bit different. Take, for example, one of
my favorite English words, “jaunty”, which evolved in both spelling and meaning
from the French word gentil.
You can find an alphabetical list of French words in English, including these original
borrowings that have evolved away from their French forms, here.
And of course, don’t forget the English words that have a counterpart in French
thanks to Latin. You can see some of those on this list.
Do you have a favorite French word or expression that’s used in English? Are there
any words these lists that surprised you? If so, why not try to use them today?

Dear French learner,

I am a Frenchman living in London and I notice something pretty frustrating every
time I go to Paris to visit my family.
As you know, millions of people visit France every year.
Most of them speak English but a few make the effort to speak French because they
know it’s the only way to fully enjoy French culture and connect with locals.
They ask for directions to the lovely apartment they rented in Montmartre, buy a
few croissants at a local bakery, or book a table at a restaurant. Some may work up
the courage to try to speak with locals.
Unfortunately, their attempts aren’t always successful, and I hate to see the look on
their faces when they realize French people can’t understand a word they say or
when the person they’re talking to asks them to repeat.

It’s not even their fault!

They spent years learning vocabulary and verb conjugations they quickly forgot, did
their best to understand the difference between masculine and feminine words and
worked hard to try to understand spoken French.
They may even have spent thousands of dollars on expensive French classes and
fancy apps.
All of this only to end up switching to English because they’re ashamed of their
French!
This breaks my heart.
Luckily, I also see people who speak French with confidence after only a few
months.
They can enter a bakery, order a croissant, crack a joke with the baker and leave
with a smile on their face.
I spent years wondering why some people quickly speak French with confidence
while others never seem to be able to say more than a few simple words.
And I finally found the answer.
But before I reveal it to you, let me tell you a little bit more about myself.

Bonjour ! I’m Benjamin Houy

That’s me learning 한글 (the Korean alphabet)

I grew up in Houilles, a small city near Paris. And my first English conversation was
a complete disaster.
I had been studying English for more than 10 years like all French students.
And there I was, standing in front of a group of American students, struggling to
keep up with the conversation, ashamed and frustrated by my inability to say
anything other than “yes”.
My brain was frozen and my accent so bad the students could hardly tell whether I
was speaking English or French.
After asking me to repeat a few times, they excused themselves, quickly walked
away and went to talk to Laura, a classmate who could not only form complete
sentences in English but also make jokes in English.
That’s when I decided that enough was enough. There had to be a better way!
This happened several years ago and I now speak French (my native language),
English and German and just started learning Russian.
I’ve also taught French in South Korea as part of a French government program and
helped 2,999,264 people learn French at French Together which is now one of the
most popular French learning websites in the world and has been mentioned in
several well-known publications.

The irony is that people assume I’ve always been good at languages and that I’m
one of those people who can pick up language after language without any effort.
The reality is that I just created a method anyone can use to quickly learn new
languages.
And I really mean anyone.
Current students include British people and Americans who retired in the South of
France, college students who want to get better grades, busy professionals who
want to speak French before going to France with their family and people who have
been struggling for years before they discovered the French Together method.

Avoiding these 2 mistakes is essential if

you ever want to speak and understand
French
You may think you just need to work harder, you may think you’re too old to learn
French, you may think you’re bad at learning languages.
Truth is, the reason why so many French learners struggle to speak and understand
French is that they simply make the following two mistakes.

Mistake #1 Wasting your time learning vocabulary

There is nothing more frustrating than spending months learning French only to
realize that the words you know are useless in a real-life conversation.
Yet, that’s what happens to most French learners who learned French the traditional
way. They know lots of words but can’t form sentences because the French they
know isn’t the French they need to speak French.
 The kind of sentences most French courses and apps
teach you

That’s a shame because, according to L’encyclopédie Incomplète, the same 600

French words represent 90% of words used in common French texts.
Knowing these words won’t make you fluent but it will make it considerably easier
for you to understand the language.
That’s why it’s essential to focus on high-frequency vocabulary and say goodbye to
old-fashioned methods that make you waste your time learning how to say ruler
and peony.

Mistake #2 Giving too much importance to grammar rules

Most French learners start by learning conjugation tables by heart and obsessing
over the most insignificant aspects of French grammar.
They spend days learning rules they don’t understand, conjugating verbs they don’t
need and memorizing the thousand of exceptions of each grammar rule.
The truth is, you don’t need to know that much grammar to speak French with
confidence.
You simply need to learn the 20% of grammar rules that will help you understand
80% of sentences.
You don’t need to know the list of all masculine and feminine words. You just need
to know that the majority of words ending in -e or -ion are feminine while most
other words are masculine.
You don’t need to learn how to conjugate 100 verbs in the present tense, you just
need to learn a few conjugation patterns that apply to the vast majority of verbs.
If you do that, you won’t know all the details of French grammar. You will, however,
be able to speak French without taking forever to construct a sentence.

The secret to quickly speaking and

understanding French
The two mistakes you just discovered show that the key to quickly speaking French
with confidence is to focus on what matters.
This may sound simple but most French courses try to teach you so much at once
that you end up overwhelmed and frustrated by your inability to speak and
understand French.
What you need to do is learn the most common French words first and focus on the
grammar that you actually need to know.
You could do that on your own of course but knowing what truly matters when you
don’t know the language isn’t exactly easy.
Sure, you could download a list of the most common French words but knowing
words is not the same as speaking French.
You could search for the best “grammar hacks” but you’re not guaranteed to find
anything. And again, how do you know you’re not wasting your time on useless
grammar rules?
That’s why I created the French Together course.