Attention, Ballet, Lingerie: French Words Used in English

Remember how Phoebe from Friends tried to teach Joey some French for an audition? Yes, that did not go well! But what Phoebe never told Joey is that there are so many French words used in English, so he could have grasped the language much easier.

Spending your time with your fiancé at a café or enjoying a crème brûlée? You might not realize it, but you already know some French terms! That gives you a slight advantage when learning French.

So, today we will brush up on your language skill and improve your vocabulary with French words in English. Bon voyage!

Why Are French Words Used in English

Linguists always have a great answer when people start wondering why one language borrowed a lot of lexicon from another. And that simple genius answer is "due to historical events." Numerous invasions, expansions, and wars led to vocabulary sharing among different nations. And the 30% rate of French words in English proves that.

For centuries English has been influenced by the Latin language from which the French originated. However, the main reason there are so many French words in English is the Norman Invasion of 1066. Back then, William the Conqueror staked his claim to the British throne and won it in the Battle of Hastings. After his coronation, the royal court spoke French – the Norman nobility's language. So naturally, the French language influenced how administration, law, and culture workers spoke in England. 

Over time, the English language made its way to be recognized in its own right. As a result, the upper-class members of society bring it back into use. That resulted in stopping the influence of the French language. However, during the Renaissance, Latin made a huge comeback as a language of cultured people and scientists. 

Of course, today, English and French are two different languages. But they still have some things in common. For instance, there are suffixes that lead us to the French words used in English. The list includes, but is not limited to:

• -isme, such as Impressionism/l’impressionnisme; racism/le racisme
• -able, such as capable/capable; table/la table; adorable/adorable
• -ssion, such as mission/une mission; passion/la passion
• -tion, such as acceleration/l'accélération; attention/attention
• -if/ive, such as furtive/furtif/furtive; creative/créatif/créative
• -ation, such as nation/la nation; information/l’information

As you can notice, the spelling of the French and English words in such cases are not identical but close enough. So, if an English speaker decides to learn French, knowing this trick can make the learning process much more manageable. 

Review list of irregular verbs in French for patterns.

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The List Of French Words in English by Categories

We hope that after this short dive into history, you've finally wrapped your head around the fact that some French words that we use in English were simply borrowed from the French language. Some of them managed to keep their initial meaning along with complete French spelling. However, in most cases, the pronunciation was still simplified because, let's be honest, French pronunciation is not a picnic. 

In this part of the article, we've collected French words that are the same in English in terms of meaning and spelling. Memorizing this chunk of vocabulary will help you kill two birds with one stone – you will add your English and French vocabulary. 

Food

• À la carte – separate items on the menu
• Apéritif – a pre-dinner drink
• Aubergine (British) – eggplant
• Bon appétit – enjoy your meal
• Béchamel – a dressing made of butter, milk, and flour
• Café – coffee house
• Cornichon (British) – pickle
• Croissant – a half-moon-shaped pastry
• Crouton – toasted/fried pieces of bread
• Cuisine – a dish that is cooked in a particular way
• Maître d’hôtel – head waiter
• Menu – list of dishes offered
• Omelette – the flat egg dish
• Restaurant – a place where people order and eat food 
• Sommelier – wine expert and advisor
• Soufflé Fluffy – dish (sweet or savory)
• Vinaigrette – salad dressing

Fashion

• Armoire – wardrobe, closet
• Blouse – loose-fitting top
• Boutique – small shop
• Bracelet – a piece of jewelry worn on the wrist or arm
• Chic – stylish, elegant
• Costume – outfit to dress like someone else
• (Eau de) cologne – cologne
• Eau de toilette – perfume
• Haute couture – high fashion
• Lingerie – female underwear
• Petite – short, small

Arts

• Avant-garde – forefront
• Ballet – a classical type of dance
• Cinéma – movie theater or movies
• Crème de la crème – the very best
• Début – beginning
• Décor – the furnishing and decoration of a room
• Film noir – dark movie
• Genre – type, category, sort of
• Papier mâché – a material made of pulped paper mixed with glue
• Protégé – a person guided and supported by a more experienced or influential person

Other

• Apostrophe – a punctuation mark (') used to indicate either the possession or the omission of letters or numbers
• Au naturel – something is as it comes
• Au pair – a nanny abroad, usually a student staying at a host family
• Bizarre – weird
• Bon voyage – have a nice trip
• Bouquet – a bunch of flowers
• Carte blanche – having permission to do what one wants
• Certain – definite, positive
• Cliché – stereotype  
• Concierge – receptionist at a fancy hotel or residence building
• Content – happy, satisfied
• Courage – bravery
• Cruel – hurtful
• Entrepreneur – a person who has created a company
• Femme fatale – seductive woman
• Fiancé – an engaged man
• Garage – a building where the car is kept
• Mirage – illusion
• Oh la la – synonym to OMG
• Orange – fruit or color
• Possible – capable of being done
• Queue – line
• RSVP – Répondez s’il vous plaît (Please answer to an invitation)     
• Simple – plain or naive
• Souvenir – memory or memento/keepsake
• Tête à tête – oa private conversation or meeting between two people
• Voilà – there it is

False Friends: French Words That We Use in English Differently

“False friends,” or faux amis, are words that look the same in English and French but have different meanings today. Many of them started with the same sense centuries ago, but the two languages evolved in separate directions. If you’re not aware of these tricky pairs, they can lead to confusing or funny mistakes for both English speakers learning French and French speakers learning English. Let’s look at some common false friends.

1. Ancien and Ancient

These two words are both adjectives, but only the English "ancient" means something really old. For French people, "ancient" defines as "former" or "ex." 

2. Apologie and Apology

From the first look, it's difficult to guess that endings can affect the meaning of what seemed to be the same word so drastically in different languages. For example, in French, "apologie" has nothing to do with asking for forgiveness. Instead, it means a justification or a defense of a person or object. 

3. Affaire and Affair

This couple couldn't be more intriguing. If you say that you have an affaire/affair with a famous actor, people will be impressed in both cases. However, from the French point of view, they will think you signed a contract or did business with the person. When in English, everyone will believe that you are cheating on your partner. So, watch your mouth when switching between the languages. 

4. Bras 

We don't know who still wears bras after the pandemic, but let's discuss this tricky word too. Even though "bras" might seem logical for women's underwear in French, you are wrong. It's just a hand, yes, ONE hand, it's singular. If you are wondering what the French translation of the English "bra" is, we are happy to present you soutien-gorge.

5. Chair 

What is written as a chair in French doesn't mean what it is as a chair in English — got confused? So did we, when we first learned the meaning of chair in French. Well, that is flesh, like inside human and animal bodies. And the French word for English chair is chaise. So we won't even start that chain. 

6. Chat

In this particular case, pronunciation is the key to success. This word does exist in French and English but means things with nothing in common. So, English chat is a light conversation between people. While French chat, which must be pronounced with 'sh' instead of 'ch,' is a cat. Surprise! We mean, meow!

7. Coach

This word is written identically in both languages and pronounced slightly differently. In both languages, it means a trainer for the sports team. However, in French, people also use this term, meaning a car. 

8. Coin

A coin is another term in the list of French words in English that have a different meaning. Nothing special in this case. In French, coin simply means corner. 

9. Сollege

“College” is a classic false friend. In the U.S., “college” means “university,” but in French, “collège” means “middle school.” This can lead to very awkward mix-ups — just like in Emily in Paris, when Emily assumes a guy is in his twenties because he said he “finished college,” only to discover he was actually 17. A perfect reminder that college ≠ collège.

10. Déception and Deception

Just one teeny-tiny thing can drastically change the meaning of the word. And déception and deception are a perfect illustration of that. The French term déception means disappointment or frustration. And it perfectly describes people's feelings when they learn that the English word deception is just a lie. 

11. Grappe and Grape

These two words look like twins, but they are not identical. And the truth is they don't share the same meaning. In English, grape refers to a specific type of berry growing in clusters. In French, grappe with two 'p' means "bunch." 

12. Habit

For English-speaking people, habit is all about a usual way of behaving, while for French-speaking folks, it means an item of clothing. Anyways, we all are creatures of habit.

13. Librairie and Library

These two words both refer to places where you can find books. However, in an English library, you can take a book for free for a limited time and obligate to return it by a specific date. This is because all the books in the library are for common use. In French librairie, you can buy books and take them home for good because it's a bookstore. So don't forget to pay in the librairie or else. 

14. Préservatif and Preservative

If you are an English speaker and mess up translating English preservative into French, you will experience a whole new lot of emotional damage. As we explained before, not all words written or pronounced similarly in two languages necessarily mean the same thing. So, if you say French préservatif, everyone will hear "condom." Be careful not to roast yourself. 

15. Gai/Gay

And one more example of English words that come from French that is just fascinating – gay. This French word was borrowed into English a long time ago. Back then, it was spelled as gai and meant joyful. Even now, you can hear the term gay in this connotation in some old texts. A great example is the Christmas song Deck The Halls, with lyrics "Don we now our gay apparel." Only at the end of the 20th century did the term gain another meaning – homosexual person. After that, the English "gay" was borrowed back into French. 

Promova: Bon Voyage on Your French Learning Path

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Conclusion

French has greatly influenced everyday English, and it's pretty cool. Such a blend of Romanian and Germanic languages makes English speech rich and more lively. Furthermore, when you learn French, you'll discover you already know many useful words from these borrowings. It's a fun reminder of how interconnected our languages are!