French word meaning there you have it

These examples may contain rude words based on your search.

These examples may contain colloquial words based on your search.

voilà

là vous l’avez

le tour est joué

ça y est

là tu l’as

Vous vous rendez compte

Il vous en avez

Là, vous avez

And there you have it, a beautiful cells print.

Et voilà, une belle empreinte cellulaire.

So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen.

Alors voilà, mesdames, messieurs.

And there you have it my friends.

Only a few thousand francs CFA, prepaid units and there you have it.

Quelques milliers de francs CFA, des unités prépayées et le tour est joué.

And there you have it, the free method to retrieve your photos.

Et voilà, la méthode gratuite pour récupérer vos photos.

And there you have it, my fabulous new floating home.

Et voilà, bienvenue dans ma fabuleuse maison flottante.

So there you have it, a little piece of my camino.

And there you have it just bad luck or happiness everywhere.

Et là vous l’avez juste à la malchance ou le bonheur partout.

So there you have it — ambiguity with a big A.

Donc la voilà l’ambiguïté avec un grand A.

Rattan never goes out of fashion, so there you have it.

And there you have it, your intro into the wild world of wingsuiting.

Et voilà, votre introduction au monde déjanté du wingsuiting.

Not proud, but there you have it.

J’en suis pas fier, mais voilà.

And there you have it, an overview of a great skincare routine.

Et voilà, voici un aperçu d’une bonne routine de soin de la peau.

So there you have it; my mastitis survival story.

Donc là vous l’avez; mon histoire de survie de la mammite.

So there you have it, rigid wheels are the thing to go for.

Donc là vous l’avez, roues rigides sont la chose à aller chercher.

So, there you have it, 6 ways to update your home with texture.

Donc, voilà, 6 façons d’actualiser votre maison avec les textures.

And there you have it, the watchword.

Et voilà, le mot d’ordre est lancé.

So there you have it, and now you know.

Donc voilà, et maintenant vous savez.

My son just wanted to look like the prince and there you have it.

Mon fils je voulais juste regarder comme le prince et là vous l’avez.

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• #1

Bonjour,

Comment-t-on traduire le phrase ‘there you have it’ ?

Le contexte est un interview au sujet de fusion thermonucléaire. Au fin de l’interview, l’enquêteur dit, pour résumer, ‘there you have it, a star on Earth’.

Mon essai est: ‘voila, une étoile sûr la terre’, mais je ne pense pas que ‘voila’ soit approprié dans ce contexte.

J’apprecierais du conseil. Merci en avance!

• #2

I would say something like :

Voilà, vous l’avez, votre étoile sur Terre.

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!

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 5^th  and 6^th 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. 

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

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

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.  

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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 20^th 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 (learn more here)
• 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 used 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?

The French language is notorious for its beauty and unique pronunciation. It seems to float off your lips when you speak it, dancing gracefully into your ears when you listen. Its beauty attracts millions of language learners. But learning French can be challenging, especially when some French words are untranslatable.

If you’re interested in any language learning program, then it helps to grasp words that truly belong to that language. The following list is a compilation of French words with no English equivalent. Their construction and the feelings they communicate highlight aspects of French life and showcase how unique any foreign language learning experience can be.

1. L’espirit d’escalier

The direct French translation is “staircase wit.” It refers to the moment after a conversation when the time for quick replies has passed, and you’re on your own when you finally think of the perfect response. While there’s no English equivalent, the feeling is universal. We’ve all had that feeling of wishing we had only “come up with it sooner!” Except, in French, they have one word to express the entire feeling as a result of this specific situation.

2. La douleur exquise

Leave it to the French to come up with a word for the “friendzone”. This phrase, meaning, “the exquisite pain” reflects the feeling of loving someone who will never love you back. Even in French, there’s no way to avoid the heartache of someone not returning the feelings you have.

3. Sortable

Sometimes our friends and family can be a bit much, but we love them anyway. We also have friends and family that we know we can go out into public with and not have to worry about any embarrassment. These people are “sortable.”

4. Empêchement

If you’re late and don’t want to be too specific explaining why then you want to use this word. It means an “unexpected last-minute change of plans” and is an excellent way to avoid any additional questions.

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5. Dépaysement

If you’ve ever felt like a fish out of water, then you’ve felt “dépaysement.” This word describes the unease of traveling in another country but not feeling as though you belong there. It’s not so much missing your country as it is being unfamiliar with all the differences you’re experiencing. A great word to remember if you plan on an immersion trip for a quick way to learn French.

6. Flâner

A flâner describes a specific kind of person. Brought to life from the poetry of Baudelaire, a flâner is a kind of observer that passes about the city taking in the sights and sounds. They notice changes in culture, but not for the sake of critiquing it, only to actively observe how diverse and fluid it truly is.

7. Voila

This one you may already know. It is quite common and used to illustrate something that has just happened. The literal meaning is “there it is.” But it’s often used to showcase an event or direct attention.

8. Nostalgie de la boue

Created by French poet and dramatist, Émile Augier, this phrase means to be “longing for the mud.” It’s the feeling of wanting a simpler life than the one we have. Perhaps you’re a lawyer or a doctor, and you drive past a flower shop and think that you’d much rather enjoy life as a florist. Maybe the pay is less as well as the prestige, but there’s a hope for happiness that having a much easier life could bring.

9. Jolie Laide

A word that translates into English as “pretty ugly” doesn’t quite convey its actual meaning very well. The term refers to someone who has a unique or unconventional beauty. It’s the feeling you get looking at someone, knowing they don’t reflect the general cultural notion of attraction and still finding them attractive.

10. L’appel du vide

Have you ever heard of the death drive? Well, “l’appel du vide” is similar to this, but in one specific difference. It means “the call of the void” and describes the urge of wanting to jump from a very high place when you’re standing next to a ledge.

11. Crapoter

This word refers to a fake person or someone who pretends to be someone they’re not. It comes from the action of someone pretending to inhale from a cigarette.

12. Tohu-bohu

Have you ever been in a situation that was pure chaos? You look around, and you realize that a house fire with people running around screaming would be more organized and calmer. If so, then you’ve probably witnessed “tohu-bohu” or a state of pandemonium. It’s derived from a Hebrew word describing the world before the Judaic God created it.

13. Râler

Annoy? Frustrated? Angry and in the mood to complain, but don’t want to feel overly judgmental? Well, in French, you can merely express râler to illustrate your dissatisfaction with the world in an eloquent, yet enlightened way.

14. Cartonner

Do you want to talk about the next summer blockbuster? Then you can use cartonner to point out how great a movie was. It’s technically slang term to describe successful films, and it’s derived from the action of covering an object in cardboard.

15. Contresens

This French word consists of two different French words, “contre” meaning against and “sens” meaning direction but it’s still without an English translation. It describes confusion or being wrong, but can also be used to describe “the wrong way” of doing something.

16. Ras-le-bol

Parents and older siblings will be very familiar with this word. When you’ve had enough and can’t take it anymore, when you’re “done,” you’ve experienced, “ras-le-bol” or “bowl full of it.” A similar expression in English would be to say that you’ve “had enough” or were “fed up” with something.

17. Retrouvailles

Haven’t seen your best friend in a few years? The moment you two lock eyes after he walks off the plane and you run up and give each other a huge hug, that moment is retrouvailles. It describes the feeling of seeing someone again after a long time.

18. Astre

On the surface, it may seem this word describes a “star” because it refers to any celestial body. However, it doesn’t mean so in a strictly scientific or observational sense. Instead, it refers to any object that is “out of this world.” While “astre” technically covers objects like stars, it covers exceptional people, ideas, and experiences as well.

19. Frappadingue

This is the perfect word to describe someone who’s out of their mind, crazy, or maybe just feeling a little more “YOLO” than usual. It combines “frapper” meaning to hit and “dingue” meaning crazy. It’s similar to asking someone “were you hit upside the head as a child” when they act crazy.

French Has Many Untranslatable Words

Studying a new language changes the way you see the world. These untranslatable French words are a great example of that. Keep in mind that this list is by no means all of the unique phrases and words that don’t completely translate English. However, they provide some insight into the dynamic French language. If you want to learn more about French, use OptiLingo to guide you to fluency.

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French curse words are an essential part of the French language. They allow speakers to express emotions from frustration to rage. In fact, if you go to southern France, you’ll hear French swear words like they’re going out of style.

Paris may be France’s capital, but the global epicenter of French swear words is probably in the south of the country.

I took high school French, and I remember very clearly the day that a student asked Madame Cowles to teach us a few French swear words. Mon Dieu !

But instead of scolding my snickering classmate, our teacher began writing a few words on the board. Now this was an education that I could get behind!

Of course, the French swears that we learned that day lacked context. They were just words. I had no idea then a) how often French people actually swear and b) what sort of impact each particular gros mot has on the listener.

Did you know? French is just one of over 7,000 languages spoken worldwide.

Two years of living in France, however, changed all that. It seemed like everyone around me was cursing—a casual merde from the lips of my host sister Audrey, a disgusted salaud from my neighbor Catherine, an abrasive enculé from my French roommate Thomas.

I wish I had owned an audio recorder when I lived in Paris. I feel like I could have hit “record” at any time during the day and I would have picked up a hodgepodge of French swear words.

So what are they? Well, a perfect list of French curse words would be hard to create, because when it comes to profanity, everyone draws the line at a different spot.

For example, zut isn’t really a swear word in French, even though you can find it on lists of French swear words and you can say it in annoyance or disappointment. It’s the equivalent of “darn” and sits meekly at the tame end of the Spectrum of French Curse Words.

Below are words that French people actually use; I’ve also given the situations in which they use them.

Use the links below to jump right to your swear word of choice, find out how to pronounce each word or phrase, and then listen to a string of French swears.

Enjoy!

A List of French Curse Words for the Discerning Swearer

1. merde
2. putain
3. fils de pute
4. foutre
5. baiser
6. [ça me] fait chier
7. bordel
8. salaud / salope
9. enculé
10. [ferme] ta gueule
11. More French swears

merde

If you go to France, then I’ll bet you 10 euros that you hear merde (“shit”) from someone in the first 24 hours.

It might be a French guy sitting in the row behind you on the métro. Or maybe the pedestrian pointing at all the merde that the dogs leave on the sidewalk (and that very few dog owners pick up). It could even be a shopkeeper talking to an employee under her breath before she knows you’re there.

The word merde is both a noun and an exclamation, and it’s used almost twice as much in French writing as putain, which is no. 2 by frequency in the corpus of French swear words. (The same is true for English, by the way: “shit” is about twice as common in writing as “fuck.”)

The word merde reigns supreme among French curse words. (Click to enlarge.)

The French exclaim merde in so many different situations. Here are a few:

• “I stubbed my toe.”
• “The other team just scored a goal.”
• “I’m really sorry to hear that your dad has cancer.” (With this last one, the speaker would say it quietly, with empathy, and really draw it out, sometimes turning it into a two-syllable word: MAIR-duh.)

In fact, in some situations, merde comes out so easily (and no one bats an eye) that it almost comes across as “damn.” And although merde means “shit,” its verb form, emmerder, doesn’t mean “to shit.”

One outdated but very colorful way to say in French that someone is old is to say that he has chié les trois quarts de sa merde (literally, he has “shit three quarters of his shit”). I guess “he’s in the autumn of his life” just wasn’t strong enough…

putain

If you need a stronger word than merde, then you can always use putain (“fuck”). The word was originally an offensive term for “prostitute”—i.e., “whore.”

Today, though, we hear it mostly as an exclamation: Putain, c’est cher ! (“Fuck, that’s expensive!”)

So if it’s not a verb, then how do the French talk about the act of, you know… ? Well, there are actually two verbs for “fuck”: foutre and  baiser .

One classic swearing formula that you’ll hear in French is putain + de + [noun], which translates as “fucking [noun].” Now let’s fill in the blank!

• Putain de merde ! (“Fucking shit!”)
• Ce putain d’embouteillage ! (“This fucking traffic jam!”)
• Putain de temps ! (“Fucking weather!”)
• Ce putain d’ordinateur ! (“This fucking computer!”)

In the south of France, putain is almost a filler word: Eh, tu viens, putain ?  (Here, the speaker isn’t referring to the listener; instead, it’s just a sentence tag.)

fils de pute

Fils de pute is incredibly vulgar, if a bit dated, and sits at the other end of the spectrum (probably scowling, spitting, and grabbing its crotch). It means “son of a bitch,” but you hear it much less in French than “son of a bitch” in English. In fact, in terms of harshness, it’s closer to “motherfucker.”

For a start, pute means “whore,” so already it’s a nastier insult than its English cousin. In addition, the French don’t usually use fils de pute as an exclamation of disgust or annoyance, which is one way that English speakers often use “son of a bitch.”

Instead, they reserve it for people—that is, you might call someone a fils de pute, but you wouldn’t scream it if you dropped an anvil on your foot.

French Swear Words 101: In French, a fils de pute is, literally, a “son of a whore.”

Again, though, just because you can call someone a fils de pute doesn’t mean that you should. My French friends warned me against trotting this one out casually—it’s extremely insulting.

No one language has a monopoly on the image of a man being the son of a prostitute. For example, consider all of the following: hijo de puta (Spanish), figlio di puttana (Italian), filho da puta (Portuguese), and Hurensohn (German).

foutre

Foutre is interesting. It’s a verb that comes in a few different flavors. For example, an angry Frenchman might say Va te faire foutre ! (“Go fuck yourself!”). Later, in a calmer moment, he might use an expression with the same word, such as Je m’en fous, which is both tamer and more common.

I always heard French speakers use Je m’en fous in situations where I would say “I don’t care” in English. However, it’s definitely stronger than “I don’t care,” closer to “I don’t give a damn/shit.”

Je m’en fous is a good example of why word-for-word translation doesn’t work. It can mean “I don’t give a rat’s ass,” but nowhere in the phrase will you find any mention of a rat or his ass.

baiser

Of all the French curse words out there, I think baiser might be the trickiest for English speakers. Much to their chagrin (delight?), baiser can mean either “kiss” or “fuck,” depending on context.

The tame meaning of baiser.

For example, when Maupassant writes la baisant sur le museau, he’s talking about a dog being kissed on its muzzle. But a drunken, lecherous 20-something mumbling J’ai envie de baiser to a woman he’s trying to pick up in a bar may be on the receiving end of a well-deserved slap to the face.

If you’re worried about accidentally saying “fuck” when all you mean is “kiss,” then skip baiser entirely. Use bise or bisou instead to mean “a kiss.”

[ça me] fait chier

Literally “That makes me shit,” this expression always made me laugh. French speakers often shorten the entire phrase Ça me fait chier ! to simply Fait chier ! But I don’t begrudge them this economy of words. I mean, if you have to shit, you don’t have time to say extra words…

So what does it mean? It’s an expression of annoyance, akin to “What a pain in the ass!” or “This sucks!”

This swear is often paired with putain and merde to create the colorful Putain merde fait chier ! Note: I’ve never heard this used ironically or for a laugh. If you hear this, then you know the speaker is upset.

Mad at someone? Try Tu me fais chier ! (“You’re pissing me off!)—or, to tone it down, Tu me fais suer (“You’re bugging me,” literally “You’re making me sweat.”)

bordel

Is “bordello” a bad word? No, but it’s helpful to think of how “whorehouse” sounds to your English ears. (Nastier than “bordello,” huh?)

So why am I including bordel in a post about French curse words? Because the French use it when they’re angry or disgusted. In addition, bordel figures in a few key French swears.

• C’est le bordel ici ! (“What a goddamn mess!” / “What a shithole this is!”)
• Bordel de merde ! (“Goddammit!”) Interestingly, you can’t find Dieu (“God”) anywhere in this phrase, but most French swear words don’t have a perfect one-to-one correspondence that always holds true. Keep that in mind as you consider the following:
• Putain de bordel de merde ! Even though I wrote earlier that putain de translates as “fucking,” you can’t say “fucking goddammit” in English, and you can’t use the word-for-word “Fucking whorehouse of shit!” (Well, you can, but you’ll get a lot of funny looks.) Instead, think of this as something like “Holy fucking shit!” or “Jesus fucking Christ!” (Funny, I always thought Jesus’s middle name was H.)

The word bordel came to French via the Zarphatic (i.e., Judeo-French) word bodel, meaning “hut” or “house.”

salaud / salope

Is there a bastard, asshole, or son of a bitch in your life? Then you may have a salaud on your hands! Just like the English equivalents, the French word salaud is reserved for men. (In fact, have you ever heard a woman get called an asshole? I guess we men have a corner on the asshole market…)

Salope is one of those French curse words that is harsher than its for-men-only counterpart. I say this because there’s a sexual connotation to this one. Sure, you might mean “bitch” when you say salope, but “whore” and “slut” are also possible meanings. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

If you know anything about French word endings, then you know that feminine words often add an e to their masculine counterparts—for example, petit vs. petite. So what’s going on with salaud and salope? Even though you might think that the feminine form should be salaude, the word salaud (the d is silent) actually used to be salop (the p is silent).

enculé

Okay, this one ought to have a star next to it, because it’s vulgar—very vulgar. But then again, so is the phrase “to fuck [someone] in the ass,” which is what enculer means.

Did another driver just cut you off in traffic? Enculé ! Did you just find out that your boyfriend cheated on you? Quel enculé !

I find this usage interesting because I can’t imagine an English speaker ever yelling “You buttfucked person / buttfuckee” at the top of his lungs…

The best real-life example I can share involving enculé is the time that I was on le périphérique, the highway that encircles Paris, with my French friend Thomas (pronounced toh-MAH).

It was a parking lot—nobody was moving and Thomas was doing his level best to keep the road rage under wraps. But I could tell that he was getting more and more frustrated.

Finally, he couldn’t stand it any longer and yelled out, Allez ! On prends le train ou on s’encule !?!, which made me laugh out loud.

But you’d be hysterical, too, if your driver screamed, “C’mon! Are we going to take the train or stand around buttfucking each other?” (Thomas, you have no idea how much mileage I’ve gotten out of this story over the years…)

An enculé, literally, is “one who has been assfucked.” (Betcha didn’t learn that one in high school French!)

[ferme] ta gueule

Of all the French curse words that you can direct at another person, this one doesn’t seem that bad on its face. But when you consider that gueule is an animal’s mouth (or “muzzle” or “maw”), you can understand why it’s insulting.

It’s also short for Ferme ta gueule, an extremely rude way of telling someone to shut up. Again, we can’t translate it word for word, because “Shut your mouth-of-an-animal!” just sounds ridiculous. Instead, it’s somewhere in between “Shut up!” and “Shut your fuckin’ mouth!”

If ta gueule isn’t strong enough for you, then try this one on for size: Ferme ta grosse gueule ! (Be careful, though—saying that the other person has a fat fuckin’ mouth is no way to win friends and influence people. )

Literally, a gueule is the mouth of an animal, so saying Ferme ta gueule ! to someone is very rude. (You know, that whole debasing thing.)

Aren’t There More French Curse Words?

Mais oui ! If I had included too many more, though, this post would have ballooned to book-length.

But lest you leave disappointed, here are a few more French swear words for your repertoire:

con / conne

Of all French curse words, con might have the greatest range. At the tame end, it’s used to signal disappointment or regret: C’est con que tu peux pas venir ! (“It’s too bad that you can’t come!”)

At the opposite end of the spectrum, it’s a crude (if outmoded) term for “vagina.” Think “pussy,” “twat,” or even “cunt.” (That last one may shock Americans, but it’s not uncommon in British usage.)

But when you call someone a con, you’re commenting on their intelligence—for example, a French driver who’s annoyed at the bone-headed move of another motorist might yell, Quel con, celui-là ! It’s akin to “What a fuckin’ idiot!” or “What the hell is he doing?!?”

Con can be a playful term, though, too. Has your friend just told a dad joke? T’es vraiment con, quand même would fit nicely.

Annoyed at yourself? Then try Quel con (if you’re a man) or Quel conne (if you’re a woman), which is like saying, “I’m so frickin’ stupid !”

“Mais quel con !”

connard / connasse

Closer to the vulgar end of the spectrum than con and conne, connard and connasse are words that pack a punch. They’re dishes of resentment and negative judgment, perhaps served with a side of jealousy.

For example, high school students might badmouth their teacher (the one who everyone hates) by calling him a connard.

In addition, a recently dumped teenage girl might see her ex with a new girlfriend and, seething with jealous rage, call her a connasse (think “slut” or “whore”).

enfoiré

This is a harsher version of a “jerk,” closer to “asshole.”

The comic Coluche, who was one of the first to use French curse words for laughs in his routines (Quel enfoiré ! was a catchphrase of his), founded an organization in 1985 to help the needy. Each year a group of celebrities and comics holds a concert to raise money for Restaurants du Cœur. They go by the name Les Enfoirés.

emmerder

Emmerder is a verb that comes from merde, but it doesn’t mean literally “to shit.” Instead, it means “to bore,” “to bug,” or “to piss off,” depending on context.

• Je m’emmerde ! (“I’m so fuckin’ bored.” / “I’m bored shitless.”)
• Tu m’emmerdes ! (“You’re really pissing me off!”)
• T’es vraiment emmerdant, toi ! (“You’re a real pain in the ass!”)

pétasse

The term pétasse is sexual, an insult akin to “skank” (American) or “tart” (British). In addition, it’s interchangeable with connasse. (Isn’t is great to have options in life?)

trou du cul

We’ve already seen a few “asshole” equivalents among French curse words, but this is the real deal. That is, it literally means “asshole” but, like in English, it can apply to people: C’est vraiment un trou de cul, celui-là ! (“That guy’s a real asshole!”)

If you’re running short on time while you’re insulting someone, you can shorten this one to trou duc’.

couillon

A lexical spinoff of couille (“ball,” as in “testicle”), couillon is a funny one, but I don’t mean in the middle-school-boy “balls are funny” kind of way. I mean funny-interesting.

In the north of France, people may say couillon, but it’s vulgar, something like “asshole” in the U.S. or “wanker” in the UK.

However, in the south of France, where swearing is as natural as breathing, a man might say it casually—affectionately, even—to a friend or acquaintance.

You might hear it from guys playing a game of pétanque: Hé, couillon, c’est à toi !

Imagine calling up your buddy and saying, “Hey, douchebag, wanna grab a beer later?” That’s couillon.

36 Seconds of Swearing: A String of French Curse Words

If you’ve ever wanted to hear a string of French profanity, then you’re in luck! French native (and friend of RedLine) Gaëlle Thibault graciously offered to rattle off a few crude remarks, nasty insults, and vulgar expressions for us (transcript here). Merci, Gaëlle !

Thanks to Anna Mason for her help reviewing this post.

Source:
Dictionnaire de l’argot français et de ses origines. Colin, Jean-Paul, and Jean-Pierre Mével. Larousse. 1990.

If you learned something about French swear words from this post, then share it! Or you can check out how to swear in Dutch.

Last, if you need translation services from or into French, let us know. (We do more than curse around here, you know.)

Almost every language nowadays has some words that are borrowed from other languages. It’s fascinating how many languages still use those words in their original forms.

You already know that there are many French words in English that we use on a regular basis.

But, do you know which words exactly?

Today, there are around 10,000 French words that are still used in modern English. You probably know some of them already, but we’re sure that there’s a lot you haven’t heard of.

That’s why we decided to share with you 101 words that are used in English. 

But let’s start from the beginning by understanding how these two languages are connected and why their bond lasts to this date. 

French-English connections

We are going to tell you a short story about French and English connection.

The connection between France and England dates back from 1066 when William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquerant) took over the British throne. 

This is how French became the language of the Anglo-Norman court, the government, and the elite. It also started having a big influence on the administration, law, and culture.

French influence on the English language continued after the Hundred Year’s War.

Today, it is considered that there are around 45% of words in English that originate from the French language. 

French words in English with the same meaning

As you can see, these events in history are the reason French words are used in English today. 

There are, of course, other languages English has borrowed from, but French is the absolute winner with the coverage of about 58% of the English vocabulary. 

In the following paragraphs, you’ll find words that have the same meaning in both French and English and are used in the same situations. 

They are called cognates, or to be more specific,
French cognates.

Disclaimer: The first word is written in English and the second one in French. You will see how many of them are written in the same way.

Food-related words 

There are plenty of food-related English words that come from French. Over the centuries, they’ve changed a bit, getting English characteristics. 

You can find some of them below:

• A la carte — A la carte
• Apéritif – Apéritif 
• Aubergine — Aubergine
• Baguette – Baguette
• Café — Café
• Cornichon — Cornichon
• Champagne – Champagne
• Gastronomy – Gastronomie
• Gateau – Gâteau
• Menu – Menu
• Omelette – Omelette
• Picnic- Picnic
• Restaurant – Restaurant
• Salad – Salade
• Soufflé – Soufflé
• Soup – Soupe
• Vinaigrette – Vinaigrette

Fashion and appearance

It’s a known fact that France is the centre of fashion and style. Therefore, it’s not so strange that many words in English concerning fashion come from French.

Let’s take a look at some of them:

• Beret – Béret
• Boutique- Boutique
• Brunette – Brunette
• Chic – Chic meaning elegant
• Couture- Couture
• Eau de toilette – Eau de toilette
• Faux- Faux; meaning false
• Silhouette – Silhouette
• Uniform – Uniforme

Art, culture, and language

We can’t finish this article without mentioning some borrowed words concerning art, culture, and language.

Here they are:

• Apostrophe– Apostrophe
• Attaché– Attaché; literally meaning attached
• Avant-garde – Avant-garde, used mainly in arts
• Ballet – Ballet
• Film noir – Film noir, in the meaning ‘a film genre
• Gallery – Galerie
• Genre- Genre
• Irony – Ironie
• Gazette – Gazette
• Papier-mâché – Papier-mâché
• Poetic – Poétique, used in the Middle French 

 

Other French words used in English

There are many more borrowed words that are used in everyday conversations.

Here are some of them:

• Allowance – from the Old French word alouance, which means payment
• Aviation – Aviation
• Bachelor – Bachelier 
• Bon voyage – Bon voyage; translated to English, it means ‘have a good journey.’
• Bouquet- Bouquet
• Bureau – Bureau; it means ‘desk,’ or ‘office.’
• Cabaret – Cabaret
• Carte blanche — Carte blanche; it usually means ‘granting unlimited authority.’ Literally, it can be translated as  ‘white card’, as in a blank check
• Chauffeur – Chauffeur
• Cliché –Cliché, which means a phrase that is overused
• Connoisseur – Connoisseur
• Crème de la crème- Crème de la crème; this expression comes from Latin ‘le nec plus ultra’. It can be translated as ‘cream of the cream’ and represents the best person or a thing of a particular kind.
• Cul-de-sac – Cul-de-sac; in English, it means ‘the bottom of the bag/sack.’
• Debris – Débris; the literal meaning in English is ‘broken, crumbled.’
• Déjà vu –Déjà vu; from déjà (already) and vu (seen – past participle of ‘voir’)
• Delegate – Delegat
• Detour – Détour; from French verb détourner, which means ‘divert.’
• Dossier – Dossie
• Elite – Elit; it comes from the Old French, which means ‘chosen.’
• Energy – Énergie
• Entrepreneur — Entrepreneur
• En route – En route
• Et voilà ! — Et voilà ! It’s used to call attention when something is completed or done with success
• Expatriate – from the French word expatrier
• Facade – Façade
• Faux pas — Faux pas; or in English ‘false step’ 
• Fiancé – Fiancé
• Heritage – Eritage, or Héritage in modern French
• Homage – Homage
• Hotel – Hôtel
• Identity – Identité
• Illusion – Illusion
• Insult – Insult (noun), Iinsulter (verb)
• Jubilee – Jubilé 
• Kilogram – Kilogramme
• Lacrosse – La crosse; this word in Canadian French means ‘the stick.’
• Laissez-faire – Laissez-faire; translated to English, it means ‘leave things to take their course.’
• Liaison – Liaison
• Machine – Machine
• Magnificent – Magnificent
• Maisonette – Maisonette
• Massage – Massage
• Metabolism – Métabolisme
• Metro –Métro
• Mirage- Mirage; a natural phenomenon caused by atmospheric optics and the Sun’s rays.
• Musketeer – Mousquetaire
• Navy – Navie
• Neutral – Neutral
• Nocturnal – Nocturnal
• Novel – Novel
• Occasion – Occasion
• Optimism – Optimisme
• Parasol – Parasol
• Par excellence- Par excellence, which can be translated as ‘by excellence’, and it means the ultimate or quintessential
• Premiere – Première
• Purify – Purifier
• Recipient – Récipient
• Rendez-vous – Rendez-vous, which means appointment or a date
• Reservoir – Réservoir, which can be translated as ‘collection place’
• Ricochet – Ricochet
• Rich – Riche
• Ridicule – Ridicule
• Risqué – Risqué
• Sabotage – Sabotage
• Sentiment – Sentement
• Solicitor – Soliciteur
• Souvenir – Souvenir; this word means ‘memory,’ but it’s widely used as a thing that reminds you of places, events, people, etc.
• Technique – Technique
• Television – Télévision
• Tournament – Tournoiement 
• Utensil – Utensile
• Valid – Valide
• Variety – Varieté
• Vis-à-vis- Vis-à-vis; it means ‘regarding’ or ‘concerning,’ but the equivalent in English can also be ‘face to face.’

French words in English with different meanings

These words are called
false cognates. It means that they are written the same way, but their meanings are different.

Here are some examples of false cognates in French and English. 

• Actor (not a comedian) — Comédien

• Bookstore- Librairie; have in mind that this isn’t a library.

• Currently- Actuelement; note that it isn’t actual(ly)

• (to) Disappoint — Décevoir; not to deceive

• Former- Ancient; in English, it isn’t ancient

• Possible/ Possibly- Éventuelement

• Publisher- Éditeur; be careful; it isn’t an editor in English.

• Sensitive- Sensible; in English, it isn’t ‘sensible’ but ‘sensitive.’

• (to) Summarize- Résumer; note that this word in English isn’t ‘to resume.’

• (to) Take an exam- Passer un examen; pay attention when using this one.

Conclusion

These words are some common ones, but there are many, many more.

As you could see, over history, both languages influenced each other. Not only that, but a significant impact is also seen in their cultures as well.

French played the leading role in modern English, so it’s not so strange that English speakers find it
easy to learn French. So, if you already speak English, then use that to your advantage and
start learning French.

Are you now ready to learn French?

Book your lesson on Justlearn.

Many languages have words that have more than one meaning, and French is no exception. If you are taking a course in our French language school, you will learn many examples of French words with two meanings. It is a very important part of your studies to do this, because otherwise it is easy to make silly mistakes when talking to a French speaker, and although this doesn’t really matter, it can be embarrassing and even dent your confidence.

So let us take a look at some widely used French words with more than one meaning.

Un and Une are little words that can make a big difference

There are many French words that have a different meaning when they have the other indefinite article in front of them. Un goes in front of masculine words and Une means “a” in front of words of the feminine gender but, although a word can have the same spelling, it can mean something very different depending on which indefinite article precedes it. For example, un tour is a trip, and une tour means a tower. Un livre is a book, and une livre means a kilo.

Another example is un manche, meaning a handle, while if you said une manche you would be talking about a sleeve. 

Words with two or more meanings

There are also many French words that have more than one meaning, and this is not changed by an indefinite article and their gender but by the context they are used in in a sentence. For example, une feuille means a leaf of a tree or a sheet of paper. Some words can have different meanings when used as an adjective from their meanings when used as a noun.

Bon means good when describing something, but used as a noun it means a voucher. The same word as an adverb can be used to signify then.

French Homophones

 Homophones are words which are pronounced in the same way but have different meanings, and possibly different spellings too. There are a lot of French homophones that can cause confusion. Accro means hooked or addicted, but with a c at the end to form accroc it is the word for a tear or blot. It is pronounced the same way in French.

False Friends

French teachers may use the term faux amis (“false friends”) and warn that you should watch out for these. They do not mean deceptive people but words with a great similarity in English and French but that have different meanings. The verb attendre is a good example. Looking at it from your knowledge of English you might well think that it means to pay attention, but you would be wrong. Although it looks like the English verb attend, the French word means to wait for.

It is always a good idea when learning a new language to make some friends who speak it fluently because they can help correct your errors, teach you more words, and show you how to get your pronunciation right. Your proper friends can help you spot your false ones!