French word no english equivalent

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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Here are 17 commonly used French words that don’t exist in English, but knowing them will help you settle into the country and culture.

Every language has them, words you cannot properly translate into English. They are the most interesting terms, because they often define parts of a country’s culture. These French words speak of emotions and the way the French people express their feelings, but also some of France’s customs and habits – its etiquette even. A few also give you insight into the infamous French sense of humor.

Sortable

Sortable is an adjective more commonly used in the negative (“pas sortable“) to describe family members and friends that you can’t take out without fear of embarrassment. Sortir means going/taking out, so sortable is a neologism that very awkwardly translates to “that you can take out”.

Grandpas who make low-key racist jokes, friends who crab-walk when they’ve had one too many drinks, and children who use restaurant fixtures as monkey bars are all “pas sortable“.

Empêchement

Google will tell you that this untranslatable French word means impediment, but it is a lot subtler than that; literally, something that “prevents you”. Having an empêchement is a perfectly polite reason to excuse tardiness or even cancel plans. No need to scramble to make up a specific excuse: you just had an ‘unexpected last-minute change of plans’.

Dépaysement

The feeling of dépaysement that arises from not being in your home country, in essence ‘un-country-ing’, refers to the strangeness and disorientation you feel in a foreign environment. However, it does not have the negative tint of homesickness or culture shock.

Dépaysement is often used to describe the positive feeling of discovering new horizons: landscapes, people, languages, food. It is something French people look forward to when going on vacation in a foreign land.

L’esprit d’escalier

You’re unable to come up with the perfect witty comeback in the moment, but it hits you three hours later, usually in the shower? That irritating inclination is known as “staircase wit”. Diderot, the 18th-century philosopher, coined it when he realized he could only think of suitable retorts after walking away from an argument, literally… while walking down the stairs.

Spleen

You drag yourself around with a profound feeling of melancholy, dissatisfaction, and discouragement? You have the spleen. Invented by French poet Baudelaire, this term derives from the English word for the actual organ. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, had theorized that our moods are related to our bodily humors and secretions – stemming from our spleen.

L’appel du vide

“The call of the void” refers to the impetuous urge to jump from high places. It can also more widely be used to describe all the other dark impulses that cross our minds: what if I drove into oncoming traffic? What if I jumped off the subway platform? What if I stuck my hand in this blender?

Interestingly, science says that these impulses are exactly the opposite of what they appear. They do not stem from a desire to die or hurt. Rather, they represent an affirmation of our will to live. In brief, l’appel du vide, which sporadically occurs for about half the population, scares us into being more cautious.

La douleur exquise

Of course the French live up to their reputation for romance and tragedy and have a special expression to describe unrequited love. But there’s no need to be French – or even a drama queen – to understand that particular pain.

If you’ve also spent hours staring out the window listening to sad songs, reveling in the grief that your affection is not returned, you’ve experienced la douleur exquise. Because let’s be frank: while heartbreak is painful, doesn’t it also make you feel exquisitely alive?

Voilà

One of the most useful French words you’ll commonly hear is voilà. It can be used in a plethora of situations, and translated into anything from “there it is” to “finally”. For example, when something long expected finally happens: Voilà, enfin! Or when you have completed an assignment: Aah, voilà. Or even when you hand something over to someone: “Tiens, voilà!“.

Flâner

Flâner is the art of wandering a city’s streets with no goal or final destination, simply for the pleasure of soaking up the atmosphere. Enjoying the moment for what it is, without any other goal in mind, is ingrained in French culture.

The same way the French will spend hours chatting away at the dinner table, they will find contentment in meandering a flea market, admiring wares, and conversing with other passers-by. Flâner‘s little sister can probably be another popular French pastime: le lèche-vitrines.

Lèche-vitrines

Some people hate shopping, and they’ll zero in on the one store that carries what they need. The French, on the other hand, will spend hours “window-licking”. They may not even be looking for something specific, or even buy anything at all! However, they’ll enjoy “flâner” while admiring the wares in the shop windows – maybe gathering inspiration, or simply enjoying looking at pretty things.

Profiter

While the direct translation is to “take advantage”, the actual meaning of the verb profiter is more akin to “enjoy”. Along the same vein as flâner and lèche-vitrines, it also conveys the French art of simply being in the moment. You can profiter of the chance to hang out with someone you cherish, or of passing by a pastry shop that carries delicious croissants. But the word can also be used as a standalone: imagine yourself sitting at a sunny café terrace, enjoying a glass of wine, looking at the world pass by. What are you doing? “Je profite!“

Retrouvailles

Retrouvailles is simply the moment you finally see a loved one again after a long absence.

A French word with no translation but which we can all relate to, especially past the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, it conjures up touching images of joy, affection, and effusive hugs. Note: retrouvailles is always used in the plural.

Frappadingue

In English, we joke that stupid people were probably dropped on their head as a baby. In the same vein, if you’re acting crazy, French people will ask if you’ve fallen on your head: T’es tombé sur la tête?

Taking it one step further, there’s even an untranslatable French word to describe people who are acting erratically: frappadingue. This hybrid adjective is a compound of frapper (to hit) and dingue (crazy). While not an insult per se, it’s not very friendly either, even though the French are well known for enjoying a bit of affectionate ribbing.

Hurluberlu

There are apparently a vast array of crazy people in France, as this funny word is also used to describe them. However, it has a gentler meaning than frappadingue. It is rather used to characterize an oddball, an eccentric, or a scatterbrain. The word is an infamously bad friend to native English speakers, who have a particularly hard time pronouncing the French u.

Tohu-bohu

“Quel tohu-bohu!“, you’ll understand the meaning of this word if you find yourself in discount superstore Tati on the day their cheap wedding dresses go on sale. This funny-sounding French word describes scenes of loud and agitated confusion. Think of the pit at a rock concert, or a street demonstration (which the French are famous for). Noise and chaos are what make the tohu-bohu.

Interestingly, this hard to translate French word is derived from Biblical Hebrew. Tohu-wa-bohu depicts the formless state of the earth before light was created.

Crapoter

Americans enjoy making fun of people who “didn’t inhale”; the French went so far as to create a word for it. In great part, to shame the posers.

Crapoter is a verb that describes the act of smoking a cigarette (or something else) without inhaling. Teenagers love to mock their friends who hold the smoke in their mouth instead of taking a lungful: “Haha, tu crapotes!”

Râler

We saved the most important untranslatable French word for last. A national pastime, râler is not really complaining. It is neither loud, nor whiny, nor boisterous. It is rather how the French continuously express their ongoing dissatisfaction with the world. No inconvenience is too insignificant to refrain from râler, and in fact, the French even do it alone at home. To practice, just add a few decibels and swear words to whatever you want to mumble under your breath.

I hesitate to use the word “untranslatable” here because, frankly, there is no perfect translation between languages. Words and concepts have different shades of meanings in different languages based on particular linguistic cultures and histories. But non-native speakers can have an idea of a particular word, even if they don’t know all shades of its meanings.

Here is a list of ten French words that have no English equivalent. Some of these words have been adopted into the English language, even though their meanings have changed slightly in translation:

Flâneur (nm)– This word has been adopted into the English language, particularly in literary studies. Literally a “stroller” or a “lounger”, in the 19th century this word came to mean a literary man of a certain social class, who would spend his time exploring Parisian streets. Of course, the leisure to stroll around Paris habitually meant that flâneurs did not have any money problems! The poet Charles Baudelaire often used this figure in his poetry.

Dépaysement (nm) — This interesting word can mean anything from disorientation to culture shock. The word is formed from the word pays or “country” and would literally mean something like “to be uncountried”. Dépaysement is the feeling one gets of not being in one’s own country, of being a foreigner.

Retrouvailles (nf plural) — I love this word. Literally meaning something like “refindings”, this word refers to the reunion you would have with someone you care deeply for but whom you have not seen in a long time. The English word “reunion” just doesn’t do this word justice.

Terroir (nm) — I’ve written a blog post on this word before. Terroir is a notoriously tricky word to translate, although it is often used in the international wine and cheese industries. Terroir describes the combination of climate, labor, geology, and geography of a certain place that contributes to its distinct agricultural products, including wine and cheese.

Bricoleur (nm) — A bricoleur is a handyman who makes use of whatever materials are available to him to create a construction (or bricolage). Perhaps the closest equivalent in English would be something like a DIYer, although this doesn’t quite convey the meaning of using a variety of  available materials to create one unified thing, like taking the old wood in your shed to create a nice bookshelf.

Savoir-Faire (nm) — This word is, of course, ubiquitous in English. In French, it is similar to “know-how”, or how to solve certain practical problems. Once adopted into the English language, however, this French word took on a different meaning: knowing how to act appropriately in social situations.

Spleen (nm) — Ah, spleen. Another 19th century, Baudelairian word. In French, spleen means melancholy, profound boredom and dissatisfaction. In fact, its synonymous with another French word that the English language has adopted: ennui. In English, spleen (not the anatomical definition) is bad temper or spite.

Si (conj) — Si can mean multiple things in French (like “if”), but it is also a cool way to answer in the affirmative to a negative question. So, for example, someone asks you, referring to a film perhaps, tu ne l’as pas vu, n’est-ce pas? (You didn’t see it, right?), you would say si (and not oui) in order to respond, si, je l’ai vu la semaine dernière (yes, I saw it last week).

Chez (prep)– This is another classic French word that you probably are familiar with. But it’s such a useful and versatile word. Not only can chez mean that you are at a particular location (chez moi) but it can also indicate the particular state of mind of a person or group of people (chez les français — “among the French”) or to speak about an artist’s body of work (chez Molière). 

Épater (v) — Not to bring up Baudelaire again, but among the French decadent poets of the 19th century, they used the following rallying cry: épater la bourgeoisie! This literally means, “shock the middle class”. But épater also means to wow, to stun, to amaze, and to impress — it packs quite a bit of punch!

Can you think of any other “untranslatable” words in French?

To help jolt your mind into action, listen to Baudelaire’s classic poem, “Le spleen de Paris”:

adverb. 1. (= opposite of “yes”) non. Are you coming? – No.

What is mean by san?

San is a Japanese title of respect added the end of a person’s name. A Japanese honorific title equivalent to Mr., Mrs., etc., added to names as a mark of respect. Mishima-san.

What is the purpose of a SAN?

SANs are primarily used to access data storage devices, such as disk arrays and tape libraries from servers so that the devices appear to the operating system as direct-attached storage. A SAN typically is a dedicated network of storage devices not accessible through the local area network (LAN).

Which is better SAN or NAS?

A NAS is a single storage device that serves files over Ethernet and is relatively inexpensive and easy to set up, while a SAN is a tightly coupled network of multiple devices that work with block-based data and is more expensive and complex to set up and manage….NAS vs SAN.

NAS	SAN
Easier to manage	Requires more administration

Is iSCSI a SAN or NAS?

The difference between iSCSI and NAS is that iSCSI is a data transport protocol where NAS is a common way of connecting storage into a shared user network. iSCSI is popular in the implementation of SAN systems because of their block level storage structure.

What is difference between SAN and NAS?

Both network attached storage (NAS) and storage area networks (SAN) were developed to solve the problem of making stored data available to many users at once….

The Main Differences Between NAS and SAN
NAS	SAN
Often used in homes and small to medium sized businesses.	Often used in professional and enterprise environments.

Is Isilon SAN or NAS?

Isilon, founded in 2001 in Seattle by Sujal Patel and Paul Mikesell, is a scale-out NAS storage platform composed of a cluster of independent nodes that are integrated using the OneFS OS, and it supports up to 50PB of data. Isilon Systems was acquired by EMC in November 2010 for $2.25 billion.

Is NetApp a SAN or NAS?

NetApp is now the fastest growing enterprise SAN storage vendor: Accelerate your SAN solutions with NetApp’s leading performance. Leverage the best cloud-connected infrastructure to flexibly move and protect your data across your hybrid cloud environment.

Is synology a SAN?

Synology SAN storage is certified for major virtualization solutions including VMware® vSphere™, Microsoft® Windows Server®, Citrix® XenServer™, and OpenStack Cinder.

Which Synology NAS supports 10GbE?

DS1621xs+

Is Synology Virtual Machine Manager free?

The Synology VMM is offered in a free and Pro version, which roughly breaks down into single versus multi-NAS deployments. Homelab users who have one NAS, fewer needs on CPU over-commitment, or virtual switches will see no difference between the versions.

How do I run a Synology virtual machine?

Windows 10 Virtual Machine on a Synology NAS

1. Step 1: What You’ll Need.
2. Step 2: Download the ISO Image.
3. Step 3: Download the Guest Tool for Virtual Machine Manager.
4. Step 4: Download the Drivers.
5. Step 5: Install the Virtual Machine Manager.
6. Step 6: Create the System Image.
7. Step 7: Create Virtual Machine.
8. Step 8: Install Windows 10.

Can I run Windows on Synology?

Despite the technical nature of virtual machines, it is actually surprisingly simple to set up a Windows 10 virtual machine on a Synology NAS, with free tools online to convert your physical Windows PC into a virtual image (with VMware- VMware VCenter Converter and Hyper-V/Microsoft Disk2vhd), as well as the option to …

Can Synology run VMware?

A datastore is an independent storage space for centralizing virtual machine’s physical data. By using Synology NAS as the VMware datastore, you can consolidate and share storage space to maximize storage utilization and simplify management with better flexibility.

What is meant by hypervisor?

A hypervisor, also known as a virtual machine monitor or VMM, is software that creates and runs virtual machines (VMs). A hypervisor allows one host computer to support multiple guest VMs by virtually sharing its resources, such as memory and processing.

What is Type 2 hypervisor?

A Type 2 hypervisor, also called a hosted hypervisor, is a virtual machine (VM) manager that is installed as a software application on an existing operating system (OS). This makes it easy for an end user to run a VM on a personal computing (PC) device.

What is a Type 3 hypervisor?

It’s what the company calls a “Type 3” hypervisor, meaning it lives in a layer between the physical hardware (where “Type 1” hypervisors like ESX Server, Hyper-V and Xen live) and the operating system (which houses “Type 2” hypervisors like VMware Server, Microsoft Virtual Server and PC virtualization products like …

What are the 3 types of virtualization?

Types of Virtualization

• Desktop Virtualization.
• Application Virtualization.
• Server Virtualization.
• Network Virtualization.
• Storage Virtualization.

What is type1 hypervisor?

Type 1 Hypervisor. A bare-metal hypervisor (Type 1) is a layer of software we install directly on top of a physical server and its underlying hardware. There is no software or any operating system in between, hence the name bare-metal hypervisor. Type 1 hypervisors are mainly found in enterprise environments.

What is an example of virtualization?

Better-known examples include VMware, which specializes in server, desktop, network, and storage virtualization; Citrix, which has a niche in application virtualization but also offers server virtualization and virtual desktop solutions; and Microsoft, whose Hyper-V virtualization solution ships with Windows and …

Is ESXi an OS?

VMware ESXi is an operating system-independent hypervisor based on the VMkernel operating system that interfaces with agents that run on top of it. ESXi stands for Elastic Sky X Integrated. ESXi is a type-1 hypervisor, meaning it runs directly on system hardware without the need for an operating system (OS).

What is ESXi stand for?

ESX integrated

Is VMware A OS?

VMWare is NOT an operating system – they are the company that develop the ESX/ESXi/vSphere/vCentre Server packages. It’s not linux and, if you believe VMWare, it is not based on linux. VMWare has repeatedly stated that the vmkernel that ESX/ESXi boots into is the hypervisor and is not derived from linux.

How do you pronounce ESXi?

Phonetic:

1. s. e. c.
2. esco.
3. essex.
4. exo.
5. sci.
6. asks.
7. eskew.
8. ascii.

Which is better VirtualBox or VMware?

VirtualBox truly has a lot of support because it’s open-source and free. VMWare Player is seen as having a better drag-and-drop between host and VM, yet VirtualBox offers you an unlimited number of snapshots (something that only comes in VMWare Workstation Pro).

What does VMware stand for?

Virtual machine software

Is VMware free for personal use?

VMware Workstation Free? VMware Workstation has multiple licensing options depending on your use case. Workstation Player is available free for personal, non-commercial use, but requires a license for commercial use.

Have you ever had a strange déjà-vu on a rendez-vous with your fiancé? Was it a souvenir or a mirage? Am I using too many French-English words right now? Touché!

While some of these words only made it to the English language because they sound so chic, some words such as Déjà-vu or Mirage have a very specific meaning and can’t be replaced with just one word.

The French language contains many words and expressions that simply cannot be translated without using a complicated sentence. These are French words with no English equivalent. Exploring these words is a fantastic dive into the French culture and learning them will make you sound much more fluent, as only locals usually dare using them! They also may make conversations and foreign programs easier to understand.

I have seen many similar articles repeating the same literary oddities or antiquated quotes of French songs that have never been used in France in the last couple of centuries. Instead, what you’ll find here at FrenchPod101 is a list of genuinely useful and contemporary words that are still used by native speakers on a daily basis.

So let’s get on with it! Here’s our list of the top 10 untranslatable French words.

Table of Contents

1. Tue-l’amour
2. Dépaysement
3. Yaourter
4. Savoir faire
5. Bof
6. Insortable
7. Voilà
8. Cartonner
9. Rebelote
10. Contresens
11. Bonus: Ratrucher
12. How FrenchPod101 Can Help You Learn More French

Start with a bonus, and download the Must-Know Beginner Vocabulary PDF for FREE! (Logged-In Member Only)

1. Tue-l’amour

Literally
“Love-killer”

Meaning
[Informal] Something that makes a person stop loving or feeling desire for another one.

Context
A Tue-l’amour usually describes a physical characteristic, a personality trait, or a behavior that’s seen as a turnoff by a partner or as a deal-breaker by a love interest. They’re the kind of things that put you off and make you forget about your romantic or sensual intentions. It can be used seriously or as a joke.

Example
Sa nouvelle coupe de cheveux est un vrai tue-l’amour !
“His new hairstyle is a proper passion killer!”

2. Dépaysement

Literally
“Un-country-ness” (ugh)

Meaning
This untranslatable word in French describes the feeling you get when you’re out of your familiar environment or when you change your habits.

Context
There are many shades of Dépaysement, from the pleasant sensation of being far from home, to the disorientation of being unwillingly placed outside of your comfort zone.

While Dépaysement can be used to describe the discomfort of breaking your routine or being homesick, it’s usually a positive feeling and something that people seek. You travel the world in search of Dépaysement, and any change of landscape, climate, or culture can evoke it.

Example
J’aime le Népal car le dépaysement y est total.
“I love Nepal because it’s a complete change of scenery.”

Son nouveau bureau l’a un peu dépaysé.
“His new office left him a little disoriented.”

Check out our free vocabulary list with audio recordings on FrenchPod101 to learn more words about traveling, and practice your accent.

3. Yaourter

Literally
“To yogurt”

Meaning
[Informal] Yaourter or Chanter en yaourt (“To sing in yogurt”) consist of singing by producing sounds and onomatopeias when you don’t know the lyrics or the language of the song.

Context
Made popular by the 1994 movie “Le Péril Jeune,” the verb Yaourter refers to the inarticulate flow of sounds that result from this singing “technique,” that would be the vocal equivalent of yogurt’s texture.

Because the French are often less-than-average in foreign language skills, it’s very common in France to Yaourt your way through karaoke nights with English songs or when we sing the Japanese opening credits of our favorite anime.

This is perhaps one of the most interesting of these untranslatable French words and phrases.

Example
Elle a yaourté de la K-Pop toute la soirée.
“She’s been yogurting K-Pop songs all night long.”

If you’re yogurting with enough passion and confidence, you can fool anyone!

4. Savoir faire

Literally
“To know how to make”

Meaning
A savoir-faire is a specific collection of practical skills and experience used to make a product or to provide a service.

Context
A savoir-faire is more than a set of skills or some theoretical expertise. Unlike other technical knowledges, it’s directly applicable to performing tasks or to fixing problems.

Example
La France est connue pour son savoir-faire en matière de vin.
“France is known to be competent when it comes to wine.”

5. Bof

Literally
[No translation]

Meaning
[Informal] Bof is used to express:

1. Indecisiveness when you’re not sure whether to say yes or no, and you’re not really excited.
2. Indifference when talking about something mediocre or uninspiring. The closest English word would be the equally informal “Meh.”

Context
Halfway between Oui (“Yes”) and Non (“No”), the word Bof is very useful when you don’t want to commit to a straight answer.

In its second meaning, it’s a quick way to express your lack of excitement toward something.

Example
A: On va au cinéma demain, tu veux venir ?
B: Bof

A: “We’re going for a movie tomorrow, do you want to come?”
B: Huh…not sure.”

C: Alors, est-ce que le film vous a plu ?
D: Bof bof… c’est pas extraordinaire.

C: “So, did you like the movie?
D: Meh…nothing special.”

The very face of “Bof”

6. Insortable

Literally
“That cannot be taken out”

Meaning
[Informal] Insortable or Pas sortable is told about someone whose bad manners or inappropriate behavior would embarrass you if you were to take them out to a social event.

Context
Insortable (as opposed to Sortable: someone who’s well-behaved enough to be taken out) can be used in a serious statement, but it’s often said as a joke while talking about someone with bad habits or questionable fashion choices.

For example, your friends could humorously accuse you of being Insortable when you spill your drink or lick your plate in a restaurant.

Example
Il est sympa ton copain mais il est vraiment insortable.
“Your boyfriend is nice but he’s really not fit for society.”

7. Voilà

Literally
“See there”

Meaning
Voilà is the grammatical contraction of the imperative Vois là (“See there”). It has various meanings.

1. It’s mainly used to introduce a person, a thing, or their action that your interlocutor can see or perceive.
2. Voilà la personne que vous attendiez. (“Here is the person you were waiting for.”)
3. To mark the imminent or current state of a situation, as in
   Voilà qui est fait. (“Now, that’s done.”)
4. To highlight things that have been said or explained.
   Voilà la raison. (“Here is the reason.”)

Context
The beauty of Voilà is how it can be used to put an end to a conversation without being rude.

Because of its second and third meanings, it’s the perfect word to signify that you have said what you had to say and there’s nothing more to it. This is especially useful for customer interactions, when you’ve explained something and want to wrap it up, say goodbye, or hang up the phone.

In many cases, a keen and confident Voilà can help end a conversation that’s been dragging on too long.

Example
[At the end of a conversation, when you feel like you’re done.]

• Voilà. or Voilà voilà [Casual] (“That’s it”)
• Et voilà (“And there you go”)
• Enfin… voilà. (“Well…that’s it”)

8. Cartonner

Literally
“To cardboard”

Meaning
[Informal] To be very successful at something, to be a hit.

Context
Although it’s only used figuratively nowadays, the word Cartonner originally comes from the shooting galleries at fun fairs, where the target was often made of cardboard. Thus, Cartonner used to describe the action of successfully hitting the target.

Example
Ce film va cartonner en Europe.
“This movie will be a hit in Europe.”

Il a cartonné à son examen de Français.
“He totally aced his French exam.”

Ça cartonne !
“It rocks!”

Il cartonne à son examen !

9. Rebelote

Literally
[No translation]

Meaning
[Informal] The closest translation to Rebelote would be “and then all over again.” It can be used when you repeat the same action or when a given situation happens again.

Context
This word comes from the card game La Belote (widely popular in France) where Belote and Rebelote happen when a player gets the Queen and King in their hand.

Figuratively, it’s used as a familiar way to talk about actions or events that repeat either once or over and over.

Example
Je nettoie tout le matin et rebelote le soir.
“I clean everything in the morning and all over again in the evening.”

Il a plu des cordes hier, et le lendemain : rebelote !
“It was raining buckets yesterday and then again on the next day!”

10. Contresens

Literally
“Anti-meaning”

Meaning
When an interpretation isn’t just a misinterpretation, but the opposite of the actual meaning or contains an internal contradiction.

Context
Contresens can also be used in the broader meaning of “nonsense.” Essentially, it’s an error of interpretation or translation that’s not necessarily contrary to the original meaning.

More subjectively, it also describes an absurd action or situation going against “common sense” or “how it should be.”

Example
Cette traduction est un contresens.
“This translation is a severe misinterpretation.”

Vouloir réconcilier écologie et capitalisme est un contresens.
“Trying to reconcile ecology and capitalism is a complete nonsense.”

11. Bonus: Ratrucher

Now that you’ve gone through our list of 10 untranslatable French words, here’s a bonus word that was too good to leave out.

Literally
[No translation]

Meaning
To thoroughly scrape a plate or a dish until there’s nothing left to eat.

Context
Ratrucher is an oddity, as it’s mostly used in my native north of France and is originally from the Picardie region. However, it sounds too funny to be left out of this list, and it’s pretty useful too!

You can do it with a fork, a knife, or a piece of bread, and it’s usually taken as a compliment by the chef.

Example
Elle ratruche toujours son assiette en fin de repas.
“She always thoroughly scrapes her plate clean after a meal.”

Find more vocabulary about food utensils and tableware in our free vocabulary list.

Une assiette parfaitement ratruchée. (“A perfectly scraped plate.”)

How FrenchPod101 Can Help You Learn More French

In this guide, you’ve learned the most useful untranslatable French words. We truly hope this article helped you tackle some French words that are untranslatable in English.

Did we forget any important expressions? Are you ready to put them to use and sound like a native speaker?

Try and use them with your French friends or contacts and see how they react! Also make sure to explore FrenchPod101, as it has plenty of free resources for you to practice your grammar and learn new words.

Remember that you can also use our premium service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching. Practice creating sentences using our untranslatable words with your private teacher so they can give you personalized feedback and advice.

Start with a bonus, and download the Must-Know Beginner Vocabulary PDF for FREE! (Logged-In Member Only)

About the Author: Born and bred in the rainy north of France, Cyril Danon has been bouncing off various jobs before he left everything behind to wander around the wonders of the World. Now, after quenching his wanderlust for the last few years, he’s eager to share his passion for languages.

SOME WORDS are untranslatable. They have come to carry such a specific meaning that few other languages have exact equivalents. Paradoxically, these “untranslatables” have often hiked their way into new languages. Let’s follow the trail of 7 French words.

1. Pack all your stuff into huge backpack: Barda

A barda is an oversized, heavy backpack, typically like the one you shoulder for a long backcountry hike. It is originally a military term brought into French in the 19th century from Arabic berdâa “packsaddle”.

2. Arrive at your destination: Dépaysement

Dépaysement conveys the feeling of “unusualness” one feels when arriving at a place that is very different from one’s usual home. It refers to the change in habits, scenery, and climate that trigger this feeling.

Dépaysement is different from “homesickness”, as it doesn’t indicate any nostalgia or negative feeling. Dépaysement can also be something you’re looking for during a trip. It is derived from French pays “country”, and literally means “un-country-fication”.

3. Go on a hike: Crapahuter

Crapahuter means going on a long backcountry hike on difficult terrain. This is originally French military slang that ended up in the everyday language. It comes from crapaud, “toad”, the name of an animal but also of a training device with which you exercised, looking like a toad.

4. Stop for a snack: Gourmand

Someone who is gourmand loves to eat refined food, generally made with very sweet or rich ingredients, in reasonable and appropriate proportions. This iconic French word is derived from the no-less iconic word gourmet, and dates back to the 14th century…when it was borrowed from English grom (today become groom) which at the time meant “valet in charge with the service of wine”.

5. Use this break to explore your surroundings: Flâner

Flâner means to daydream by walking around in a leisurely, aimless way (without the sense of losing one’s bearing conveyed by “wander”). As opposed to what many people think, flâner is actually very recent in French: it was borrowed in the 19th century from Norman French, and ultimately comes from Old Norse flana “to get into something heedlessly”.

6. Discover something inspiring: Trouvaille

Trouvaille is an unexpected discovery that is original and interesting. It can refer to an object (like that nice abandoned hat you found in a tree) or a place (like a secret bivouac spot). Trouvaille is poetic to the core, as it is derived from the French verb trouver “to find”, itself derived from Vulgar Latin tropare “to find the proper words to compose a poem”. Incidentally, this was precisely the job of trouveres and troubadours, those traveling medieval poets in France.

7. You set up camp for the night: Bivouac

Bivouac was borrowed from French into English and means “a temporary camp”, typically a one-night camp during a backcountry hike. This word is actually more at home in English than in French, as it was borrowed into French in the 17th century from Alemanic German biiwacht which referred to the reinforcements for a guard. After its slight change of form and meaning, the word traveled back from French to the other European languages (including English).

Recommended textbook solutions

I love the French and English languages. They are an endless source of pleasure.

[Disclaimer: all these definitions and opinions are my own and cannot be
considered authoritative. I realize that you can eventually explain any notion in any language—but not equally easily.]

French words with no
real English equivalent

les acquis sociaux [means «the things that we have fought for: the 35-hour week, etc.» ]

attentat   The French have a word for any kind of terrorist attack

cadre [someone who is not an ordinary employee, part of the elite; but it’s fuzzy]

chômer, chômeur [to be unemployed, an
unemployed person: but in French, it’s somehow active]

dépaysement [the sensation of being in another country]

déroulement [unfolding,
how things happen] 

doux [means so many things at once: sweet, tender, soft, gentle]

douleur [means so many things at once: pain, sorrow, grief, sadness, ache, heartache]

encadrer [to be
surrounded and taken care of]

la fête, fêter  [we need a word like this in English. «Party» or «feast» are not the same.]

incontournable [something you can’t escape from or get around; not quite the same as inevitable]

le patronat [the
class of bosses, as if they’re separate from normal people; I find this concept very French]

le regard  It’s not exactly a glance, it’s a look, the expression on your face as you look; mainly going toward the looker, while English look is mostly from the looker. 

retrouvailles [meeting
again after a long time, the happiness]

That sinister word social 

sortable [adjective for someone
you can take places without being embarrassed]
 

spectacle [a show
of any kind]
 

surenchère [one-upmanship,
upping the ante, increasing your bid]

English words with no true French equivalent

block  [as in «Go two blocks»— the French word is pâté de maisons, but the French never use it. Instead they say «two streets.» In fact I don’t know how they talk about a city without ever mentioning blocks!]

float  [as in a parade]  In French you call it a char, but as far as I’m concerned, that has way too many other meanings and calls up the wrong image.

friend     [Of course, the French have friends too. But a French ami/amie always has to have a sex, whereas we find it’s often so convenient not to have to say.]

gentleman   [in French, seems to be more of a fashion statement than a personal quality.]

kick  [you have to say: «donner un coup de pied» which I find a bit long for a quick kick]

kind  [the French have to say “gentille” or “généreux”; the nuance of this being a deep character trait is missing]

mind  [all senses, from «I don’t mind» to «have in mind» to «a beautiful mind»]

miss [as in «missing someone»; you have to say «Tu me manques» which means «You are lacking to me.»]

remember  [you have to say je me souviens or je me rappelle, «I recall to myself»— seems very long for such a basic action]

ride  [as in an amusement park; you have to say «attraction» but that can mean a stationary one]

neighborly   Hahahahah

rude   [«mal poli» does not translate the American sense: aggressively, deliberately impolite.]

tailgating   [as in a car. This is curious because
almost all French drivers tailgate. Maybe it’s like our not noticing
gravity until Isaac Newton pointed it out.]

thorough  [you have to say profond or à fond] 

wonder  [in French you have to say, «I ask myself» to translate «I wonder,» but it’s not the same thing]

wrong  [you have to say «faux» or «mauvais» as in «the bad direction» instead of «the wrong way»; a nuance of wrongness is missing]

French expressions I
find strange

je n’y suis pour rien
[literally «I am not there for nothing»:  «it’s not my fault»]

passer un savon à
quelqu’un

  [literally «pass a soap to someone»: scold someone]

tirer les vers du nez   [literally «pull the worms out of the nose»: used as in English, «getting him to talk was like pulling teeth»; people actually say this]

French words I like/think
sound funny

coup de barre

galipette

gueule

polisson

racaille, pagaille, canaille, gouaille, grisaille; chatouille, rouille, bouille

zozoter [the French have a word for lisp even though en principe they don’t have a «th» sound!]

tentative d’attentat

  [attempted terrorist attack; say it out loud!]

trois

Vive le roi!  [Try to say “roi ” and see if it sounds like a king!]

Common French expressions whose equivalent you don’t hear much in English

en principe  [«in theory»; actually means «but in reality, probably not»]

mais puisque je vous le dis   [«but because I’m saying it to you»— someone who often seems untrustworthy says this when you doubt what they are saying. ]

faut pas vous énerver!   [«(you) must not get annoyed!» Always said by annoying people when you object to their cutting in line/queue-barging]

Common English words and expressions whose equivalent you don’t hear much in French

Sorry, but I didn’t make the rules!

I don’t buy that!

wasting time