list of French phrases used by English speakers

Template:Mergefrom Template:Originalresearch Template:Nofootnote Here are some examples of French words and phrases used by English speakers.

There are many words of French origin in English, such as art, collage, competition, force, machine, police, publicity, role, routine, table, and many others which have been and are being anglicized. They are now pronounced according to English rules of orthography, rather than French. Approximately 40% of English vocabulary is of French or Oïl language origin, most derived from, or transmitted by, the Anglo-Norman spoken by the upper classes in England for several hundred years after the Norman Conquest, before the language settled into what became Modern English.

This article, however, covers words and phrases that generally entered the lexicon later, as through literature, the arts, diplomacy, and other cultural exchanges not involving conquests. As such, they have not lost their character as Gallicisms, or words that seem unmistakably foreign and "French" to an English-speaking person.

That said, the phrases are given as used in English, and may seem correct modern French to English speakers, but may not be recognised as such by French speakers as many of them are now defunct or have a different meaning due to semantic evolution. A general rule is that if the word or phrase retains French diacritics or looks better in italics, it has retained its French identity.

A

à gogo 

in abundance

à la [...] 

in the manner of [...]

à la carte 

on the card; (in restaurants refers to ordering individual dishes rather than a fixed-price meal)

à la mode 

fashionable; also, with ice cream (in the U.S.)

accouchement 

confinement during childbirth; the process of having a baby; only this last meaning remains in French

adieu 

farewell; as it literally means "to God," it carries more weight than "au revoir" (it is definitive, you won't see the other person alive). Depending of the context, misuse of this term can be considered as an insult, as you'll wish for the other person's death or will say that you don't wish to see the other person ever again while alive

adroit 

skillful, clever, in French: habile, as a "right handed" person would be using his "right" hand, as opposed to his left one with which he would be "gauche" meaning "left".

agent provocateur 

a police spy who infiltrates a group to disrupt or discredit it.

aide-de-camp 

a military assistant

aide-mémoire 

a position paper; a diplomatic agenda

amuse bouche 

an appetizer; lit. mouth pleaser, amuse gueule in modern French.

ancien régime 

a sociopolitical or other system that no longer exists, an allusion to pre-revolutionary France (used with capital letter in French with this meaning : Ancien Régime)

aperçu 

a first impression; initial insight

apéritif 

a before-meal drink

appliqué 

an inlaid or attached decorative feature

après moi, le déluge 

the remark attributed to Louis XV of France; used in reference to the impending end of a functioning French monarchy and predicting the French Revolution. (After me, the deluge.)

après-ski 

after skiing socializing after a ski session; in modern French, this word refers to boots used to walk in snow typically (MoonBoots^TM)usually worn after a ski session

arête 

a narrow ridge

armoire 

a type of cabinet; wardrobe

artiste 

a skilled performer, a person with artistic pretensions

art nouveau 

a style of decoration and architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries (usually bears capitals in French : Art Nouveau)

attaché 

a person attached to an embassy; in French is also the past participle of the verb attacher (=to fasten)

au contraire 

to the contrary

au courant 

up-to-date; abreast of current affairs

au jus 

literally, with juice, referring to a food course served with sauce. Often redundantly formulated, as in 'Open-faced steak sandwich, served with au jus.' In modern French, although 'jus' can refer to juice produced by meat during cooking, se mettre au jus (to put oneself au jus) is also a colloquial expression used to call someone to try something (jump into water at a pool, try a new recipe. ..)

au naturel 

nude; literally, it is the contraction of à le (same as à la) naturel (in a natural manner)

au pair 

a young foreigner who does domestic chores in exchange for room and board

au revoir! 

"See you soon!"; lit. Until the next sight. In French contraction of Au plaisir de vous revoir (=to the pleasure of seeing you again).

avant-garde 

applied to cutting-edge or radically innovative movements in art, music and literature; figuratively "on the edge", literally, a military term, meaning "vanguard" (which is the deformation of avant-garde) or "advance guard", in other words, "first to attack" (plural avant-gardes; antonym of arrière-garde).

avant la lettre 

used to describe something or someone seen as a precursor or forerunner of something (such as an artistic or political movement) before that something was recognized and named, e.g. "a post-modernist avant la lettre", "a feminist avant la lettre"; the expression literally means before the letter, i.e. "before it had a name".

B

ballet a type of dance

beaucoup 

a lot (slang, such as, "beaucoup of bucks")

belle 

a beautiful woman or girl. Common uses of this word are in the phrases the belle of the ball (the most beautiful woman or girl present at a function) and southern belle (a beautiful woman from the southern states of the US)

bête noire 

a scary or unpopular person, idea, or thing, or the archetypical scary monster in a story; literally "black beast".

billet doux 

a love letter, literally "sweet letter" (plural billets doux).

blasé/e 

a nonchalant or uninterested man/woman; literally cloyed or chronically hung over

blond/e 

this is not the only foreign word in everyday use in the English language that also differs in gender — 'blond' is masculine, 'blonde' is feminine.

bon appétit! 

enjoy your meal; literally "good appetite". There is no native equivalent English phrase.

bon voyage! 

have a good trip!

brunette 

a brown-haired girl. For brown-haired boy or man, French uses brun and for a woman brune

bureau 

office (plural bureaux)

C

cachet 

a distinctive quality

café 

a snack, a coffee shop;

café au lait 

coffee with milk; or a light-brown color

cap-à-pied 

from head to foot; modern French uses de pied en cap

carte blanche 

unlimited authority; literally "white card" (i.e. a card where you can write down whatever you like)

carte d'identité 

identity card

cause célèbre 

a controversial issue, such as a legal case, which divides public opinion

c'est la mode.  

"Such is fashion"

c'est la vie! 

"That's life!"; or "Such is life!"

c'est magnifique! 

"That's great!"; literally it's magnificent

chaise longue 

a long chair for reclining; (also rendered chaise lounge via folk etymology)

chanson 

a song

chanteuse 

a female singer

chapeau 

a hat

chargé d'affaires 

a diplomat left in charge of day to day business at a diplomatic mission. Within the United States Department of State a chargé is any officer left in charge of the mission in the absence of the titular chief of mission.--Tommy2D 16:34, 4 May 2007 (UTC) The French business world also uses this term to refer to someone in charge of some business

châteaux en Espagne 

literally "castles in Spain"; something that exists only in the imagination (as, "castles in the air" or "pie in the sky")

chef d'Å“uvre 

a masterpiece

cherchez la femme. 

literally "Look for the woman." (expressing the notion that behind a man’s unusual behavior may be his trying to impress a woman or to cover up an affair)

chevalier d'industrie 

one who lives by his wits, specially by swindling, literally "knight of industry";

chez 

the home of

chic 

stylish

chignon 

a hairstyle worn in a roll at the nape of the neck

cinéma vérité 

realism in documentary filmmaking

claque 

a group of admirers; in French = a slap

cliché 

trite through overuse; a stereotype

clique 

a small exclusive group of friends; often used in a pejorative way in French

coquette 

a flirtatious girl; a tease

commandant 

a commanding officer

comme il faut 

as is proper; literally as it should be

comme ci comme ça 

so-so; literally as this, as that

communiqué 

an official communication

concierge 

a hotel desk manager (in French also refers to the caretaker of a building usually living at the front floor ; concierges have a reputation for gossiping)

concordat 

an agreement; a treaty; when used with capital letters in French refers to a treaty between the French State and Judaeo-Christian religions during the French Empire (Napoleon) : priests, ministers and rabbis became civil servants. This treaty was abolished in 1905 (Church-State separation) but is still in use in Alsace-Lorraine (those territories were under German administration during 1871–1918)

confrère 

a colleague

congé 

a departure; in French when used in the plural form refers to vacations

connoisseur 

an expert in wines, fine arts, or other matters of culture; a person of refined taste; (spelt connaisseur in modern French)

conte 

a short story; in French a conte has usually a fantasy context (such as in fairytales)

contretemps 

an awkward clash; a delay

cordon sanitaire 

a policy of containment directed against a hostile entity or ideology; a chain of buffer states; lit. "quarantine line"

corduroy 

a material used in clothing, derives from French "corde du roi"; lit. "cloth of kings"

cortège 

a funeral procession; in French has a broader meaning and refers to all kinds of procession

corvée 

forced labor for minimal or no pay

cotte d'armes 

coat of arms

coup de foudre 

a sudden unforeseen event (in French, "thunderbolt": love at first sight)

coup de grâce 

the final blow that results in victory (literally "blow of mercy"), historically used in the context of the battlefield, now more often used in other contexts (e.g. the defense's production of a particular piece of evidence in court that destroys the prosecution's case).

coup de main 

a surprise attack (usually means to give assistance in French: donner un coup de main is "to give a hand", even if the English meaning exists as well but is old-fashioned)

coup d'État 

a sudden change in government by force; literally "hit (blow) of state" (note the capital E in French, not used in English)

coup d'Å“il 

a glance, literally "a blow (or touch) of the eye"

couture 

fashion

couturier 

a fashion designer

crèche 

a nativity display; more commonly (in UK), a place where children are left by their parents for short periods in the supervision of childminders; both meanings still exist in French

crème brûlée 

a dessert consisting primarily of custard and toasted sugar, that is, caramel; literally "burnt cream"

crème de la crème 

best of the best; literally "cream of the cream", used to describe highly skilled people

crème fraîche 

literally "fresh cream", a heavy cream slightly soured with bacterial culture, but not as sour or as thick as sour cream

crêpe 

a thin sweet or savoury pancake eaten as a light meal or dessert

cri du cÅ“ur 

a passionate plea, literally "cry of the heart"

cul-de-sac 

a dead-end (residential) street; literally "bottom (buttocks) of the bag"

D

déclassé 

of inferior social status

décor 

the layout and furnishing of a room

découpage 

decoration with cut paper

dépanneur 

a neighborhood general/convenience store, term used in eastern Canada

déjà vu 

an impression or illusion of having seen or experienced something before. Literally "already seen".

démarche 

a decisive step

dénouement 

the end result

de nouveau 

again; anew

dérailleur 

a bicycle gear-shift mechanism

de règle 

according to custom;

de rigueur 

required or expected, especially with reference to fashion

dernier cri 

the latest fashion

derrière 

rear; buttocks; literally "behind"

déshabillé 

partially clad

détente 

easing of diplomatic tension

de trop 

excessive

diablerie 

witchcraft, deviltry

divertissement 

an amusing diversion; entertainment

dossier 

a file containing detailed information about a person; it has a much wider meaning in modern French, as any type of file, or even a computer directory

douceur de vivre 

"sweetness of life"

doyenne 

the senior female member of a group;

dressage 

a form of competitive horse training

droit du seigneur 

the purported right of a lord of an estate to deflower a woman on her wedding night in precedence to her new husband; literally the "right of the lord" (also called "droit de cuissage" in modern French)

du jour 

said of something fashionable or hip for a day and quickly forgotten; today's choice on the menu, as soup du jour, literally "of the day"

E

eau de toilette 

perfume; can be shortened as eau (water)

élan 

a distinctive flair

émigré 

one who has emigrated for political reasons; the political reason is not implied in the French use of the word

éminence grise 

a powerful advisor or decision-maker who operates secretly or otherwise unofficially; literally "gray eminence"

enfant terrible 

a disruptively unconventional person, a "terrible child"

en bloc 

as a group

en masse 

all together

ennui 

boredom

en passant 

in passing

en route 

on the way

en suite 

as a set (do not confuse with "ensuite", meaning "then")

entente 

diplomatic agreement or cooperation

entre nous 

confidentially; literally "between us"

entrée 

literally "entrance"; the first course of a meal (UK English); used to denote the main dish or course of a meal (US English)

entremets 

desserts/sweet dishes. More literally, a side dish that can be served between the courses of a meal

entrepreneur 

a person who undertakes and operates a new enterprise or venture and assumes some accountability for the inherent risks

escargots 

snails (as food)

escritoire 

a writing table (spelt écritoire in French)

esprit de corps 

a feeling of solidarity among members of a group; morale; literally "spirit of the body (of troops)"

étude 

a musical composition designed to provide practice in a particular technical skill in the performance of an instrument. French for "study".

exposé 

a published exposure of a fraud or scandal; in French refers to a talk or a report on all kinds of subject

extraordinaire 

extraordinary, usually as a following adjective, as "musician extraordinaire"

F

façade 

the front view of an edifice (the ç is pronounced like an s)

fait accompli 

something that has happened and is unlikely to be reversed

faute de mieux 

for want of better

faux 

fake

faux amis 

literally "false friends"; used to refer to words in two different languages that have the same or similar spelling, and often the same etymology but different meanings, such as the French verb rester which means "to stay" rather than "to rest"

faux pas 

a social blunder, literally false step (to slip). Francophones can use more commonly "gaffe", which is less polite.

femme fatale 

an alluring, mysterious woman; the term implies a fatal ending to meeting and frequenting such a woman

fiancé/e 

a man engaged to be married/a woman engaged to be married; literally betrothed

film noir 

a genre of dark-themed movies

fils 

used after a man's surname to distinguish a son from a father, as George Bush fils (in, French "fils" = son)

fin de siècle 

comparable to (but not exactly the same as) turn-of-the-century but with a connotation of decadence, usually applied to the period from 1890 through 1910.

flambeau 

a lighted torch

flâneur 

a gentleman stroller of city streets

fleur-de-lis 

a stylized-flower heraldic device; the golden fleur-de-lis on an azure background were the arms of the French Kingdom

folie à deux 

a simultaneous occurrence of delusions in two closely related people, often said of an unsuitable romance

force majeure 

an overpowering event, an act of God

forte 

a strength, a strong point, typically of a person, from the French fort or strong.

According to Merriam Webster Dictionary,"In forte we have a word derived from French that in its "strong point" sense has no entirely satisfactory pronunciation. Usage writers have denigrated \'for-"tA\ and \'for-tE\ because they reflect the influence of the Italian-derived forte. Their recommended pronunciation \'fort\, however, does not exactly reflect French either: the French would write the word le fort and would rhyme it with English for. So you can take your choice, knowing that someone somewhere will dislike whichever variant you choose. All are standard, however. In British English \'fo-"tA\ and \'fot\ predominate; \'for-"tA\ and \for-'tA\ are probably the most frequent pronunciations in American English."

G

gaffe 

blunder

garçon 

literally "boy" or "male servant"; sometimes used by English speakers to summon the attention of a male waiter; (has a playful connotation in English but can be rather insulting in French)

gauche 

tactless, literally "left handed"

gaucherie 

boorishness

genre 

a type or class, such as "the thriller genre"

glissade 

slide down a slope

Grand Prix 

a type of motor racing, literally "Grand Prize"

Grand Guignol 

a horror show, named after a French theater famous for its frightening plays and bloody special effects. (Guignol can be used in French to describe a ridiculous person, in the same way that clown might be used in English.)

H

habitué 

one who regularly frequents a place

haute couture 

trend-setting fashion

haute cuisine 

a manner of preparing food; literally "upper kitchen".

haute école 

advanced horsemanship; literally "upper school"

hauteur 

arrogance; lit. height

haut monde 

fashionable society, the "upper world"

Honi soit qui mal y pense. 

"Shame on him who thinks ill of it"; or sometimes translated as Evil be to him who evil thinks; the motto of the most noble Order of the Garter (modern French writes honni instead of Old French honi)

hors de combat 

out of the fight

hors-concours 

"out of the running"; used to describe someone who is a non-competitor, especially in love (not restricted to love in modern French)

hors d'Å“uvre 

appetizer

huis-clos 

the huis clos is a term which indicates an enclosed space such as a room or cell.

I

idée fixe 

a leitmotiv; an obsession

insouciant/e 

a nonchalant man/woman

ingénu/e 

an innocent young man/woman, used particularly in reference to a theatrical stock character

J

J’accuse 

I accuse.; used generally in reference to a political or social indictment (alluding to the title of Émile Zola’s exposé of the Dreyfus affair)

J'adore 

literally, I adore. Implies "Je t'adore", translated as "I love you", or possibly I adore you.

J'adoube 

In chess, an expression said discreetly signaling an intention to straighten out the pieces, without being committed to moving or capturing the first one touched as per the game's rules. lit. "I adjust". From the French verb adouber, to dub (the action of knighting someone)

Je ne sais pas

I don't know

Je-ne-sais-quoi 

an indefinable, usually compelling quality (charisma); lit. I don't know what

joie de vivre 

joy of living

L

l'affaire [proper name] 

a cause célèbre, such as "l’affaire Enron", an allusion to L’Affaire Dreyfus

laissez-faire 

a policy of minimal interference, usu. in reference to government regulation of commerce

Laissez les bons temps rouler. 

"Let the good times roll." (strongly associated with Cajun and New Orleans culture and not commonly used by Francophones outside of Louisiana)

Lamé 

is a type of fabric woven or knit with metallic yarns.

layette 

a set of clothing and accessories for a new baby

la petite mort 

an orgasm; literally "the little death"

l'esprit de l'escalier 

thinking of the right comeback too late; literally "staircase wit"; (originally a witticism of Diderot, the French encyclopedist, in his Paradoxe sur le Comédien)

L'État, c'est moi. 

the remark attributed to Louis XIV ("I am the state"); also used generally in reference to the overweening ego of an absolute ruler

liaison 

a close relationship or connection; an affair. The French meaning is broader; "liaison" also means bond such as in une liaison chimique = " a chemical bond"

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité 

"Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood"; (motto of the French Republic)

littérateur 

an intellectual; (pejorative in French)

louche 

of questionable taste; shady

M

macramé 

coarse lace work made with knotted cords

maison 

house

maître d' 

short for maître d'hotel, headwaiter. (French never uses "d'" alone, as "d'" only means "of" (litt :master of hotel)).

malaise 

a general sense of depression or unease

mal de mer 

motion sickness, literally "seasickness"

Mardi gras 

Fat Tuesday, the last day of eating meat before Lent. Note that there isn't a capital to gras

marque 

a model or brand

matériel 

supplies and equipment, particularly in a military context (French meaning is broader and corresponds more to "hardware")

mélange 

a mixture

mêlée 

a confused fight; a struggling crowd

ménage à trois 

a sexual arrangement between three people; literally "household for three"; (not typically used if all three are of the same sex)

Merci beaucoup! 

"Thank you very much!"

Merde 

"crap" (literally means "shit")

métier 

a field of work or other activity; usually one in which one has special ability or training

milieu 

social environment; setting

mirepoix 

a cooking mixture of two parts onions and one part each of celery and carrots

mise en place 

a food assembly station in a commercial kitchen

mise en scène 

staging of sets, props, actors, etc. in theater and film

moi 

"me"; often used in English as an ironic reply to an accusation; for example, "Pretentious? Moi?"

moi aussi 

"me too", used to show agreeing with someone

montage 

a blending of pictures, scenes, or sounds

mot juste 

right word. French uses it often in the expression chercher le mot juste (to search for the right word)

motif 

a recurrent thematic element

mousse 

a whipped dessert or a hairstyling foam; in modern French, any kind of foam

N

naïf/naïve 

a man/woman lacking experience, understanding or sophistication

naïveté 

fact of being naïf

né/e 

used to indicate a man/woman’s birth name (maiden name for a woman), such as, "Martha Washington, née Martha Custis"; "born"

n'est-ce pas? 

Isn't it?; asked rhetorically after a statement, as in "Right?"

noblesse oblige 

honorable behavior expected of high rank

nom de guerre 

pseudonym to disguise the identity of a leader of a militant group, literally "war name", used in France for "pseudonym"

nom de plume 

author's pseudonym, literally "pen name". Originally an English phrase, now also used in France

nouveau 

newfangled

nouveau riche 

newly rich

nouvelle cuisine 

new cuisine

O

objet d'art 

a work of art, commonly a painting or sculpture

Å“uvre 

"work", in the sense of an artist's work; by extension, an artist's entire body of work

P

panache 

verve; flamboyance

papier-mâché 

a craft medium using paper and paste; literally "chewed paper"

par excellence 

quintessential; literally "by excellence"

pas de deux 

a close relationship between two people; a duet in ballet

pas de trois 

a dance for three, usually in ballet.

passé 

out of fashion

pastiche 

a derivative work; an imitation

patois 

a dialect; jargon

peignoir 

a woman’s dressing gown; a negligee (in French, also a bathrobe)

père 

used after a man's surname to distinguish a father from a son, as in "George Bush père."

petite 

small; waiflike; skinny; lit. small

pièce d'occasion 

occasional piece; item written or composed for a special occasion

pied-à-terre 

a second home, usually an apartment in the city

plat du jour 

a dish served in a restaurant on a particular day but which is not part of the regular menu; literally "dish of the day"

plus ça change 

The more things change, the more they stay the same. (from Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose, or Plus ça change, plus c’est pareil.)

pot-pourri 

medley, mélange, mixture; literally rotten pot

pour encourager les autres 

to encourage the others, from Voltaire (Candide) [1]

précis 

a concise summary

portmanteau 

a large suitcase, literally "carry coat". Doesn't exist anymore in French, but there is portemanteau (plural portemanteaux), which means a hat stand, a coat rack or a coathanger.

poseur 

a person who pretends to be something he is not; a phony; a poser

prêt-à-porter 

ready-to-wear clothing

prix fixe 

a fixed price meal, sometimes with choices

protégé 

one who receives support from an influential patron

provocateur 

a polemicist

Q

Quel dommage! 

"What a pity!"

Quelle horreur! 

What a horrible thing! (often used sarcastically)

Qu'est-ce que c'est? 

"What is this?"

R

raconteur 

a conversationalist

raison d'être 

justification for existence; "reason for being"

rapport 

to be in someone's "good graces"; to be in synch with someone; "I've developed a rapport with my co-workers"; French for: relationship

rapprochement 

the establishment of cordial relations, often used in diplomacy

recherché 

obscure; pretentious. (usually used in French for sophisticated or delicate)

résumé 

in North American English, a document listing one's qualifications for employment (in French, any kind of summary)

rendez-vous 

a meeting, appointment, or date;

répertoire 

the range of skills of a particular person or group

reportage 

reporting; journalism

répondez s'il vous plaît. (RSVP) 

Please reply. Though francophones may use more usually "prière de répondre", it is common enough. (Note: RSLP ["Réponde s'il lui plaît"] is used on old-fashioned invitations written in the 3rd person, usually in "Script" typography — at least in Belgium.)

ressentiment 

a deep-seated sense of aggrievement and powerlessness

restaurateur 

a restaurant owner

roman à clef 

a fictional account of a true story; literally "novel with a key"

roué 

a hedonist, "cunning devil"

roux 

a cooked mixture of flour and fat used as a base in soups and gravies

S

sabotage 

subversive destruction, from the practice of workers fearful of industrialization destroying machines by tossing their sabots ("wooden shoes") into machinery

saboteur 

one who commits sabotage

Sacrebleu/Sacré bleu! 

general exclamation of horror and shock; literally "holy blue", blue being the deformation of Dieu (God). Always contracted and unaccented: sacrebleu (no longer current in French)

sang-froid 

great coolness and composure under strain; literally "cold blood"

sans 

without

sans-culottes 

an extremist, literally "without pants", name the insurgent crowd in the streets of Paris gave to itself during the French Revolution. It is a way to shake off the monarchy because they usually wore pantaloons (full-length pants or trousers) instead of the chic knee-length culotte of the nobles.

savant 

a wise or learned person; in English referring to an exceptionally gifted individual

savoir-faire 

social grace; means know-how in French.

savoir-vivre 

etiquette

s'il vous plaît 

please; literally "if it pleases you", "if you please"

si vous préférez 

"if you prefer"

sobriquet 

an assumed name, a nickname

soi-disant 

so-called; self-described; literally "oneself saying"

soigné 

fashionable; polished

soirée 

an evening party

soupçon 

a very small amount (In French, can also mean suspicion)

soupe du jour 

"soup of the day", meaning the particular kind of soup offered that day

succès d’estime 

a "success in the estimation of others", sometimes used pejoratively

T

table d'hôte 

a full-course meal offered at a fixed price

tableau vivant 

in drama, a scene in which actors remain still as if in a picture

tant mieux 

so much the better

tête-à-tête  

a private meeting; literally "head-to-head"

toilette 

the process of dressing or grooming

touché 

acknowledgment of an effective counterpoint; literally "touched" or "hit!"

tour de force 

a masterly or brilliant stroke, creation, effect, or accomplishment; literally "feat of strength"

très 

very (often ironically)

trompe l'Å“il 

photograph-like realism in painting; literally "trick the eye"

V

venu/e 

invited man/woman for a show, once ("come"); unused in modern French, though it can still be used in a few expressions like bienvenu/e (literally well come : welcome) or le premier venu (anyone; literally, the first who came)

vignette 

a brief description; a short scene (in French, a small picture)

vinaigrette 

salad dressing of oil and vinegar; diminutive of vinaigre (vinegar)

vis-à-vis 

in comparison with or in relation to; also "opposite number", literally "face-to-face"

Vive! 

"Long live ...!"; literally "Live"; as in "Vive la France!", “Vive la Résistance!”, "Vive le Canada!", or "Vive le Québec libre!"

Vive la différence. 

Long live the difference. (generally referring to difference between male and female)

Voilà! or Et voilà! 

"There you go!" or "And there you have it!"

volte-face 

a complete reversal of opinion or position, about face

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?  

"Do you want to sleep with me (tonight)? " (quite rude in modern French as it has no cultural background and is just a rude move)

voyeur 

a peeping tom

W - X - Y - Z

Zut alors! 

"Darn it!", a general exclamation. Like Sacre bleu, this is considered old-fashioned by modern French speakers. Just plain zut is still in use, however — often repeated for effect, for example, zut, zut et zut!) (Whether zut is dated or not might depend on context: where merde is not polite enough, zut, zut alors, zut et rezut etc. are still in current use.) There is an album by Frank Zappa titled Zoot Allures.

Only found in English

bureau de change 

a currency exchange (plural bureaux de change). In French, it means the office where you can change your currency

après-garde 

Avant-garde's antonym. French uses arrière-garde (either in a military or artistic context)

auteur 

A film director, specifically one who controls most aspects of a film, or other controller of an artistic situation. The English connotation derives from French film theory. It was popularized in the journal Cahiers du cinéma: auteur theory maintains that directors like Hitchcock exert a level of creative control equivalent to the author of a literary work. In French, the word originally means author, but some expressions like "cinéma d'auteur" are also in use.

cause célèbre 

An issue arousing widespread controversy or heated public debate, lit. famous cause

décolletage 

a low-cut neckline, cleavage (This is actually a case of "false friends": Engl. décolletage = Fr. décolleté; Fr. décolletage means: 1. action of lowering a female garment's neckline; 2. Agric.: cutting leaves from some cultivated roots such as beets, carrots, etc.; 3. Tech. Operation consisting of making screws, bolts, etc. one after another out of a single bar of metal on a parallel lathe.

déjà entendu/lu

already heard/read. They do not exist as an expression in French : the Académie française says that un déjà vu (a feeling of something already seen) can be used but not un déjà entendu or un déjà lu

demimonde 

a class of women of ill repute; a fringe group or subculture; French used demi-mondaine in the XIX century, even then it is not in use anymore

double entendre 

double meaning, for which Francophones would use « double sens ». The verb entendre, to hear (modern), originally meant to understand. (Note: French usage: "un mot à double sens": a word with more than one meaning; "une phrase à double entente": a sentence with a hidden meaning. "À double entente" is listed in the Petit Larousse 1994 with no mention of its being obsolete or regional.)

encore 

A request to repeat a performance, as in “Encore !”, lit. again; also used to describe additional songs played at the end of a gig. Francophones would say « Bis ! » (a second time !); or « Une autre ! » (Another one !) to request « un rappel » (an encore). To say « Encore ! » implies a request to reprieve the entire repertoire.

femme 

a stereotypically effeminate gay man or lesbian (slang, pronounced as written). In French, femme means "woman".

maître d’ 

translates as master o'. Francophones would say maître d’hôtel instead (French never uses "d'" alone).

negligee 

A robe or a dressing gown, usually of sheer or soft fabric for women. French uses négligé (masculine form, with accents). Négligée qualifies a woman who neglects her appearance.

pièce de résistance  

the best; the main meal, literally "a piece that resists". Francophones use plat de résistance (main dish)

repartee 

clever banter. Is written répartie in French (répartée means nothing; repartie means a woman who is gone again)

risqué 

sexually suggestive; in French, the meaning of risqué is "risky", with no sexual connotation

succès de scandale 

Success through scandal; Francophones might use « succès par médisance ».

voir dire 

jury selection (Law French)

French phrases in international air-sea rescue

International authorities have adopted a number of words and phrases from French for use by speakers of all languages in voice communications during air-sea rescues. Note that the "phonetic" versions are presented as shown and not in IPA.

SECURITAY 

(securité, “safety”) the following is a safety message or warning, the lowest level of danger.

PAN PAN

(panne, “breakdown”) the following is a message concerning a danger to a person or ship, the next level of danger.

MAYDAY

([venez] m'aider, “come help me”; N.B. "Aidez-moi" means "help me") the following is a message of extreme urgency, the highest level of danger. (MAYDAY is used on voice channels for the same uses as SOS on Morse channels.)

SEELONCE 

(silence, “silence”) keep this channel clear for air-sea rescue communications.

SEELONCE FEE NEE 

(silence fini, “silence is over”) this channel is now available again.

PRU DONCE 

(prudence, “prudence”) silence partially lifted, channel may be used again for urgent non-distress communication.

MAY DEE CAL 

(médical, “medical”) medical assistance needed.

It is a serious breach in most countries, and in international zones, to use any of these phrases without justification.

See Mayday (distress signal) for a more detailed explanation.

See also

• list of French phrases
• Law French language
• common phrases in different languages
• French language
• list of French proverbs
• list of Latin words with English derivatives
• list of Latin phrases
• list of Greek phrases
• list of German expressions in English

References

• Communications Instructions, Distress and Rescue Procedures (pdf), Combined Communications-Electronics Board
• Hutchinson Dictionary of Difficult Words, Helicon Publishing, Ltd.
• Online Etymology Dictionary, Harper, D.
• Je Ne Sais What?: A Guide to de rigueur Frenglish for Readers, Writers, and Speakers, Winokur, J.

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