French Words used in English Everyday
List some French words that we use in English everday (sometimes without even knowing it) here!...
I'll start... à la carte à la mode à propos adieu armoire belle ballet bon voyage brunette bureau cache café charlatan cliché clique concierge coup de grâce crêpe critique croissant chauffeur cortège cul-de-sac décor de trop derrière eau de toilette ricochet |
Did "ricochet" used in the same meaning as in french?
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Déjà vu Résumé |
I happen to know that there's a long list of <acronym title="French Words used in English Everyday">FWuiEE</acronym> on the Wikipedia, but I won't link to it and kill this thread.
Words I can think of off the top of my head : • accoutrement • savoir-faire • risqué • coupé (only we say coupe) • fiancé/e |
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such as "Triage" which in french is to separate but in english it is particularly pertaining to prioritizing patients in a medical center... My French coworker used that word once not realizing that it had a different connotation in English... :) Edit: By the way, Risque is a good word! Another word I use a lot is "double entendre" ... which means to say something that has an innocent and risque connotation to it... Most people don't realize there is a word for it and call it a sexual innuendo or insinuation. Here are some examples of double entendres http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRsaExGcx5A http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9o9mwGIbN8 |
Shi ni zsay kwoi
En masse |
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I've heard quite a lot of english people use the terms : coup-d-état and "voilà" :)
that being said i probably know more english words in the french language =/ |
Attention
March, To march as in military or to walk Baby Hotel Garage Infant Silhouette |
what about "tête-à-tête"? :) We also use it in German... or "en vogue"?
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqupk71a-O0 |
cigarette
pardon cafe tea (spelled thé in french) barbecue |
And by far the most Famous of all French words used in the English vernacular:
Chevrolet Edit: And of course in Quebec: Tabarnak Sacrebleu The phrase originated from the swear words "sacré bleu", a Marian oath, referring to the color (i.e., "sacred blue") associated with Mary, mother of Jesus.[2] Other sources[3] propose its coming from old blasphemous curses relating to God, used from the late Middle-Age (some are attested as early as the 11th century) to the 14th (at the latest), with many variants: morbleu or mordieu, corbleu, palsambleu, jarnidieu, tudieu, respectively standing for mort [de] Dieu (God's death), corps [de] Dieu (God's body), par le sang [de] Dieu (by God's blood, the two latters possibly referring to the Eucharistic bread and wine), je renie Dieu (I deny God), tue Dieu (kill God)... Those curses may be compared to the archaic English [God']sdeath, sblood, struth or zounds (God's wounds). They were considered so offensive that Dieu was sublimated into the similar sounding neutral syllable bleu. The verb sacrer has several meanings, including to crown, to anoint, to name someone [champion, best actor, etc.], and in the past, rarely in France but more common in French Canada, of swear, curse. Therefore, sacrebleu could be in modern French Je jure par Dieu and in English I curse by God, or the more used I swear to God. |
faux-pas :D
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I like how in French you can add "ette" at the end of a word and you'll end up with a smaller version of that which the word signifies.
So for example, we have "cigar" http://i.imgur.com/HVAAvFR.jpg and when we add "ette", we get "cigarette". http://i.imgur.com/IshA65O.jpg The French word for "ball" is "boule". http://i.imgur.com/z9yQLlK.jpg How do you call a small ball in French? Boulette. Thus, in English we have "bullet". http://i.imgur.com/5OfwVA8.jpg Then there is "barre" for helm. http://i.imgur.com/6EdGmSh.jpg A "barrette" would be a hair clip http://i.imgur.com/KCOsesX.jpg and could "beret" possibly be a small helmet (helm+ette)? http://i.imgur.com/7tVvs4Q.jpg Finally we have Alizée: http://fee-clochette.com/misc/blonde.gif And when we add "ette", we end up with Alizette: http://i.imgur.com/1snqX4p.jpg The most puzzling part about all this? What in the name of Zeus is the bigger version of an "omelette"? http://i.imgur.com/tAVzidC.jpg |
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Yeah, I too like that diminutive thing. (Well, little do I speak French but I've got the pleasure to speak Italian and Polish :) .) The only problem is that some people overuse it >.< |
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http://autoimg.kochbar.de/kbrezept/2...hpflanzerl.jpg yum ;) |
C'est la vie.
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Vis-à-vis.
Bric-à-brac. |
view from A french
hi !
as a French I'd say (and there are too many to mention) : restaurant rendez-vous cabaret casserole (not the same meaning in French, it means "pan") beau tour like Tour de France Grand prix crème fraiche brioche courgette menu chef café vol au vent ( we call them bouchée à la Reine) Champaign (that we write Champagne, that's a region in France, wher it's produced) rosé blanc de blanc mademoiselle, madam garage etc etc etc some words borrowed from French do not even exist in French : double entendre doesn't exist, we say "sous-entendu" :) |
This thread is great, but I think everyone's trying too hard. Believe it or not, England was speaking French less than a thousand years ago (after William the Conker), so there's a lot more French in the English language than most people even realize. (N'oubliez pas: "Honi soit qui mal y pense.")
A few of my favorites are: Courage Voyage Portage Montage Fromage (?!) Eclairs and of course Rendezvous which all come from the French. Same with most of our military terms, right down to "bullets". All the ranks we use in the U.S. are derived from French: "private", "corporal", "sergeant", "lieutenant", "captain" and so on, etc. ... these are all are French in origin. (And so is "et cetera", for all practical purposes.) "Platoon", "Regiment", "Brigade"... Eventually, one gets the idea that when languages were being solidified, the French were the ones that knew how to get things done! ...Plus they were the only ones who knew how to make the fromage... |
fromage?
Do you really use fromage? don't you say cheese? Is there a difference :)?
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Everyone I know uses cheese, but I think many of them know the word fromage.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlhzX7UKKNU BTW welcome to the forum Philippe. :) |
Yes. It should be counted. American Indians would "count coup" (manage to perform non-lethal contact and get away alive) on an opponent as proof of bravery. :)
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Thanks for the welcome :)
there are as many french words in English than English words in French. Both languages mix together perfectly. You use French words mostly in cuisine (anotherone) and probably in fashion, you know like Haute couture, de luxe. We have English words in music (pop, rock...) in sports (football, volleyball etc) and everything about computers. I love songs that are sung both in French and English, I'm thinking of Enrique Iglesias and Nadyia and there have been many duets like this. And I prefer Mylène Farmer than the song "Mylène Farmer" :), this is a faux-pas |
Chandelier comes to mind right now.
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