How do you conjugate the verb lever in French? Is it with the auxiliary avoir or être?

The answer is both auxiliaries (avoir and être).

It just depends on how you use the verb lever.

To answer this question and to be as clear as possible, first I will dig a bit deeper into the French grammar and explain to you (or maybe just refresh your memory on) some words coming from the grammatical jargon.

This will be useful as it will help you understand the French grammar better and you’ll be able to choose between être and avoir for many (if not all) other verbs. Then I’ll answer your question.

 

1. What is an auxiliary?

First of all, an auxiliary is a type of verb but not a verb used to transcribe an action. It is a “helping verb”. It is used in forming the tenses, moods, and voices of other verbs. It doesn’t actually add any semantic content.

In other words, it doesn’t add any meaning to your sentence.

In English, auxiliary verbs are be, do, and have ; the modal auxiliaries are can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, and would. An example is the auxiliary verb have in the sentence I have finished my dinner.

Here, the main verb is finish, and the auxiliary have helps to express the perfect aspect (the past tense). But let’s not digress and let’s come back to French grammar.

I think auxiliary verbs are a lot simpler in French (hurray!) and I’m sure that by the end of this article, you’ll agree with me. Indeed, there are only two: être (to be) and avoir (to have). Let’s learn a bit more about them both.

 

2. Avoir

Knowing about that French verb is a must as it is in the top 10 of the most commonly used verbs in French!

Indeed, among the thousands of French verbs, avoir made its way up to the very popular verb league table which also includes être, faire, dire, aller, pouvoir, voir, savoir, falloir and devoir.

Are you impressed by that little avoir verb? I am too!

Avoir means to have and has three main functions in French. I will briefly mention two of them and spend more time on the third one as it is the auxiliary function (the one you need to learn more about to answer your question about how to conjugate lever in French).

 

a) Avoir as a transitive verb

Does “transitive verb” sound Chinese to you? No worries, my geeky little self will explain (is it sad to admit that I actually love grammar so much?).

Basically, a transitive verb is a verb that transfers its action to something or someone. That “something” or “someone” is called, in the grammatical jargon, an “object”. Avoir usually takes a direct object.

To find the direct object, you should ask the question “I have what?” or “What do I have?”. Let’s take an example.

J’ai une poupée (I have a doll) → I have what/What do I have? → une poupée (a doll).

J’ai levé la main (I put my hand up) → I have put what up/ What have I put up? → la main (my hand).

Here the direct object is therefore une poupée.

 

b) Avoir as an impersonal verb in the phrase il y a

This expression usually lead English students learning French to make mistakes as it is translated into English by there is (singular form) or there are (plural form).

Therefore, in English, it’s the verb to be that is used when, in French, it’s the verb to have.

For example:

Il y a du lait dans le frigo → There is some milk in the fridge.

Il y a trois chats dans le jardin → There are three cats in the garden.

 

c. Avoir as an auxiliary verb

Here it is! The function of avoir that interests us the most to answer your question!

Like I told you before, there are two auxiliary verbs in French: être and avoir. However, avoir is the most commonly used auxiliary to form compound tenses such as le passé composé.

For example:

J’ai mangé une pomme → I ate an apple / I have eaten an apple.

L’étudiant a levé la main pour répondre à la question de son professeur → The student put his hand up to answer his teacher’s question.

As we can see, in this last example, the French verb lever takes the auxiliary avoir. Let’s carry on our grammatical investigation to see when the verb lever takes être.

 

 

3. Être

Just like the verb avoir, être is in the top 10 of the most used verbs in French. Moreover, many idiomatic expressions take être. Être bien dans sa peau (to be at ease/comfortable with oneself) is an example I particularly like. Don’t you?

Être has many functions but, in this article, I will only briefly explain three of them to you and then I will tell you a bit more about être as an auxiliary verb to help you understand better how you should conjugate lever.

a) Être to describe a temporary or permanent state of being

Être is used with adjectives (describing words), nouns (words to name people, animals, places, things, and ideas), and adverbs (words or phrases that modifies the meaning of an adjective, verb, or other adverb, expressing manner, place, time, or degree → e.g. gently, here, now, very ). Être is, in that case, used to describe a temporary or permanent state of being.

Here are some examples:

Elle est fabuleuse → she is fabulous.

Je suis française → I am French. 

 

b) Être to express possession

Être can be used with à (it’s a preposition) to express the possession.

For example:

Ces chocolats sont à moi. N’en mange pas! → These chocolates are mine. Don’t eat any!

 

c) Être to describe someone’s job

Unlike in English, there is no indefinite article (un, une → a, an) in front of a profession in French.

For example:

Je suis professeur de français → I am a French teacher.

 

d) Être as an auxiliary verb

Like I mentioned it previously, avoir is the most commonly used auxiliary verb in French but être also is for some verbs.

You can use it with some verb to form compound tenses.

For example:

Il est allé au supermarché → He went to the supermarket.

You can also use it to form the passive form. The example that is widely given in France to explain what the passive form is is :

Le chat mange la souris → The cat eats the mouse (active form)

La souris est mangée par le chat → The mouse is eaten by the cat (passive form)

Finally, as an auxiliary verb, être can be used with reflexive verbs and it is this use that interests you to know whether lever takes être or avoir!

Let’s see what a reflexive verb is.

 

 

4. What is a reflexive verb?

Also called a pronominal verb (un verbe pronominal in French), a reflexive verb is basically, in English, a verb involving -self or -selves, such as he enjoys himself (il s’amuse in French).

In French, a reflexive verb has se in front of the actual verb. Se is called a reflexive pronoun. Se agrees with the subject (the person who does the action) . The table below should help make things clearer and I’ve chosen to use the verb se lever 😉

 

Subject	Reflexive pronoun	Example
Je	Me	Je me lève.
Tu	Te	Tu te lèves
Il/elle/on	Se	Il/elle/on se lève.
Nous	Nous	Nous nous levons.
Vous	Vous	Vous vous levez.
Ils/elles	Se	Ils/elles se lèvent.

In this example, I used the verb lever, literally meaning to lift. So without the reflexive pronoun, for example, je lève would mean I lift. When used reflexively— with the extra pronoun me, te etc— the verb literally means I lift myself, you lift yourself etc, and is the way that in French you usually say I get up etc.

 

5. Is the French verb “lever” conjugated with “avoir” or “être”?

So, now, after having read this article, you should be able to answer this question yourself! Give it a go and then check my answer.

And the answer is …

 

a) lever takes avoir in the transitive form (have a look at the beginning of this article if you forgot what the transitive form is).

For example:

J’ai levé la main → I put my hand up.

The sentence is here conjugated in le passé composé.

 

b) lever takes être in the reflexive form (have a look at the paragraph What is a reflexive verb? just above if you forgot what a reflexive verb is).

For example:

Les enfants se lèvent très tôt le matin de Noël → Children get up very early on Christmas morning.

Did you get the correct answer? I know you would! Well done you!

Your language learning journey has started. You grasp quite a bit of French now.

But

Do you feel like you are sort of stagnating?

Aren’t you progressing as fast as you wish?

That’s got to be one of the most frustrating situation, especially when you do put so much time and effort into it! It’s what we call “reaching a plateau”.

Unfortunately, it’s not abnormal and many languages learners get to that point and get so discouraged by it that they actually give up and never reach their goal of becoming fluent in French. Don’t let this happen to you!

In this article, I will explain to you why you’ve actually reached a plateau and I will give you some solutions to make more progress in French.

 

1) Why have you reached a plateau?

Many pieces of research have been made on this matter.

It comes out that that learning in general (not just languages) is not a linear progression but more of a bumpy ride!

What do I mean by this?

Well, basically, you will go through phases where you will make progress and others where you won’t make as much. Your brain will retain and stock all your learning though.

According to Dr. K. Anders Ericsson, a Swedish psychologist and Professor at Florida State University, reaching a plateau is totally normal. It is part of the learning process.

Ok, but why?

According to many experts, it appears we reach a plateau because of routine! (routine kills everything as it seems…). We tend to do the same type of exercises, we practice in the same way rather than innovating in our learning experience and differentiating our learning methods and material. Is it the case for you?

Why do some people succeed better than others at learning languages?

According to Dr. Ericsson, people who succeed the most follow the same three stages learning pattern. They focus on their technique, they stay goal-oriented and they get constant and immediate feedback. You could record and listen to yourself speaking French for example.

When shall I vary my learning methods and material to stop getting into that naughty routine? In other words, how can I focus on and improve my technique?

Have you ever heard of Luca Lampariello? He is an amazing polyglot who speaks 12 languages (is that it?!…). He was interviewed by Lingholic who asked him how he dealt with this “reaching a plateau” issue. His answer was simple: he never felt like he reached one.

Why?

Simply because he always kept in mind the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Have you ever heard of it?

If not, I would advise you to have a quick glance at it. According to Lampariello, it is vital to change your learning material when you reach the intermediate level.

As it seems, practice doesn’t make perfect but evolving practice does!

 

2) Solutions to make progress in French

Like I said previously, you need to vary your learning methods and material. Fine but what are the different methods and material out there? Let’s check them out!

Learning styles

 

It is important that you find out which out of the eight learning styles best suits your needs. What I mean by this is that you should know how you learn best.

1. Do you know?
2. Is it when you read and write?
3. When you use logic?
4. When you use visuals?
5. When you listen?
6. When you practice with your hands or act?
7. When you learn in a group?
8. Or on the contrary, when you learn on your own?

Maybe it’s when you combine one or more of these learning styles?

Whichever style it is, knowing it will help you make progress. I would advise you to stick to your favorite learning style when you first start learning French as this will give you confidence and make you feel safe.

However, to stop you falling into that vicious learning routine, it is essential that once you’ve reached a certain level, probably the intermediate one (cf the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), you either switch to a different learning style or at least mix yours with another one.

 

 

Immerse yourself

This seems to be my answer to many language learning difficulties but I strongly do believe that immersing yourself is an absolute key factor.

Would you agree?

It leads to successfully become fluent in any language. What can you do to immerse yourself when you don’t actually live in France or in a French-speaking country though? Don’t panic, there are so many different ways!

You could get yourself a French penpal. Not only will you make progress in the French language itself, you will also learn many different aspects of the French culture, grasp more slangy phrases and make yourself a new friend, and not any type of friends but a French one!

Don’t you know how and where to find a French penpal? No worries, check my article entitled “How can I easily find people to practice speaking and writing online”.

You could also watch films and series in French with French subtitles. Why French subtitles you may ask? It’s because this enables you to associate the written and the spoken form.

Indeed you might not understand a word when you hear it (maybe because of the person’s accent or diction, maybe because of the speed or simply because you don’t know how that particular word is pronounced) but when you actually read it, you might know it and think “ Ah, right! I know that word but I never knew that was how it should be pronounced!”.

At first, you might understand next to nothing but it is absolutely normal (even if it’s rather annoying, I’ll give you that). You will slowly (but surely) learn more and more vocabulary and grammar structures and you’ll end up understanding more and more conversations. You could maybe start with watching films you have already seen. Watching the news is also very interesting as you will already know what the events are. France 24 and TV5 Monde are good international channels.

 

If you’re not too keen on watching films, you could read. In fact, my dad learned quite a lot of French expressions and grammatical structures through reading the local newspapers! Get a French version of your favorite book and get stuck in! There are also some bilingual books: on one page you have the French version and on the other one you have the English (or any language you want) one.

It can be quite useful if you don’t want to constantly put your book down to look a word up in your dictionary. Keep in mind though that the most important thing is not to understand every single word you read but to understand the general gist of the sentence. Nothing worse than having to stop reading every two seconds as you would lose the flow of the story.

Listening to the radio has the same benefits.

I know this last one might sound a bit weird and it isn’t for everyone but I have found that some of my students made quite a lot of progress through … online gaming! If you’re into the X-Box and the PlayStation games then don’t hesitate to play online with French players. No doubt, you’ll learn some very idiomatic expressions!

Learning a language is a fabulous yet challenging adventure. You will get times when you’ll love it and others when you’ll feel like giving up. Don’t! Set yourself short goals and always remember them. When you reach a plateau in your learning, or when you reach a different level shall I say, try and vary your learning methods and material.

Learning a language should be fun and enjoyable not boring and unattractive. Use different mediums, practice in different ways but most of all enjoy yourself and take pleasure in learning French. Then you will make substantial progress!

Today I’m going to show “how to say my name is in french”. A way to introduce myself

Let me explain.

Decided to learn French and hopefully to travel to a French-speaking country? That’s great news.

You’ll love it for sure because France is simply amazing! You’ll see many beautiful landscapes, a lot of historical and cultural monuments. You’ll meet loads of new people too!

Oh, wait a minute, meeting people, does that mean getting to know them and them getting to know you?

Do you know how to introduce yourself in French?

Not really?

Not a problem.

Let’s begin with some basic French Words to learn how to say your name.

Look:

In this article, I will teach you three different ways on “how to say my name is in French”

Let’s start…

 

1) The most common way

The usual way to say “hi, my name is…” in French is “Bonjour, je m’appelle”. It is pronounced “bon-zhoor, zhuh mah-pel”. It literally means “hi, I am called”. You can use this expression in both formal and informal situations.

It is usually the reply you say when someone asks you “bonjour, comment vous appelez-vous?” (“Hi, what’s your name?”). You could add “Et vous?” which means, word for word, “and you?”. The sentence would then be “Bonjour, je m’appelle … . Et vous?”.

However, you could also be in the situation where you meet someone of your own age group or maybe the friend of a friend, in other words, someone you could use the “tu” form with. In that case, the phrase would become “Bonjour, je m’appelle … Et toi?”

2) The most formal way

“Mon nom est…”, pronounced “mohn nohm ay”, literally means “my name is…”. This expression is not as used as “Je m’appelle…”. It is far more serious and strict and quite frankly not said a lot in France but it is grammatically perfectly correct.

You would be more likely to hear this phrase when someone is introducing themselves, when giving a speech for example. Moreover, when you first start learning how to speak French, this expression might be a little bit difficult for you to pronounce because of the nasal consonants “m”and “n”.

What exactly is a nasal consonant? Let’s have a look at the definition given by the Center for Open Educational Resources and Language Learning:

“Nasal vowels are produced when air passes through the nose as well as the mouth.

English has nasal-like vowels in words such as sing and impossible, but the nasal consonants /n/ and /m/ are still pronounced.

These consonants are not pronounced in French when following a nasal vowel. The consonant is totally assimilated into the vowel pronunciation”.

In other words, you might struggle to pronounce “Mon nom est…” correctly because, as a beginner learner, you might not hear both letters “n” and “m”.

Therefore, instead of pronouncing “mohn nohm ay” , you might say “moh noh ay”. Not a massive deal I suppose as people would still understand you but I thought it could be interesting to highlight this little difficulty.

 

3) The most friendly way

This final way to say “my name is “ is “moi, c’est”. It literally means “me, it’s…” It is pronounced “muah say”. This is a very casual expression which you could use after someone has introduced themselves.

 

Conclusion

Now, you know how to say “how to say my name is in french”!

Comment on words that you commonly used to introduce yourself

Side Note: Want a light introduction to French Courses Online? Check Out Our French Courses Online for Beginners

Learning French Vocabulary represents an enormous part in learning French.

With that in mind, I have written this for you so it will be your gateway to learn French with French Vocabulary!

So, yes, of course, you will have to know about grammar and conjugation but what will you do if you don’t have any basic French words to build up your sentences with, to express what you have in mind and get your message across?

Not much… Wilkins (1972) wrote that “. . . while without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”.

As a foreign language learner (and, clearly, because you are looking for a French vocabulary list, reason why you are reading this blog), you must be aware that you need to know many words on many different topics.

As Schmitt (2010) noted, “learners carry around dictionaries and not grammar books”.

1) Learn French vocabulary

First of all, let’s try to understand what exactly a word is. Indeed, perceiving how a word is built will help you learning complete word families.

French vocabulary is complex. Nation (2001) highlighted three different aspects of a word. As a language learner, it is useful for you to understand exactly these three facets of a word. They are form, meaning and use.

1. a) What is the form of a word?

Nation (2001) basically explained that the form of a word associates its written form (spelling), spoken form (pronunciation) and any item that makes that word up (by item, I mean prefix, suffix and root). Let me give you an example.

Let’s take the French word incompréhensible and analyse its form. Its prefix is -in which means “negative” or “opposite”. Its root is compréhen which comes from the verb comprendre (to understand).

Its suffix is -ible which means “which can be”. Therefore, incompréhensible is something that cannot be understood.

Knowing a little bit about prefix and suffix could really help you understand the French language better. So here is a brief list to support you on your learning journey.

Prefix	Meaning	Examples
A, an	Absence	Amoral (amoral), anormal (abnormal)
Ad, a, ac, af, al, ap	Idea of bringing things together	Amener (bring), adjoindre (enlist), accourir (rush up), apporter (bring)
Ab, abs,	Distance	Abstenir (abstain)
Anté, anti	Before	Antéposer (prepose), antidater (antedate)
Anti	Against	Antigel (antifreeze)
Bi, bis	Two	Bimensuel (bi-monthly)
Dé(s), dis	Separation, difference	Débrancher (unplug), disjoindre (come apart)
Di(s)	Two	Disyllabique (disyllabic)
Dys	Anomaly	Dysfonctionnement (dysfuntion)
Ex	Outside	Exporter (export)
Homo	Similar	Homogène (homogeneous, consistent)
In, im, il, ir	Negative	Inégal  (unequal), illégal (illegal)
Mal, mau	Negative, bad, inaccurate	Malaise (dizzy spell), maudire (curse)
Mono	One	Monochrome (monochrome, one color)
Néo	New	Néonatal (newborn, neonatal)
Non	Negative	Non-lieu (dismissed case)
Para	Protection, close to	Parachute (parachute), paraphrase (paraphrase)
Post	After	Postface (with a postscript, with an afterward)
Pré	Before, in front ot	Prédisposer (predispose), prémolaire (premolar tooth, bicuspid tooth)
R(e), ré	Repetition, reversal	Redire (say again), retour (come back)

Suffix	Meaning	Examples
Ade, age, aille(s)	Action, result of an action	Embrassade (embrace), codage (coding), trouvaille (find, treasure)
Ation, ition, (s)sion, xion, isation		Indexation (indexation), finition (finishing stage), récession (recession), connexion (connection)
(e)ment		Aménagement (arrangement)
Ance, ence, escence	Qualilty, attribute, function	Voyance (clairvoyance), latence (latency), coalescence (fusion)
Eur		Hauteur (height)
Isme	Opinion, attitude	Communisme communism)
Iste	Person who has an opinion, an attitude	Fasciste (fascist), socialiste (socialist)
Issime	Intense	Richissime (wealthy)
Able, ible, uble	Possibility	Mangeable (edible), lisible (readable), soluble (soluble, solvable)

1. b) What is the meaning of a word ?

The meaning of a word is the signification of each item forming the word (prefix, root and suffix) and therefore the meaning of the full word created by each item.

1. c) What is the use of a word?

According to Nation, the use of a word contains its grammatical functions as well as any word that goes with it (it’s called a collocation if we want to be exact) like “courir vite” (to run fast). It’s basically why you use this particular word.

Wow, we’ve done it: a bit of grammar! It is always useful and interesting to understand precisely what you’re learning and, quite frankly, for a geeky little person like me, this was rather enjoyable but I could totally understand if you, now, wanted me to get straight to the point and unveil the Holy Grail: the list of French vocabulary!

2) Most used French Vocabulary words by category

In this French vocabulary guide, you will find all the French vocabulary you need to say whatever you want!

Accounting (comptabilité)

Is recording, reporting and analysing financial transactions of a business the type of things you enjoy doing?

Yes?

Well, in that case you might want to have a look at the following few French words.

French	English
Budget	Budget, finances
Balance	Balance
Compte	Account
Crédit	Credit
Dépense	Spending
Économie	Economy
Gain	Profit
Gestion	Management
Plan	Plan
Prévision	Forecast, expectation
Recette	Receipts, revenue, income
Rentrée	Income
Revenu	Income, earnings
Salaire	Wage, salary

Advertising (publicité)

When working in the marketing communication sphere, you will need to have an extensive list of vocabulary.

Please see below the main words regarding that profession.

French	English
Affichage	Poster campaign
Annonce	Advertisement
Avis	Notice
Battage	Hype, ballyhoo
Bluff	Bluff, bluster
Brochure	Brochure, booklet, pamphlet
Bruit	News, rumour
Charlatanisme	Charlatanism, quackery
Dépliant	Leaflet, pamphlet
Lancement	Launch
Matraquage publicitaire	Hype, plugging
Présentation	Presentation, presenting
Programme (livret détaillant un spectacle)	Programme
Propagande	Propaganda
Prospectus	Leaflet, prospectus
Pub	Ad, advert, advertisement
Réclame	Ad, advert, advertisement
Slogan	Slogan, headline
Tract	Leaflet, handout

Airplane (avion)

On attache sa ceinture et c’est parti!! More than a simple means of transport, airplanes are often a real passion.

If that is your case, look no further !

French	English
Aéroplane	Aeroplane
Appareil	Aeroplane, airplane, aircraft
Bombardier	Bomber
Chasseur	Fighter plane, fighter jet
Coucou	Old crate
Jet	Jet, jet plane
Lancement	Launch
Propulsion	Propulsion
Supersonique	Supersonic
Zinc	Crate

Airport (aéroport)

This is a similar topic to the previous one.

You will definitely need to know many words dealing with “airport” if you’ve decided to travel to a French speaking country!

French	English
Aérodrome	Aerodrome
Aérogare	Air terminal
Altiport	Altiport
Atterrissage	Landing
Embarquement	Boarding
Halte	Stopping place
Plateforme	Plateform
Provenance	From
Station	Station
Terminal	Terminal

Activities (activités)

Traveling to France is a fabulous experience but going over and working there is even better. It would definitely help you improving your language skills very fast.

Here are some words linked to activities.

French	English
Actif	Worker
Agricole	Agricultural, farming
Chômage	Unemployment
Commercial	Trade, salesperson
Économique	Economic
Emploi	Job, employment
Fonction	Duty
Force de travail	Capacity for hard work
Inactivité	Inactivity
Industrie	Industry
Logistique	Logistics
Mécénat	Patronage, sponsorship
Secteur	Sector, area, field
Service	Service, duty
Tertiaire	Tertiary, service industries
Tourisme	Tourism
Travail	Job, work

Anatomy (anatomie)

Anatomy is the science that studies the structure of the body. If you want to learn how to speak about the organs and body parts in French, the following section is for you!

French	English
Articulation	Joint
Avant-bras	Forearm
Bras	Arm
Cerveau	Brain
Chair	Flesh
Corps	Body
Coude	Elbow
Dissection	Dissection
Épaule	Shoulder
Humain	Human being
Jambe	Leg
Membre	Limb
Mollet	Calf
Morphologie	Morphology
Muscle	Muscle
Tronc	Trunk, torso
Visage	Face
Viscère	Viscus

Animals (les animaux)

Yes, the Animals was a British rockband in the 1960’s. However, in the following list, we are going to concentrate on our four-legged friends (nos amis à quatre pattes)!

French	English
Abattoir	Slaughterhouse
Bête	Animal, creature, beast
Chasse	Hunt
Élevage	Farm
Fourrure	Fur
Gibier	Game
Hibernation	Hibernation
Insecte	Insect
Mammifère	Mammal
Museau	Muzzel, snout
Oiseau	Bird
Patte	Leg, paw, hoof
Pelage	Coat, fur
Poil	Hair
Queue	Tail
Reproduction	Reproduction
Reptile	Reptile
Taxidermie	Taxidermy
Véterinaire	Vet

Architecture (architecture)

If you love designing and constructing building, then have a look at the list below!

French	English
Architecte	Architect
Bâtiment	Building, property
Bâtisse	Building, structure
Édifice	Building, edifice, structure
Gothique	Gothic
Mobilier	Furniture
Monument	Monument, landmark, historical building
Sculpture	Sculpture
Urbanisme	Town planning

Art (l’art)

Do you love painting, drawing, singing?

Henri Matisse work has no secret for you? You should like the following list.

French	English
Culture	Culture
Esthétique	Aesthetics
Musique	Music
Peinture	Painting
Poésie	Poetry, poem
Savoir-faire	Savoir-faire, skill, expertise, craft
Sculpture	Sculpture
Talent	Talent
Technique	Technique, method, skill
Théâtre	Theatre

Astronomy (l’astronomie)

Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It applies mathematics, physics, and chemistry.

French	English
Astre	Celestial body, star
Astronome	Astronomer
Céleste	Celestial
Comète	Comet
Cosmologie	Cosmology
Étoile	Star
Physique	Physics
Planète	Planet
Science	Science
Solaire	Solar

Baby (bébé)

Sleepless nights (that’s the first thing that came to my mind when I wrote baby!! Can you tell I am a mummy who doesn’t sleep much lately?!), smiles, cuteness… A baby changes your life forever and definitely for the better.

Here are some words linked to our precious little ones.

French	English
Accouchement	Labour, childbirth, delivery
Allaitement	Breast feeding
Biberon	Bottle
Enceinte	Pregnant
Grossesse	Pregnancy
Lait	Milk
Naissance	Birth
Nourrisson	Infant
Parent	Parent
Prématuré	Premature baby

Baking (faire des gâteaux)

Humm, can you smell that lovely smell coming from the oven? Yes, that’s the gorgeous croissants I’m baking! If you love baking too, have a quick glance at the following list.

French	English
Beurre	Butter
Biscuit	Biscuit, cookie
Gâteau	Cake, gateau
Dessert	Dessert, afters, puddings, pud
Farine	Floor
Moule	Baking pan, baking tin
Pâtisserie	Baking, pastry cooking
Recette	Recipe
Sucre	Sugar
Tarte	Tart, pie

Banking (la banque)

If you decide to move to France, you will definitely need to open bank account. Here are some useful words you might want to learn.

French	English
Argent	Money
Bancaire	Bank, banking, financial
Banquier	Banker
Billet	Banknote, note, bill
Crédit	Credit, loan
Dépôt	Deposit
Financier	Financial
Investissement	Investment
Paiement	Payment
Pièce	Coin, piece (less than £1/$1)
Prêt	Credit

Bar (bar, café)

A gorgeous summer day, the sun is shining and you’re sat on the terrasse of a cafe. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?

French	English
Bistrot	Bar, pub, café
Boisson	Drink, beverage
Brasserie	Brewery
Buvette	Refreshment room, Refreshment stall, Refreshment area
Café	Café, bar, coffee
Client	Customer
Comptoir	Counter, bar
Consommation	Drink, beverage
Pression	Draught beer
Serveur/serveuse	Waiter/waitress

Baseball (baseball)

This is a very important sport in America, not so much in France. Nevertheless, you might be passionated and willing to develop it in France.

French	English
Arbitre	Referee
Balle	Ball
Batte	Bat
Équipe	Team
Gant	Baseball glove
Joueur	Player
Lanceur	Relief pitcher
Match	Match
Stade	Stadium

Basketball (basket-ball)

Ever heard about Tony Parker or Joakim Noah? Fan of the NBA? You will certainly want to know more about this sport!

French	English
Adversaire	Opponent
Ballon	Ball
Basketteur	Basketball player
Entraîneur	Trainer, coach, instructor
Fédération	Federation
Netball	Netball
Panier	Basket
Terrain de basket-ball	Basketball court

Bathroom (la salle de bain)

Are you coquette and like making yourself looking even prettier than you alredy are? Love having a nice warm soak? Here are some words about bathroom.

French	English
Après-shampoing	Conditioner
Baignoire	Bathtub, bath, tub
Bain	Bath, bathwater
Cabine de douche	Shower cubicle, shower stall
Douche	Shower
Gel douche	Shower gel
Lavabo	Washbasin, washstand, sink, bathroom sink
Robinet	Tap, faucet
Se laver	To have a wash
Shampooing	Shampoo

Beauty (la beauté)

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Such a beautiful saying. Here you’ll find some words regarding this topic.

French	English
Amour	Love
Beau (masculine) / belle (feminine)	Beautiful
Charme	Charm, attraction, appeal, allure, seductiveness
Cosmétique	Cosmetics, beauty product
Douceur	Softness, gentleness
Élégance	Elegance, style
Harmonie	Harmony, balance
Laideur	Ugliness
Perfection	Perfection
Séduction	Seduction

Bedroom (la chambre)

Thinking about booking a room in a French hotel or even better moving to France and going to get some bedroom items? Perfect, that list is for you.

French	English
Armoire	Wardrobe, closet
Chambre d’hôtel	Hotel room
Chevet	Bedside table
Dormir	To sleep
Drap	Sheet
Hôtel	Hotel
Lit	Bed
Oreiller	Pillow
Vêtement	Clothes, clothing

Beverages (les boissons)

How nice is it to have a drink with your friends? You can chat (gossip sometimes as well…) and simply have a wonderful time. You’ll need to know more about French words related to beverages if you want to live one of these moments in France!

French	English
Alcool	Alcohol
Bière	Beer
Boire	To drink
Breuvage	Beverage
Café	Coffee
Eau	Water
Jus de fruits	Fruit juice
Limonade	Lemonade, lemon soda
Verre	Glass
Vin	Wine

Biology (la biologie)

A bit more serious than the topic about beverages I guess… Here are some useful words if you want to speak about biology in French.

French	English
Biologiste	Biologist
Chimie	Chemistry
Évolution	Development, evolution
Génétique	Genetic, genetics
Médecine	Medecine
Métabolisme	Metabolism
Moléculaire	Molecular
Organisme	Organism
Physiologie	Physiology
Vivant	Life, living things

Birthday (anniversaire)

Joyeux anniversaire, joyeux anniversaire, joooooyyeeeuuuxxx anniversaire!!! I don’t know about you but I’m really starting to struggle with getting old(er)… Well if you’re not as grumpy as me when it comes to birthday, please have a look below!

French	English
Année	Year
Bougie	Candle
Cadeau	Present
Célébration	Celebration
Festivité	Festivities, merrymaking
Fête	Party
Fêter	To celebrate
Gâteau d’anniversaire	Birthdy cake
Soirée	Party, soiree, reception, do, bash
Vieillir	To get old

Body parts (les parties du corps)

This area might seem basic but body parts represents an important topic to know about, even more so if you are a beginner learner.

French	English
Bouche	Mouth
Bras	Arm
Cil	Lash, eyelash
Coude	Elbow
Cuisse	Thigh
Dent	Tooth
Doigt	Finger
Épaule	Shoulder
Fesse	Behind, bottom, bum
Gencive	Gum
Genou	Knee
Langue	Tongue
Lèvre	Lip
Lobe	Lobe, earlobe
Main	Hand
Mamelon	Nipple
Mollet	Calf
Narine	Nostril
Nez	Nose
Nombril	Belly button, navel
Oeil/yeux	Eye/eyes
Ongle	Nail
Oreille	Ear
Orteil	Toe
Pied	Foot
Phalange	Phalanx
Poitrine	Chest
Sein	Breast
Sourcil	Eyebrow
Talon	Heel
Tête	Head
Tronc	Trunk, torso
Ventre	Belly, stomach

Breakfast (le petit déjeuner)

Coffee, croissant, marmelade, orange juice!! I love a nice French breakfast! Don’t you?

French	English
Bol	Bowl, breakfast bowl
Café	Coffee
Céréale	Cereals
Confiture	Jam, preserve, marmalade
Jus d’orange	Orange juice
Lait	Milk
Pain	Bread
Tartine	Slice of bread
Tasse	Cup, mug
Thé	Tea

Business (commerce)

“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people”, Steve Jobs. Such an inspirational quote. I hope I can help you succeeding with the following list.

French	English
Affaire	Business
Commerçant	Noun : storekeeper, shopkeeper, trader, retailer. Adjective:business-minded, businesslike
Concurrence	Competition, rivalry
Échange	Trade, trading, exchange
Exportation	Exportation, export
Finance	Finance, markets, financial mrkets
Importation	Importation
Marchandise	Merchandise, goods
Négociant	Merchant, trader
Troc	Barter

Camping (camping)

This is an activity loved by most French people: going camping. In fact, there is a film called “Camping”. Never seen it? Watch it! It’s hilarious and really shows what it’s like going to a French campsite!

French	English
Campeur	Camper
Caravane	Caravan, trailer
Gîte	Gite, holiday cottage, vacation rental
Hébergement	Accommodation, lodgings
Location	Renting, rental, hire, leasing
Plage	Beach
Piscine	Swimming-pool
Tente	Tent
Touristique	Touristic
Vacances	Holiday, vacation

Car (voiture)

If you go and visit France, I would strongly recommend you to hire a car. Indeed, there are some very long (and beautiful) roads leading to one village to the next!

French	English
Automobile	Automobile, auto, motor vehicle, car
Berline	Saloon, sedan
Cabriolet	Convertible, cabriolet, open-top
Caisse	Undercarriage
Essence	Petrol, gas, gasoline
Mécanique	Mechanical, engine
Portière	Door, car door
Roue	Wheel
Route	Road, way, itinerary
Trajet	Journey

Chemistry (chimie)

I don’t know about you, but I remember some great experiences I did in Chemistry in school! Deepak Chopra said “To think is to practice brain chemistry”. What do you think?

French	English
Alchimie	Alchemy
Atome	Atom
Chimiquement	Chemically, by chemical means
Chimiste	Chemist
Industrie	Industry
Laboratoire	Laboratory
Molécule	Molecule
Organique	Organic
Physique	Physics
Science	Science

Christmas (Noël)

My absolute favourite time of the year!! Seeing my children’s eyes sparkling when they open their presents is absolutely fabulous (the far too early time they wake up on that day is not as great though…). Petit Papa Noël quand tu descendras du ciel…

French	English
Avent	Advent
Boule	Bauble, bulb
Cadeau	Presents, gifts
Décorations	Decoration
Guirlande	Tinsel
Nativité	Nativity
Neige	Snow
Père Noël	Santa Claus, Father Christmas
Sapin	Christmas tree
Traîneau	Sledge, sled

Classroom (la salle de classe)

As a teacher, I particularly appreciate anything to do with school (that sounds so geeky!). Knowing classroom’s items could be beneficial to you if you learn French or if you move to France and send your children to a French school.

French	English
Ardoise	Slate
Bureau	Desk
Cartable	Schoolbag
Cours	Lesson
Craie	Chalk stick, piece of chalk
Élève	Pupil
Feutre	Felt pen, felt-tip pen
Instituteur	Primary school teacher
Professeur	Teacher
Tableau	Board

Clothing (les vêtements/les habits)

“Clothes is just something you put on to cover yourself… fashion is a way to communicte”, Dries Van Noten.

Fashion represents such an important part of the French everyday life. Chanel, Jean-Paul Gauthier and so many other French couturiers are centre stage when it comes to fashion!

French	English
Bermuda	Bermuda shorts
Chemise	Shirt
Jupe	Skirt
Pantalon	Pants, trousers
Robe	Dress
Short	Shorts
Sous-vêtement	Underwear
Tenue	Outfit, clothes
Textile	Textile
Tissu	Fabric, material

Coffee (café)

I don’t know about you but most days it feels like without a coffee I won’t be able to face the world…

French	English
Arabica	Arabica
Café crème	White coffee, flat white
Café soluble	Instant coffee
Caféine	Caffeine
Cafetière	Coffee maker, coffee machine
Cuillère	Spoon
Décaféiné (décà)	Decaffeinated coffee
Expresso	Expresso
Tasse	Cup, mug
Torréfaction	Roasting

Colors (les couleurs)

Allen Klein once said “ your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up”.
Do you agree?

There’s a little spelling rule for you (cause, yes, I can’t help being a bit geeky and, yes, grammar, spelling and syntax are never off my mind…). Because “orange” and “marron” are, as well as being colors, both common nouns (respectively meaning “orange” and “conker”), they don’t take a “s” in the plural form.

French	English
Blanc	White
Bleu	Blue
Jaune	Yellow
Marron	Brown
Noir	Black
Orange	Orange
Rose	Pink
Rouge	Red
Vert	Green
Violet	Purple

Computer (ordinateur)

Imagine what life would be nowadays without computers! Having an IT device is a must but do you know any French words which are computer related?

French	English
Clavier	Keyboard, keypad
Écran	Screen
Imprimante	Printer
Informatique	IT, information technology, computer science, computing
Logiciel	Software, program
Mémoire	Memory, RAM, ROM
Modem	Modem
Ordinateur portable	Laptop
Processeur	Processor
Souris	Mouse

Construction (construction)

Imagine having your own house being built in France!! I got mine done and what an amazing adventure it has been! Let’s give you some key words to be able to speak about this topic in French.

French	English
Bâtiment	Building, property
Béton	Concrete
Chantier	Construction site, building site, construction work, building work
Charpente	Framework, frame, structure
Ciment	Cement
Constructeur	Builder
Construire	To build
Maçonnerie	Building work, masonry
Travaux publics	Public work
Urbanisme	Town planning

Country names (les noms de pays)

Do you like Geography? It never was my favourite subject at online school, I must admit… It’s time to brush your  (our) knowledge and to revise some country names.

French	English
Angleterre	England
Australie	Australia
Chine	China
Espagne	Spain
États-Unis	USA
Japon	Japan
Italie	Italy
Portugal	Portugal
Russie	Russia
Nouvelle-Zélande	New-Zeland

Cruise (croisière)

Close your eyes and picture this: you and your loved one on a Mediterranean cruise sipping cocktails and enjoying the sunshine. It sounds so perfect!

French	English
Bateau	Boat, ship
Bord	Bank
Destination	Destination
Mer	Sea
Navigation	Boating, cruising
Paquebot	Liner
Port	Port, harbour
Port de plaisance	Marina
Traversée	Crossing
Voyage	Journey, trip

Cycling (cyclisme)

This sport is particularly appreciated by French people who follow the Tour de France every year. It represents a very important sporting event!

French	English
Bicyclette	Bicycle, bike
Casque	Helmet
Classement	Rankings
Contre-la-montre	Time trial
Cycliste	Cyclist, cycling competitor, bicycle racer
Étape	Stage
Maillot	Jersey, shirt
Piste cyclable	Bicycle path
Sport	Sport
Vélo	Bike

Daily routine (routine quotidienne)

Every single one of us has his/her own little daily routine but would you know how to express yours in French?

French	English
Déjeuner	To lunch
Écouter la radio	To listen to the radio
Faire de l’exercice	To do exercise
Habitude	Habit, custom, wont
Lire	To read
Regarder la télévision	To watch TV
Se brosser les dents	To brush one’s teeth
Se coiffer	To do somebody’s hair
Se laver	To have a wash
Se lever	To get up

Dairy products (les produits laitiers)

Ask any French person to tell you about dairy products and the first thing that will come to their mind is the song of a daily product advert on tele, “les produits laitiers sont nos amis pour la vie” (dairy products are our friends for life). More seriously, here are some words on this topic.

French	English
Beurre	Butter
Chantilly	Chantilly
Crème	Cream
Desserts lactés	Dairy dessert
Fromage	Cheese
Lait	Milk
Laitage	Dairy produce
Margarine	Margarine
Petit-lait	Whey
Yaourt	Yogurt

Date (date)

Even though, it can be rather scary how time flies, it is important to be able to say the date or anything related to the date.

French	English
Année	Year
Antidater	To antedate
Calendrier	Calendar
Chronologie	Chronology
Éphéméride	Tear-off calendar, block calendar
Jour	Day
Mois	Month
Naissance	Birth
Semaine	Week
Temps	Time

Days of the week (les jours de la semaine)

In the same topic, here are the days of the week.

French	English
Lundi	Monday
Mardi	Tuesday
Mercredi	Wednesday
Jeudi	Thursday
Vendredi	Friday
Samedi	Saturday
Dimanche	Sunday
Week-end	Weekend
Hebdomadaire	Weekly

Desserts (les desserts)

Call to all desserts lovers out there!! The French gastronomy is known worldwide and French desserts clearly do honour to this reputation!

French	English
Biscuit	Biscuit, cookie
Entremets	Dessert, sweet, pudding
Fruit	Fruit
Gâteau	Cake
Glace	Ice-cream
Pain perdu	French toast, bread pudding
Pâtisserie	Pastry, cake, baking, pastry cooking, patisserie
Sorbet	Sorbet
Sucré	Sugary, sweet
Tarte	Tart, pie

Dining room (salle à manger)

In France, probably more than anywhere else in the world, families usually have their evening meal together in the dining room.

French	English
Buffet	Sideboard, dresser
Convive	Guest
Déjeuner	To lunch
Dîner	To dine
Petit-déjeuner	To have breakfast
Pièce	Room
Repas	Meal
Salon	Living room
Se mettre à table	To sit at the table
Table	Table

Directions (les directions)

As a traveller, you will necessarily need to ask for directions when visiting France or any French-speaking country. Here is a list of words to help you!

French	English
Déviation	Diversion, diverting
Droite	Right
Faire demi-tour	To turn round
Gauche	Left
GPS	Sat-Nav, GPS
Navigateur	Navigator
Orientation	Sense of direction
Se perdre	To get lost
Sens	Way
Virage	Bend, turn

Driving (conduite)

Driving is a must in France as there are so many long roads to travel from one place to another. Get ready to go miles and miles without any sign of human life! Landscapes, landscapes and more beautiful landscapes coming your way!

French	English
Auto-école	Driving school
Chauffeur	Driver, chauffeur
Circulation	Traffic
Conducteur	Driver
Conduire	To drive
Direction	Direction, way
Pilotage	Piloting
Routière	Road, highway
Route	Road
Voiture	Car

Economics (économie)

“But what I really believe is education is a key to pretty much everything – prosperity, economics, peace, stability”, Greg Mortenson.

French	English
Budget	Budget, finances
Capitalisme	Capitalism
Chômage	Unemployment
Consommation	Consumption, use
Croissance	Growth
Économiste	Economist
Épargne	Saving
Mondialisation	Globalisation
Monétaire	Monetary
Productivité	Productivity, productiveness

Education (éducation)

Some food for thought : « Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world », Nelson Mandela.

French	English
Apprentissage	Learning, learning process
Collège	Secondary school, high school, middle school, junior school
École	School
Enseignement	Teaching
Formation	Schooling, training, course
Instruction	Education
Lycée	College, sixth form
Pédagogie	Teaching skills, educational method
Scolaire	Academic, eductional, scholastic
Université	University

Emergency (urgence)

Touch wood, it won’t be the case but you might end up in a situation that calls for immediate action. If so, here are so useful words.

French	English
Appel d’urgence	Emergency call
Arrêt d’urgence	Emergency stop
Couverture de survie	Emergency blanket, space blanket
Issue de secours, sortie de secours	Emergency exit
Les urgences	Casualty
Numéro d’urgence	Emergency phone number
Premiers secours, soins de premiers secours	Emergency care
Réserves	Emergency rations
SAMU	Emergency ambulance service
Services d’urgence	Emergency service

Equestrian (équestre, hippique)

Whether you like the sport, horses or having a bet on a horse, this list is made for you !

French	English
Cavalerie	Cavalry
Cavalier, cavalière	Horserider
Cheval	Horse
Écuyer	Horseman, horsewoman
Équin	Equine
Équitation	Horse riding, horsebck riding
Hippodrome	Racecourse, racetrack
Palefrenier	Groom, ostler
Sabot	Hoof
Saut d’obstacle	Show jumping

Essential (essentiel)

Stephen Covey said « Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships ». For you, what is essential in life ?

French	English
Dominant	Dominant, main
Enjeu	Issue, concern
Fondamental	Crucial, essential, fundamental
Important	Important
Indispensable	Vital, essential, compulsary, obligatory
Nécessaire	Necessary, needed
Nécessité	Necessity, requirement, obligation
Primordial	Primordial, essential
Principal	Main
Vital	Vital, essential

Family members (les membres de la famille)

Where would we be without our family ? Whether they are close or far, family members are people we should always be close to. Having said that, there is a famous saying in France : « on choisit ses amis mais on ne choisit pas sa famille » (we choose our friends but not our family »…

French	English
Cousin, cousine	Cousin
Fille	Daughter
Fils	Son
Frère	Brother
Grand-parent	Grandparent
Mère	Mother
Oncle	Uncle
Père	Father
Sœur	Sister
Tante	Aunt, auntie

Farm (ferme)

For some people living in a farm is a fantastic way of life. I think I’d rather go to a farm on a day out… I’m way to used to my own little comfort.

French	English
Agriculteur	Farmer
Basse-cour	Barn, barnyard
Charrue	Plough, plow
Cultiver	To cultivate, to grow, to farm
Élevage	Farming, livestock farming
Étable	Barn, cowshed
Exploitation agricole	Farm
Grange	Barn
Labourer	To plough, to plow, to dig over, to turn the soil
Verger	Orchard

Fast food (fast-food)

Ever watched the film « supersize me » ? So, yes, the consequences of eating fast food regularly can be totally terrible but who has never enjoyed just ordering some food and chilling in front of the tele ? I know I’m guilty of this (well everu now and again).

French	English
Cafétéria	Canteen, cafeteria, lunch room
Commander	To order
Hamburger	Burger
Livrer	To deliver
Malbouffe	Junk food
Prêt à manger	Ready to eat
Pizza	Pizza
Restaurant	Restaurant
Restauration rapide	Fast food
Snack	Snack bar

Feelings (sentiments)

« Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts ? », Confucius.
What is the best feeling you’ve ever had ? Mine definitely has to be when I first met my sons !

French	English
Affection	Affection
Amitié	Friendship
Amour	Love
Attachement	Attachment, emotional attachment, affection, fondness
Désir	Desire, yearning, longing, craving
Émotion	Emotion
Haine	Hatred
Jalousie	Jealousy
Tendresse	Tenderness, softness
Tristesse	Sadness

First aid (premiers secours)

This topic completes the topic « emergency ».

French	English
Croix-Rouge	Red Cross
Porter secours	To rescue, to save
Secourir	To rescue, to save
Secourisme	First aid
Secouriste	First aider, first-aid worker
Secours	Help, assistance, aid
Soigner	To treat
Soin	Care, treatment
Urgence	Emergency

Fish and seafood (poisson et fruits de mer)

I absolutely love seafood ! Nothing beats it for me. Well, actually, what is better than eating seafood ? Eating seafood with a lovely glass of French white wine of course !

French	English
Bouillabaisse	Bouillabaisse (French fish stew)
Chalutier	Trawler, fishing boat
Coquillage	Shellfish
Crevette	Prawn
Filet	Fish fillet
Huître	Oyster
Mollusque	Mollusc, mollusk
Pêche	Angling, fishing
Pêcheur	Angler, fisherman
Poissonnier, poissonnière	Fish monger, fish seller

Fitness (fitness)

« Take care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live », Jim Rohn.

French	English
Aérobic	Aerobics
Cardio	Cardio
Entraînement	Training
Faire de l’exercice	To do some exercises
Forme	Shape, form, fettle
Pilates	Pilates
Remise en forme	Fitness
Salle de sports	Gym
Step	Step
Zumba	Zumba

Flowers (les fleurs)

Offering flowers certainly is a good start to get to a woman’s heart ! Do you give or receive many ?

French	English
Bouquet	Bunch, bouquet
Corolle	Corolla
Étamine	Stamen
Fleuriste	Florist
Floraison	Flowering, blossoming
Pétale	Petal
Pistil	Pistil
Plante	Plant
Pollen	Pollen
Tige	Stem, stalk

Food (la nourriture)

This is a very important topic to know about as French people love their food so much (and, realistically, who wouldn’t when you  know how delicious the French cuisine is!!).

French	English
Aliment	Food
Alimentation	Diet, nutrition, eating and drinking, feeding
Bon appétit	Enjoy your meal
Estomac	Stomach
Malnutrition	Malnutrition
Manger	To eat
Nourrir	To feed
Nutriment	Nutrient
Nutrition	Nutrition
Régime	Diet

Football (football)

I’ve never been a big football fan but being the only woman at home and being surrounded by three boys (my partner and our two sons), I’ve had no choice but to start watching football. In fact, I’ve become my son’s number one fan and I’m probably the loudest mum encouraging her kid on the pitch now. Embarrassing… Do you like football ? Ask any French person about football and the first thing they will mention is the 1998 football world cup  ! « Et un, et deux, et trois, zéro !! ».

French	English
Arbitre	Referee
Ballon	Ball
But	Goal
Cage	Net, goal
Gardien	Goalkeeper
Les Bleus	Name of the French football team
Match	Match
Mi-temps	Half-time
Protège-tibia	Shin pad
Terrain de foot / de football	Football pitch

French words used in English (mots français utilisés en anglais)

Do you know why there are so many French words in the English language ? It’s thanks to William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquérant). Indeed, he was the duke of Normandy and became king of England in 1066 when he won the battle of Hastings.

He brought with him the French language. At the time, French was mainly spoken by the nobility and English by the people. Nowadays, there are very often two ways to express the same thing, one with a French root and one with an English one !

French words ending in -tion	French words ending in -ble	French words ending in -ible
Action	Adorable	Accessible
Attention	Comfortable	Audible
Communication	Stable
Compétition	Table
Connexion	Visible
Information
Justification
Télévision
Transformation

Some words differ from the English language because they have a circumflex accent. This accent is present in French words because the letter « s » used to follow a vowel which is still the case in English.

French	English
Forêt	Forest
Hôpital	Hospital

To help you finding what you’re looking for, I’ve listed French words used in the English language in categories.

Food

À la carte

Apéritif

Bon appétit

Café

Chef

Hors d’oeuvre

Menu

Omelette

Pique-nique

Restaurant

Salade

Soupe

Vinaigrette

Fashion

Chic

Couture

Haute-couture

Petite

Prêt-à-porter

Silhouette

Other common words used in French

À propos

Bon voyage

Bouquet

Bourgeois

Boutique

Chauffeur

Cliché

Critique

Déjà vu

Eau de cologne

En route

Entrepreneur

Fiancé

Genre

Joie de vivre

Souvenir

Hope you have found everything you needed in this French vocabulary guide !

French is often considered as the language of love and romance. In this article, we compiled the most romantic French Phrases and expressions you can use during your special occasions like Valentine’s Day, Wedding anniversary etc

« Aimer, ce n’est pas se regarder l’un l’autre, c’est regarder ensemble dans la même direction ».

Love doesn’t mean gazing at each other, but looking, together, in the same direction.

Antoine de St-Exupéry

Ah l’Amour, le beau, le vrai, le grand! (Ah love, the beautiful one, the real one, the true one!).

What would life be without love? Not as wonderful I’d imagine!

Declaring your love to the person of your dreams can be a bit daunting so why not imagine a very romantic way to express it?

And what’s more romantic than telling someone you love him/her than by saying it in the language of love, French? Not only will you impress your loved one, you will also make his/her heart melt and you will, therefore, become irresistible !

You’re already in a relationship?

Telling your partner romantic French phrases will add some originality and spice to your relationship! You’re planning a trip to France?

Well, let me tell you: you cannot fully immerse yourself in French without knowing some romantic French words. You never know where a night out in a lovely French town can lead you to…

Whichever way you look at it, learning romantic French Phrases and expressions is a must when it comes to love!

In this article, I will teach you some romantic French Phrases and quotes for you to romance your darling (to be).

Maintenant, tombons amoureux en français! (Now, let’s fall in love in French!)

1) Comment draguer en français? /How to flirt in French?

You have just met the woman/man of your dreams so it’s now time to woo her/him (woo is faire la cour in French). I will tell you how! Some expressions might seem a bit cheesy but still they are so attractive. Learn them, build your confidence up and go and seduce that lovely person you cannot stop thinking about!

Je peux vous offrir un verre?

This means : Can I get you a drink? Imagine the scene: a lovely summer afternoon, you’re sat outside a bar enjoying the sunshine when suddenly you see that beautiful lady. Offering someone a drink is a great way to start a conversation! You could also buy this person a coffee: Je peux vous offrir un café?

Vous venez souvent par ici?

If you think offering a drink to somebody straight away is a bit too straight forward, you could simply ask them if they often comes around here and therefore say “vous venez souvent par ici?”.

Vous êtes célibataire? C’est impossible!

Don’t we all like a bit of flattering? Of course, we do! So here is a sentence to boost your loved one ego: Vous êtes célibataire? C’est impossible! (You are single? That’s impossible!)

 

2) Sentences to totally avoid when flirting in French!

If there are sentences to say when flirting in French, there also are sentences to avoid!

Here are a couple of phrases you shouldn’t say at the risk of sounding slightly ponderous…

T’es trop charmante!

Have you ever been in the situation where you’re walking down the street and you hear someone whistling at you? How cringy?! Well, telling a girl “t’es trop charmante” (word for word: you’re too charming) would have a similar effect. Calling someone charming isn’t obviously bad but saying “trop charmante” (too charming) would appear rather uneducated.

C’est quoi ton 06?

In France, most mobile numbers start with 06. Therefore asking someone for his “06” is the equivalent of asking him for his mobile number in a very rude and so unromantic way.

3) French Romantic Phrases you should know to say to your love

The flirting stage is over. It’s now time to move onto more serious matters and to become romantic. In the following grid, I wrote some French romantic phrases you should learn and say to your chéri (your darling)!.

French romantic phrases	Translation
Je t’apprécie.	I care for you.
Je t’aime bien.	I like you.
Je t’aime.	I love you.
Je suis amoureux (male)	I’m in love.
Je suis amoureuse (female)	I’m in love.
Tu es la femme de ma vie/de. mes rêves	You are the woman of my life/of my dreams.
Tu es l’homme de ma vie/de mes rêves.	You are the man of my life/of my dreams.
Tu es l’amour de ma vie.	You are the love of my life.
Je veux passer ma vie avec toi.	I want to spend my life with you.
Je veux être avec toi pour toujours.	I want to be with you forever.
J’ai besoin de toi.	I need you.
Je ne peux pas m’empêcher de penser à toi.	I can’t stop thinking about you.
Tu me rends heureux (male).	You make me happy.
Tu me rends heureuse (female).	You make me happy.
Tu es très beau (male)	You are very beautiful.
Tu es très belle (female)	You are very beautiful.
Tu as des yeux magnifiques.	You have amazing eyes.
J’aime ton sourire.	I love your smile.
Tu es parfait (male).	You are perfect.
Tu es parfaite (female).	You are perfect.
Tu me fascines.	I am passionate about you.
J’aimerais te revoir.	I would like to see you again.
Embrasse-moi.	Kiss me.
Embrasse-moi comme tu m’aimes.	Kiss me like you love me.
Prends moi dans tes bras.	Take me in your arms.
Fais moi un câlin.	Hug me.
J’ai envie de toi.	I want you.
J’ai envie de te faire l’amour.	I want to make love to you.

4)  Romantic questions in French

You my also want to ask questions to the love of your life. Here are some of the most important ones.

French romantic questions	Translation
M’apprécies-tu?	Do you care for me?
M’aimes-tu?	Do you love me?
Es-tu amoureux de moi? (male)	Are you in love with me?
Es-tu amoureuse de moi? (female)	Are you in love with me?
Veux-tu être mon petit ami? (male)	Do you want to be my boyfriend?
Veux-tu être ma petite amie? (female)	Do you want to be my girlfriend?
Veux-tu m’épouser?	Will you marry me?

 

Here is all you need to know to charm a French person.

Side Note: Want a light introduction to French grammar and vocabulary? Check Out Our French Course for Beginners

Conclusion

Tell him/her some of these romantic French words and let the magic begin! I wish you both a long and happy loving life together!

Enjoy this article?

Which french romantic phrases are you going to use with your loved one

Let me know by leaving a quick comment below right now.

How to download useful tools to conjugate avoir in the past compound (Passé Composé) tense in French

The passé composé (compound past) is an action or event completed in the past.

The action has just taken places and it has just ended: the consequence of this action is perceptible at the moment of speaking.

Charlotte est partie, she’s gone. She not here anymore.

Passé Composé is to compound as it is made up of two elements.

It is made up of the verb, to be or to have (être ou avoir) and the main verb, which expresses what action took place. (partir / to go)

Examples of Passé Composé  :

J’ai mangé. I have eaten.

Je suis tombé. I have fallen down

Charlotte est partie. Charlotte is gone.

To make the compound past tense you take être or avoir in the present tense followed by the past participle of the verb.

Most compound past tense use avoir (to have). So it is necessary to revisit this much used well known verb avoir.

If you want to learn more about French conjugation and more particularly more about avoir in the past compound tense, click here to download our free French lesson.

A Spotlight on the verb Avoir at the past compound (Passé Composé) in French.

Here you are !

Welcome to our fabulous French lesson about the verb avoir and the compound past tense.

It may sound tricky to understand how this rule works. but do not be afraid, it is simpler than you think speaking French can be so easy.

First, remember this simple rule:

Like all compound conjugations, the passé composé may be subject to grammatical agreement.

• When the auxiliary verb is être, the past participle must agree with the subject
• When the auxiliary verb is avoir, the past participle may have to agree with its DIRECT OBJECT

This is the most important thing to know ! When you get this, you got it!

Now let’s take it further. You just need 3 steps to get it.

1. Avoir at the present tense

At the past compound (Passsé Composé)  we conjugate Avoir at the present tense. So easy !

2. Past participle

To make your sentence at the compound past you just have to add the main verb. This one has to be conjugated at the past participle.

Let’s have a look at some simple examples and improve your French:

From the first group. The past participle is always é.

From the second group. The past participle is always i.

From the third group. The past participle changes.

3. Agreement

The most important thing to know is, with the compound past tense when conjugated with avoir agreement with the object pronoun occurs BEFORE the verb.

It seems crazy ! but it’s not. It’s easy.

Just look at these examples.

In English the sentence is :

John walked his two lovely dogs. John walked them.

In French:

John a sorti ses deux adorables chiens.

Il les a sortis.

In the first sentence, the verb doesn’t agree with the subject because it is conjugated with avoir. It does not agree with the direct object either because this one is placed after the verb. The direct object is “les adorables chiens”.

Whereas in the second sentence the direct object is placed before the verb.

“Les adorables chiens” has been replaced by “les” which is a direct object pronoun. So “sortir” has to agree with the direct object “les” which are the dogs.

I told you! it’s straightforward! Just to make sure you understand it properly, I give you more examples here and in no time you will speak fluently.

Now the only way to get familiar with all of this, is to enrol in one of our terrific French conversation classes.

Do not hesitate and contact us now at French Lessons Australia.

We are here to help you improve your French