[vc_row][vc_column][insignia_section_heading title=”50 English words used in French” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h1″ font_weight=”default” sub_font_weight=”default”][vc_column_text]If your goal is to speak French more naturally, you’ll quickly notice how many English words have become part of everyday French. Some have kept their original meaning, while others are pronounced differently or have developed a specifically French meaning.
You may already recognize familiar food terms such as cheeseburger, smoothie and poke bowl. In this guide, you’ll discover 50 common English words used in French, along with clear explanations and examples to help you understand and use them correctly.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”18233″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][insignia_section_heading title=”1. English words in a French speaking office” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h2″ font_weight=”default” sub_font_weight=”default”][vc_column_text]English terms are common in French workplaces, particularly in technology, communication and management. Some are used in much the same way as in English, while others have developed a slightly different meaning or usage in French.[/vc_column_text][insignia_section_heading title=”1.1 Office Communication” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h3″ font_weight=”default” sub_font_weight=”default”][vc_column_text]
- ASAP: Common in informal professional messages, as in Peux-tu me répondre ASAP ? In formal French, use dès que possible.
- Un brainstorming: We say faire un brainstorming or organiser une séance de brainstorming when colleagues meet to exchange ideas.
- Checker: This informal verb means to check something: Je vais checker mes emails. In formal contexts, use vérifier.
- Un email, un e-mail or un mail: All three forms are common. We say écrire un email or envoyer un mail. Courriel is more formal in France.
- Un meeting: In French, un meeting generally refers to a public or political gathering, rather than an ordinary business meeting. Learn more about the differences between un meeting, une réunion and un rendez-vous in my Quick Guide to Business French.
- Un planning: This means a schedule or timetable. We commonly say préparer un planning, modifier un planning or simply planifier.
[/vc_column_text][insignia_section_heading title=”1.2 Technology and the Modern Workplace” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h3″ font_weight=”default” sub_font_weight=”default”][vc_column_text]
- Un bug: A computer problem is un bug informatique. We also say Il y a un bug or Ça bugue.
- Un geek / une geek: This describes someone passionate about technology or a specialist subject. Une geekette is a more playful feminine form.
- Un open space: This is an open-plan office. We say travailler en open space or des bureaux en open space.
- Un smartphone: This term is widely understood, although un téléphone portable or un portable is often more natural in everyday French.
- Un dress code: This refers to clothing rules. In formal French, you may also see un code vestimentaire or une tenue exigée.
- Un afterwork: This is an informal gathering with colleagues after work, often in a bar: aller à un afterwork.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][insignia_section_heading title=”1.3 Career and Team Culture” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h3″ font_weight=”default” sub_font_weight=”default”][vc_column_text]
- Booster sa carrière: This means to advance your career or improve your professional prospects.
- Un burn-out: We commonly say faire un burn-out. The French equivalent is un épuisement professionnel.
- Un challenge / challenger: Un challenge means a challenge. Challenger quelqu’un means to push someone, while se challenger means to push yourself.
- Un flop: Faire un flop means to fail or be unsuccessful. By contrast, C’est top ! means “It’s great!”
- Un leader / une leader: This describes someone who influences or inspires others. Une leadeuse exists, but une leader is more common.
- Le team building: This refers to activities designed to strengthen a team, such as une activité or un séminaire de team building.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row gap=”0px” css_animation=”none” css=”.vc_custom_1788359744038{background-color: #E8F0EB !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Email vs Courriel
In French, un email can also be called un courriel. In France, courriel is mainly used in formal or administrative contexts, for example by the tax authorities, social security organizations or insurance companies. In everyday conversation, un email or un mail is more common. In Quebec, however, courriel is widely used in everyday language.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”18229″ img_size=”full”][insignia_section_heading title=”2. Communicate in French about news and medias with English words” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h2″ font_weight=”default” sub_font_weight=”default”][vc_column_text]
- Boycotter
- Un briefing / Briefer quelqu’un
- Faire le buzz : Starting a rumor on the Internet, make media noise, make sure to be picked up by social networks.
- Cool : ‘C’est cool’ or ‘c’est pas cool’
- Fake news : False or misleading information presented as news, ‘les fake news’ have been very popular since the Trump presidency
- Un follower : ‘Avoir beaucoup de followers’ is the goal of many ‘influenceurs et influenceuses’ on social medias
- Être hypé : ‘La hype’ is something trendy. ‘Etre hypé’ is to be excited about something
- Une interview : Not to be mixed with un entretien as we talked about it previously
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”18230″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row gap=”0px” css_animation=”none” css=”.vc_custom_1788360239974{background-color: #E8F0EB !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Interview vs entretien
In French, une interview usually refers to an interview conducted by a journalist for television, radio, a newspaper or another media outlet. For a job interview, we say un entretien d’embauche, often shortened to un entretien when the context is clear.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row gap=”0px” css_animation=”none”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
- Top (être au top / c’est top) : ‘C’est top’ ! means it’s awesome !
- Tweeter : to write a tweet has become a verb in the French language
- Swag : ‘Le swag’ means the style, the charisma. ‘Avoir du swag’ is to be very fashionable but also to have a special kind of charisma
- Créer/organiser un Zoom : the app used for online French lessons has become a noun
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][insignia_section_heading title=”3. English Terms Used for Sports and Leisure in French” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h2″ font_weight=”default” sub_font_weight=”default”][vc_column_text]English terms are also common when French speakers talk about sports, leisure activities and social life. Some retain their original meaning, while others are used differently or have developed a specifically French meaning. Here are a few common examples you may hear in everyday conversation.
- All-inclusive
- Baby-sitter
- Basket : It can represent the sport ‘jouer au basket’ (basketball). But it can also mean sneakers with ‘porter des baskets’ (wear sneakers)
- Best-of
- Booker : You can ‘booker un restaurant, un voyage’ (to make a booking, a reservation). You can also be ‘overbooké’ (too much on your plate)
- Bruncher : ‘Bruncher’ ou ‘faire un brunch’ has been a French, and even more so Parisian, trend for a little whitle now.
- Un Drive : Even more popular since the lockdown
- Fitness / être fit : ‘Etre fit’ is to be in good shape, with abs
- Happy hours
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”18231″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row gap=”0px” css_animation=”none” css=”.vc_custom_1788360239974{background-color: #E8F0EB !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Jogging and faire du footing
Be careful with the words footing and jogging, as they have different meanings in French. Faire du footing means to go for a run or to go jogging, while un jogging refers to a tracksuit or a pair of tracksuit bottoms.
For example:
Je mets un jogging pour aller faire du footing.
I put on a tracksuit to go for a run.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row gap=”0px” css_animation=”none”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
- Live : ‘être en live’ means en direct. In informal French, we have a saying ‘partir en live’ where events become uncontrollable.
- Low cost : ‘des voyages low cost’ or ‘des compagnies aériennes low cost’ (low cost airlines)
- Making-of : Behind-the-scenes
- Replay
- Stand up : ‘Faire du stand up’ (stand up comedy) and ‘faire du stand up paddle’
- Streaming : ‘Des émissions en streaming’ (streaming broadcasts)
- Week-end
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][insignia_section_heading title=”4. English words in French for clothes” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h2″ font_weight=”default” sub_font_weight=”default”][vc_column_text]Although these words come from English, their meaning or pronunciation may be slightly different in French. For example, un jean is pronounced roughly like “jeen.” To expand your vocabulary, read my guide on how to talk about clothes in French.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
- Un pull = Or ‘un pull-over’ is a jumper
- Un slip = Men’s brief
- Un smoking = A tuxedo
- Un string = A thong
- Un sweat = A sweatshirt
- Un tee-shirt
- Un top
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”18232″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row gap=”0px” css_animation=”none” css=”.vc_custom_1788359924977{background-color: #E8F0EB !important;}”][vc_column][insignia_section_heading title=”Ready to Make Further Progress in French?” subtitle=”” add_icon=”” heading_tag=”h2″ font_weight=”default” sub_font_weight=”default”][vc_column_text]I’d love to help you build your confidence and make further progress with personalized French lessons.[/vc_column_text][insignia_button btn_text=”Start your French Lessons” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frenchwithagnes.com%2Fcontact-private-french-tutor%2F|title:Start%20your%20French%20Lessons|target:_blank” button_size=”btn-medium” button_align=”text-center” enable_icon=”” text_font_weight=”font-weight-600″ btn_bg_color=”#5C977A” hover_bg_color=”#6FAF8F” border_color=”#5C977A” hover_border_color=”#6FAF8F”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Comments are closed.