135 French words used in English that you know and love (2023)

FAQs

What are 10 French words that we use in English? ›

French: What3words ignores accents as not everyone types them. This means it can't use words that are only differentiated by accents, such as côte and côté. German: A German person using a non-German keyboard may type an umlaut by adding an “e” on to the vowel instead, so that “schön” becomes “schoen”, for example.

Common Questions About French Words

According to one estimate, there are over 7,500 French words that are being used in English. Many more have come from Latin from which French has originated. This implies that a significant number of English words either have an exact or similar counterpart in French.

The most commonly used words in French are: Oui (yes), non (no), merci (thank you), je (I), tu/vous (you), le/la/les (the), un, une des (a, an and some), le/la/les (it, them), et (and) and mais (but).

70 = soixante-dix which is “60 + 10” 80 = quatre-vingts which is “four 20s” 90 = quatre-vingt which is “four 20s + 10”

What is a common French saying? ›

Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup.

Literal translation: “Eat well, laugh often, love a lot.” Actual meaning: “Live life to the fullest” or carpe diem (“seize the day”). Use this positive French saying to console a friend that is having a hard time.

In fact nearly 30% of all English words come directly or indirectly from French. The main influx of French words can be traced back to the Norman invasion of England in 1066.

To the tune of "Jingle Bells", he sang: Helping verbs, helping verbs, there are 23! Am, is, are, was and were, being, been, and be, Have, has, had, do, does, did, will, would, shall and should.

It is estimated that you have to learn 5000 words to be fluent in French. Be selective and learn the 5000 most used words in French! Think about it. Some words are more valuable than others.

A Frenchman ; The French.

However, it is estimated that a truly fluent French speaker knows around 3,000 words.

It's technically a swear but also technically not a swear. Kids' shows and movies don't use it because some young kids think it is a swear.

What is the T word swear? ›

T-word, a euphemism for tranny, a pejorative term for transgender individuals.

Sacrebleu! Sacrebleu is a stereotypical and very old fashioned French curse, which is rarely used by the French these days. An English equivalent would be “My Goodness!” or “Golly Gosh!” It was once considered very offensive.

The coolest French word may be jouaient (third person plural imperfect of jouer – to play), which has all five vowels in a row!

French. French is a language with one of the fastest speaking and reading rates. With a speaking rate of 5.02 syllables per second, equivalent to about 195 words per minute, the French language can speed through words via dropped syllables and abbreviating words.

Chouette (great, nice, cool)

But as a slang term, you can use it to describe something you like or to say something or someone is cool. Example: Mon prof est chouette. My teacher is cool. C'est chouette!

French Numbers: 90-99

90 is quatre-vingt-dix (four-twenty-ten), 91 is quatre-vingt-onze (four-twenty-eleven), etc.

How do the French say 99? ›

The most important French greetings include bonjour (hello), enchanté(e) (nice to meet you), bonsoir (good evening/hello), salut (hi), coucou (hey), Ça fait longtemps, dis donc (long time no see), Âllo (hello), Ça va? (how are you?), tu vas bien? (have you been well?), quoi de neuf? (what's up?), au revoir!

According to a 2009 study by researchers at Reading University, the oldest words in the English language include “I“, “we“, “who“, “two” and “three“, all of which date back tens of thousands of years.

100th (hundredth) 101st (hundred and first)

1 Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (forty-five letters): A lung disease caused by the inhalation of silica or quartz dust.

Dog – wouf wouf/ouaf ouaf

Depending on whether we are talking about those deep barks of a big dog, or the sharp yelps of a tiny dog, dogs in France say wouf wouf or oaf oaf when they aboie – bark. But dogs can also grogner (to growl), or even hurler (howl). J'ai peur des chiens qui grognent.

Just ask: “est-ce que je peux utiliser vos toilettes s'il vous plaît” (may I use your restroom) with a smile, and it should be no problem.

French and Latin words make up 58 % of modern English vocabulary today. On their own, purely French words make up 29% of English. It's generally thought that around 10,000 words have been borrowed into English from French.

About 45% of the English vocabulary originates from the French language.