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List of French phrases used by English speakers

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Here are some examples of French words and phrases used by English speakers.

There are many words of French origin in English, such as competition, art, table, publicity, police, role, routine, machine, force, 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 via, 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. 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 B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Only found in English — French phrases in international air-sea rescue — See also — References

Words and phrases

Note that these phrases are generally pronounced using an approximation of the French rules to one degree or another. Thus, the stress may fall on the final syllable, a final consonant is usually silent, consequent words are pronounced without a pause between them, unaccented e is usually pronounced as [ə] except in final position when it is silent, and final n nasalizes the preceding vowel. (See International Phonetic Alphabet for English for a guide to phonetic symbols.)

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.)
à outrance
to the utmost or last extreme
accouchement
confinement during childbirth; the process of having a baby
adieu
good bye
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
amour-propre
self regard; lit. love of self
ancien régime
a sociopolitical or other system that no longer exists, in allusion to pre-revolutionary France
apéritif
a before-meal drink
appliqué
an inlaid or attached decorative feature
après
after
Après nous, le déluge.
the remark attributed to Louis XV; used in reference to the impending end of an era (After us, the deluge.)
après-ski
socializing after a ski session
arête
a narrow ridge
armoire
a type of cabinet; wardrobe
arriviste
a social climber
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
attaché
a person attached to an embassy
au contraire
to the contrary
au courant
up-to-date; abreast of current affairs
au fait
up to par
au mieux
at best
au naturel
nude
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.
autres temps, autres mœurs
"other times, other customs"
avant garde
applied to cutting-edge or radically innovative movements in art and literature; lit. before the guard (vanguard)
avant la lettre
before such a thing was common, as a precursor, as a forerunner

B

beaucoup
a lot of (slang, e.g., "beaucoup bucks")
beau ideal
an idealized type; (bel idéal in French)
beaux arts
fine arts; a style of architecture
bel esprit
a witty or clever person
belle époque
an era of cultural refinement
belles lettres
literary works valued for their aesthetic qualities
bête noire
someone or something which is detested or avoided; lit. black beast
bêtise
a foolish act
bien aimé
a beloved person
bien pensant
right-thinking; politically correct
bien soigné
well-groomed
billet doux
a love letter
bistro
a small restaurant
bivouac
a temporary camp
blasé
jaded
Bon appétit!
"Enjoy your meal!"; lit. Good appetite!
bonhomie
geniality
Bonjour!
"Hello!"; lit. Good day!
bon mot
a witticism
bonne bouche
a delicious morsel
Bonne chance!
Good luck!
bonnet rouge
a revolutionist
bon ton
a sophisticated manner; high society
bon vivant
an epicure
Bon voyage!
"Have a good trip!"
boudoir
bedroom
bourgeois
belonging to the privileged class
bourgeoisie
the privileged class
boutonnière
a small bunch of flowers for a buttonhole
brasserie
a small restaurant
brassiere
a bra
bric-à-brac
small ornamental objects
bricolage
construction from bits and pieces on hand

C

cachet
a distinctive quality
cafe-au-lait
coffee with milk; or a light-brown color
Ça ne fait rien.
"It doesn't matter."
cap-à-pie
from head to foot
carte blanche
unlimited authority; lit. blank card
Cassé
burn, so there
carte d'identité
identity card
Ça va sans dire.
"That goes without saying."
C'est bon.
"I understand."; lit. It's good.
C'est la mode.
Such is fashion.
C'est la vie!
"That's life!"; or Such is life!
C'est magnifique!
That's great!
chaise longue
a long chair for reclining
chanson
a song
chanteuse
a female singer
chapeau
a hat
chargé d'affaires
a temporary or low-level diplomat
châteaux en Espagne
lit. castles in Spain; something that exists only in the imagination (cf. "castles in the air" or "pie in the sky")
chef d'œuvre
a masterpiece
Cherchez la femme.
lit., "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 affaire)
Chevalier d'Industrie
one who lives by his wits, specially by swindling
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
cliché
trite through overuse; a stereotype
clique
a small exclusive group of friends
coquette
a flirtatious girl; a tease
commandant
a commanding officer
comme il faut
as is proper
comme ci comme ça
so-so
Comment allez-vous ?
How are you?
communiqué
an official communication
concierge
a hotel desk manager
concordat
an agreement; a treaty
confrère
a colleague
congé
a departure
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
contretemps
an awkward clash; a delay
cortège
a funeral 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
coup de grâce
death blow, lit. blow of mercy
coup de main
a surprise attack (usually means to give assistance in French
coup d'état
a sudden change in government by force; lit. hit (blow) of state
coup d'œil
a glance
couture
fashion
couturier
a fashion designer
crèche
a nativity display
crème brûlée
a dessert consisting primarily of custard and caramel
crème de la crème
best of the best; lit. cream of the cream
crêpe
a thin sweet or savoury pancake eaten as a light meal or dessert
cri de cœur
a passionate plea
cul-de-sac
a dead-end (residential) street; lit. bottom of bag

D

D'accord.
"OK."; Agreed.
déclassé
of inferior social status
décor
the layout and furnishing of a room
découpage
decoration with cut paper
dégagé
unworried
déjà vu
an impression or illusion of having seen or experienced something before. Literally "already seen".
déjà entendu
already heard
déjà lu
already read
démarche
a decisive step
demimonde
a class of women of ill repute; a fringe group or subculture
démodé
dated
dénouement
the end result
de nouveau
again; anew
dépaysé
out of one’s element
dérailleur
a bicycle gear-shift mechanism
de règle
according to custom; (not used in French)
de rigueur
required or expected, especially with reference to fashion
dernier cri
the latest fashion
derrière
rear; buttocks; lit. 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
double entendre
something which can be interpreted in two ways, both of which make sense in the context used. One is often sexual (now defunct in French)
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; lit., right of the lord;
du jour
said of something fashionable or hip for a day and quickly forgotten; lit. of the day;

E

eau de toilette
perfume
éclat
conspicuous achievement
élan
a distinctive flair
embarras de richesses
embarrassment of riches
embarras du choix
multitude difficult to choose from
embonpoint
fat (euphemistically)
émigré
one who has emigrated for political reasons
éminence grise
a powerful advisor or decision-maker who operates secretly or otherwise unofficially; lit. gray eminence
empressé
eager
enfant terrible
a disruptively unconventional person
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
entente
diplomatic agreement or cooperation
entre nous
confidentially; lit. between us
entrée
the main dish or course of a meal (U.S.), or the first course of a meal (UK); lit., entrance
entrepreneur
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; lit. spirit of body
exposé
a published exposure of a fraud or scandal
extraordinaire
extraordinary

F

fainéant
a slacker
fait accompli
something that has happened and is unlikely to be reversed
faute de mieux
for want of better
faux
fake
faux amis
lit. false friends; used to refer to words in two different languages that have 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, or false step
femme fatale
an alluring, mysterious woman
fiancé
a man engaged to be married
fiancée
a woman engaged to be married
film noir
a genre of dark-themed movies
fils
used after a man's surname to distinguish a son from a father
fin de siècle
comparable to (but not exactly the same as) turn-of-the-century but with a connotation of decadence
flambeau
a lighted torch
flâneur
an aimless idler
fleur-de-lis
a stylized-flower heraldic device
folie à deux
a simultaneous occurrence of delusions in two closely related people
force majeure
an overpowering event, an act of God
frisson
a thrill

G

gaffe
blunder
gamine
impish girl
garçon
lit. boy or male servant; sometimes used by English speakers to summon the attention of a male waiter; (has a playful connotation in English but is insulting in French)
gauche
tactless
gaucherie
boorishness
gendarme
a police officer (irreverently)
genre
a type or class
glissade
slide down a slope
grande dame
a venerable woman
Grand Prix
a type of motor racing, lit. Grand Prize
Grand Guignol
a type of puppet theatre; used in English to describe a ridiculous situation ("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; lit. upper kitchen.
haute école
advanced horsemanship; lit. upper school
hauteur
arrogance
haut monde
fashionable society
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
hors d'œuvre

I

idée fixe
a leitmotiv; an obsession
insouciant
nonchalant
ingénue
an innocent young woman

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)
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

K

L

l'affaire [proper name]
a cause célèbre, e.g., l’affaire Enron, in allusion to L’Affaire Dreyfus
laisser-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 culture and not commonly used by Francophones outside of Louisiana)
layette
a set of clothing and accessories for a new baby
la petite mort
an orgasm; lit. the little death
lèse majesté
treason; an affront
l'esprit de l'escalier
thinking of the right comeback too late; lit. 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 an overweening ego
liaison
a close relationship or connection; an affaire
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity; (motto of the French Republic)
littérateur
a literary person; (pejorative in French)
longueur
a tedious passage in drama or literature
louche
of questionable taste; shady
Louis Quinze
of the style of architecture and furniture at the time of Louis XV of France

M

macramé
course lace work made with knotted cords
maison
house
malaise
a general sense of depression or unease
mal de mer
motion sickness
manqué
underachieving
Mardi Gras
Fat Tuesday
marque
a model or brand
matériel
supplies and equipment
mélange
a mixture
mêlée
a confused fight; a struggling crowd
ménage à trois
a sexual arrangement between three people; lit. household for three; (not typically used if all three are of the same sex)
Merci beaucoup!
Thank you very much!
Merde.
Shit.
métier
one’s profession; forte
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?"
monde
one’s own world
montage
a blending of pictures, scenes, or sounds
motif
a recurrent thematic element
moue
a small grimace; pout
mousse
a whipped dessert or a hairstyling foam

N

né
masculine form of née
née
used to indicate a woman’s birth name or maiden name, e.g., Martha Washington, née Martha Dandridge; lit. 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
nom de plume
pen name
nouveau
newfangled
nouveau riche
newly rich
nouvelle cuisine

O

objet d'art
a work of art, commonly a painting or sculpture
œuvre
"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; lit. chewed paper
par excellence
quintessential; lit. by excellence
Pardon.
Excuse me.
parvenu
an upstart; an arriviste
pas de deux
a close relationship between two people; a duet 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
petite
small; waiflike; skinny; lit. small
pièce de résistance
the best; the one that resists; (In French, pièce de résistance can mean the main course in a meal.)
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 de résistance
the main dish of a meal; lit. dish of resistance
plat du jour
a dish served in a restaurant on a particular day but which is not part of the regular menu; lit. 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.)
précis
a concise summary
prix fixe
a fixed-price meal
politesse
courteous formality
portmanteau
a large suitcase
poseur
a person who pretends to be something he is not; a phony
prêt-à-porter
ready-to-wear clothing
protégé
one who receives support from an influential patron
provocateur
a polemicist
prud-homme
an upstanding citizen; a skilled workman

Q

Quel dommage!
What damage! or "What a shame!"
Quelle horreur!
What a horrible thing! (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 sych with someone; "I've developed a rapport with my co-workers"; French for
rapprochement
the establishment of cordial relations
recherché
obscure; pretentious
résumé
in North American English, a document listing one's qualifications for employment
rendezvous
a meeting, appointment, or date; (usually written rendez-vous in French and sometimes in English)
repartee
clever banter
repertoire
the range of skills of a particular person or group
reportage
reporting; journalism
restaurateur
a restaurant owner
risqué
sexually suggestive; (in French, the meaning of risqué is risky, with no sexual connotation)
roman à clef
a fictional account of a true story; lit. novel with a key
roué
a hedonist
roux
a cooked mixture of flour and fat used as a base in soups and gravies

S

sabotage
subversive destruction
saboteur
one who commits sabotage
Sacré bleu!
general exclamation of horror and shock; a minced oath for "Sacré Dieu!" (Sacred God!); sometimes contracted and unaccented
sang-froid
great coolness and composure under strain; lit. cold blood
sans
without
sans-culottes
an extremist
savant
a wise or learned person
savoir-faire
social grace
savoir-vivre
etiquette
s'il vous plaît
please; lit. if it pleases you, if you please
sobriquet
an assumed name, a nickname
soi-disant
so-called; self-described; lit. oneself saying
soigné
fashionable; polished
soirée
a party
soupçon
a very small amount
soupe du jour
soup of the day
succès d’estime
an important but unpopular achievement

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 or tense meeting; lit. head-to-head
toilette
the process of dressing or grooming
touché
acknowledgment of an effective counterpoint; lit. hit!
tour de force
a masterly or brilliant stroke, creation, effect, or accomplishment; lit. feat of strength
très
very (often ironically)
trompe l'œil
photograph-like realism in painting; lit. fool the eye

U

V

vignette
a brief description; a short scene
vis-à-vis
in comparison with or in relation to; lit. face-to-face
Vive!
"Long live ...!"; lit. Live!; as in "Vive la France!", "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
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?
"Do you want to sleep with me (tonight)?"
voyeur
a peeping tom

W - X - Y - Z

Zut alors!
Darn it!, a general exclamation. Like "Sacré bleu", this is considered dated by modern French speakers. (Just plain zut is still in use, however - often repeated for effect, ie. zut, zut et zut!) (Whether "zut" is dated or not might depend on context

Only found in English

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
cause célèbre
An issue arousing widespread controversy or heated public debate, lit. celebrated cause
décolletage
a low-cut neckline, cleavage (This is actually a case of "false friends"
double entendre
double meaning, for which Francophones would use «double sens». The verb entendre, to hear (modern), originally meant to understand. (Note
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).
faux pas
An embarrassing social error, lit. false step; sometimes used in French to mean to slip. Francophones would normally use «gaffe» which is less polite.
femme
a stereotypically effeminate gay man or lesbian (slang, pronounced as written)
le mot juste
the right word; lit. the just word
maitre d'
Francophones would say maître d'hôtel instead
Répondez s'il vous plaît. (RSVP)
Please reply. Francophones use "prière de répondre". (Note
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

References

 

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