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Bonjour = Hello, Good morningAu revoir = GoodbyeOui = YesNon = NoMerci = Thank youMerci beaucoup = Thank you very muchFille = GirlGarçon = BoyFemme = WomanHomme = ManAmour = LoveFrançais = FrenchS’il vous plaît = PleaseBonsoir = Good eveningBonne Nuit = Good nightExcusez-moi = Excuse meDe Rien = You’re welcome (casual, informal way)Je vous en prie = You’re welcome (formal)Temps = TimeJour = DayMonde = WorldMonsieur = Mister, gentlemanRaison = ReasonMademoiselle = Miss, unmarried womanMadame = Married woman, older womanBeau = HandsomeBelle = BeautifulChat = CatChien = DogFort = Strong

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Faux, as in faux fur – from the French word faux (false)Faux-pas – from the French wordfaux pasFiancé – from the French wordfiancéFilm noir – from the French wordfilm noir (a film genre)Gallery – from the Old French wordgalerieGastronomy – from the French word gastronomieGateau – from the French wordgâteauGazette – from the French wordgazetteHeritage – from the Old French word eritage (héritage in modern French)Homage – from the Old French word homageHotel – from the French word hôtelIdentity – from the Middle French word identitéIllusion – from the Old French wordillusionInsult – from the Middle French words insult (noun) and insulter(verb)Irony – from the Middle French word ironieJubilee – from the Middle French word jubile (modern French jubilé)Kilogram – from the French wordkilogrammeLacrosse – from the Canadian French word la crosse (the stick)Laissez-faire – from the French word laissez-faire (leave things to take their course)Liaison – from the French wordliaisonLiterature – from the Old French word littératureMachine – from the Middle French word machineMagnificent – from the Middle French word magnificentMaisonette – from the French wordmaisonetteMassage – from the French wordmassageMenu – from the French wordmenuMetabolism – from the French word métabolismeMetro – from the French wordmétroMusketeer – from the French wordmousquetaireNavy – from the Old French wordnavieNeutral – from the Middle French word neutralNocturnal – from the Middle French word nocturnalNovel – from the Old French wordnovelOccasion – from the Middle French word occasionOmelette – from the French wordomeletteOptimism – from the French wordoptimismePapier-mâché – from the French word papier-mâchéParasol – from the French wordparasolPoetic – from the Middle French word poétiquePremiere – from the French wordpremièrePurify – from the Old French wordpurifierRecipient – from the Middle French word récipientRendez-vous – from the French word rendez-vous (appointment)Reservoir – from the Fre

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99 French words we use in English all the time

By

Eloy Rodriguez

-

January 27, 2020

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You’re probably aware that we regularly use plenty of French words in English.

But did you know that English is so close to the French language, that around 30% of English words come from the language of love?

Some of these French phrases in English (otherwise known as cognates!) are borrowed directly from the French language, while others have evolved from French origins.

We’ve put together some responses to some of the most common questions about the French presence in the English language for you, plus 99 examples of how English words didn’t fall too far from the French tree.

Everything you’ve ever wanted, right?

Why are there French words in the English language?

The origin of the English language is a topic linguists love to debate.

Although English is a Germanic language, it shares a lot of vocabulary with French – a Romance language.

But why?

The Norman Conquest of 1066 was a key event that led to French words being used in England.

Following the conquest, England was ruled by the Normans who spoke a northern form of Old French called Anglo-Norman French.

Under Norman rule, Anglo-Norman French began to influence the language of administration, law and culture in England, and hence making its mark on the English language.

Since then, French words and phrases – funny quirks and all – continued to make their way into the English language.

How many French words are there in English?

There exists around 7,000 French words in the English language at present.

Believe it or not, though, there were plenty more English words that came from French (and typically Latin) roots originally – around 10,000, to be exact.

Do any examples come to mind? At this point,

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