Having just spent a week in France – which required me to once again summon up my rusty French – it struck me that there are numerous French words and phrases we use in everyday English.
As a linguist I thought it would make an interesting topic for this week’s blog post…
Food and drink
Knowing how much French people enjoy eating and drinking, it’s not surprising that we use a lot of French words related to food and drink. These include:
à la carte = ordering individual dishes from the menu rather than a fixed-price meal
aperitif/digestif = drink before/after a meal
au gratin = anything that’s grated onto a food dish, usually cheese
bistro, brasserie, café, crêperie, restaurant (about the only one they’ve ‘borrowed’ from us is le pub)
cordon bleu = person who excels in cooking; cookery school teaching French cuisine
prix fixe = set price menu showing multi-course meals with only a few options
Fashion
The French are also renowned for their distinctive style (even young children tend to be dressed to impress), so it’s little wonder that the world of fashion also uses several French words:
à la mode = trendy; fashionable
boutique = clothing store, usually selling designer/one-off pieces
chic = stylish
couture = fashion
haute couture = custom-fitted clothing
prêt-à-porter = ready-to-wear clothing
Collection of ‘C’ words
A lot of French words and phrases that English speakers use start with the letter ‘c’, including:
c’est la vie! = that’s life!
chauffeur = driver, usually of a limousine
cliché = stereotype
clique = small exclusive group of friends
comme ci, comme ça = so-so, neither good nor bad
concierge = receptionist at a hotel or apartment block
contretemps = awkward clash
crèche = place providing short-term supervised childcare
critique = critical analysis or evaluation of a work
cul-de-sac = dead-end street
Miscellaneous French words and phrases
au fait = being conversant in/with something
au pair = young foreigner who does domestic chores in exchange for room & board
avant garde = cutting-edge movements in art, music and literature
blasé = unimpressed with something because of overfamiliarity
bon voyage = used to wish someone a good trip
bouquet = bunch of flowers
bric-à-brac = small ornamental objects, less valuable than antiques
décor = layout and furnishing of a room
déja vu = impression of having seen/experienced something before
en route = on the way
entrepreneur = person who undertakes a new enterprise or venture
excusez-moi! = excuse me!
fait accompli = something that’s already happened; a done deal
fiancé(e) = man (or woman) engaged to be married
faux pas = violation of accepted, although unwritten, social rules
genre = type or class (usually referring to books or films)
je ne sais quoi = indescribable ‘something’
liaison = close relationship; affair
mot juste = right word at the right time
raison d’être = justification or purpose of existence
rapport = being in synch with someone
RSVP = please reply
savoir-faire = to know what to do in a given situation
silhouette = outline of a person, object or scene
soirée = evening party
tête-à-tête = private conversation between two people
triage = system used to prioritise medical treatment
venue = location of an event
voilà! = there it is!
Over to you
This is, in fact, just a small selection of French words commonly used in English. Have I missed out your favourite? If so, please let me know in the comments below. Merci!
(image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
Thank you for your reply, Geraldine, now I make no doubt about the matter.
I don’t think there really is an English equivalent, which is why we ‘borrow’ the French phrase (if we Brits say anything at all at the start of a meal)! Thanks for posing the question though…
And “Bon appetit!”, certainly 🙂 Can we substitute this French expression for any English one? I’m thinking of “Enjoy your meal” or something like that, but it does not sound quite accurate to me.