Glossary of French words and expressions in English
- Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
- à bientôt! -- See you later!
- adieu! -- Good bye!
- Au revoir! -- See you again! (or) Good bye!
- Bon appétit! -- Have a good meal!
- des bonbons -- candy
- la baguette -- French bread
- Bon voyage! -- Have a good trip!
- Bonjour! -- lit., Good day! but also means Hello!
- le café -- coffee (or) coffee shop
- carte blanche -- unlimited authority (literally, blank card)
- c'est la vie! -- That's life!
- c'est magnifique! -- That's great!
- comment allez-vous ? -- How are you?
- coup d'état -- an overthrow of government
- coup de grâce -- a strike of grace, aimed at terminating honorably an adversary's suffering
- un croissant -- a crescent roll (present participle of the verb cro?tre -- to grow (or) to increase (or) to wax (as in the moon))
- la cuisine -- cooking (or) food
- déjà vu -- the vague perception or sense that one has had a present experience before. (Literally, to have already seen.)
- douceur de vivre -- sweetness of life
- les escargots -- snails
- faux-amis -- false friends (used to refer to similar words in French and English that have different meanings).
- des hors d'œuvres -- appetizers
- madame -- Mrs.; now usually used in French as Ms. is used in English
- mademoiselle -- miss
- merci beaucoup! -- Thank you very much!
- monsieur -- mister
- le mot juste -- the right word
- né (or) née -- born (past participle of naître -- to be born), often used to give someone's former or maiden name
- non -- no
- oui -- yes
- la raison d'être -- reason for being
- répondez s'il vous plaît (R.S.V.P.) -- please reply
- le ricochet -- rebound
- le roi est mort. Vive le roi! -- The king is dead. Long live the king!
- sauté -- tossed (past participle of sauter)
- s'il vous plaît (S.V.P.) -- please (or) if it pleases you (or) if you please (formal).
- la soupe du jour -- the soup of the day
- touché! -- Hit!
- tout de suite -- Immediately (lit., "all in sequence")
- Vive la différence / Vive la France -- Long live the difference (between England and France, or between the sexes)/Long live France
- voilà! -- There you go!