List of French phrases
This page lists English translations of several French phrases used in English texts and presumed to be understood by the English reader.
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A
- À propos
- regarding (this particular subject)
- J'accuse!
- I accuse! - title of an open letter by Emile Zola exposing the Dreyfus affair.
- aide-de-camp
- literally "camp assistant", assistant to a senior military officer.
- ancien régime
- the previous administration/government/reign, the past.
- Appellation controlée
- supervised use of a name.
- Après moi, le deluge.
- After me, the flood. i.e. things will be disastrous after I have gone (or died). Attributed to Louis XV of France.
B
C
- C'est la vie.
- That's life.
- C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre.
- It is magnificent, but it is not war. - Quotation from Marshal Pierre Bosquet commenting on the charge of the Light Brigade.
- Chacun a son goût.
- Tastes differ/Opinions naturally differ/What people regard as normal differs.
- Champs Elysées
- literally "Elysian fields", actually the name of a major street radiating from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
- contretemps
- argument
- cul-de-sac
- literally "bottom-of-the-bag" or "arse-of-the-bag", the phrase is not generally used or understood in France, but is used in Britain and the United States to refer to a dead-end street.
D
- Defense de fumer.
- No Smoking.
E
- éminence grise
- literally "grey eminence", refers to a publicity-shy person with little formal power but great influence over those in authority.
- en principe, "Oui"
- literally: in principle, "Yes" - actually a bureaucratic and circumlocutional way of saying "No"
- L'état, c'est moi!
- I am the state! - Attributed to the archetypal absolute monarch, Louis XIV of France
F
- foie gras
- fatty liver - usually the liver of overfed geese.
G
- grand projet
- literally "large project", usually a government funded large scale civil engineering or technology project executed for prestige or general social benefit, and not immediately (if ever) profitable.
H
- hors de combat
- prevented from fighting - usually by injury. Literally "out of combat".
I
- idée fixe
- an obsession or fixed attitude. In the Asterix books by Goscinny & Uderzo, Asterix' dog is named Idéfix in French and Dogmatix in English.
J
- Je ne regrette rien.
- I have no regrets.
- Je ne sais quoi.
- Literally: I don't know what. Used to mean a certain 'something'.
- Joie de vivre
- Joy of life/living
K
L
- Laissez-faire
- "Leave to do"; often used within the context of economic policy or political philosophy.
M
N
- n'est-ce pas
- isn't it? - usually indicated the previous phrase was a (rhetorical) question.
- noblesse oblige
- "Those granted a higher station in life are obliged to extend (possibly token) favours/courtesies to those in lower stations".
O
P
- passe-partout
- a document that allows the holder to travel without hindrance from the authorities and enter any location.
- pied-à-terre
- literally 'foot-on-the-ground' - a small ground floor flat/apartment in a large town or city.
- pour encourager les autres
- literally 'to encourage the others' - said of an excessive punishment meted out as an example. The original is from Voltaire's Candide and referred to the execution of Admiral John Byng.
Q
- Quai d'Orsay
- Address of the French foreign ministry, used to refer to the ministry itself.
- Quatorze juillet
- 14th July, Bastille Day. The nominal beginning of the French Revolution; used to refer to the revolution itself and its ideals.
- Quoi de neuf?
- What's new, what's the news?
R
- rendez-vous
- appointment, meeting place.
- Rive Gauche
- the left (southern) bank (of the River Seine in Paris). A particular mindset attributed to inhabitants of that area.
- RSVP
- Abbreviation of "Répondez, s'il vous plaît", which politely requests the recipient to reply to an invitation.
S
- Sacré bleu!
- literally "Sacred blue!", a stereotypical oath, which is an euphemism for "Sacré Dieu" (Sacred God!).
- sang-froid
- literally "Cold blood", translates as keeping a cool head or a stiff upper lip, NOT cold-blooded.
- sans culottes
- literally "without knee-britches/trousers", refers to lower-class Parisian republicans in the French Revolution, in modern use to those holding strong republican views.
- savoir-faire
- capable, competent in an endeavour
- Sauve qui peut!
- Those that are able to should save themselves. Used as a pragmatic response to an accident.
T
- tant pis
- too bad, a shame
- tout de suite
- at once, immediately (per Oxford English Dictionary)
U
V
- vin de pays
- literally 'country wine' - wine of a lower designated quality than 'appellation controlée'
- vis-à-vis
- literally 'face-to-face' - opposed to, compared with, in relation to
W
X
Y
Z
- le zinc
- bar/café counter
- Zut alors!
- Dash it!
See also
- List of French proverbs
- List of Latin words with English derivatives
- List of Latin phrases
- List of Latin proverbs
- List of Greek phrases
- List of German expressions in English
- List of German words and phrases
- French phrases used by English speakers
- List of Spanish expressions in common English