英文中的法语单词

A List of French words and phrasesused by English speakers英文中常见法文单词Aàgogoin abundance. It pertains to the familiar language in French.àla [...]in the manner of/in a similar manner to [...]àla carteon the card; (in restaurants refers to ordering individual dishes rather than a fixed-price meal)àla modefashionable; also, with ice cream (in the U.S.)àproposregardingabattoirslaughterhouseaccouchementconfinement during childbirth; the process of having a baby; only this last meaning remains in Frenchadieufarewell; as it literally means "to God," it carries more weight than "au revoir" ("goodbye", literally "see you later"): it is definitive, implying you will never see the other person again. Depending on the context, misuse of this term can be considered as an insult, as you'll wish forthe other person's death or will say that you don't wish to see the other person ever again while alive.adroitskillful, clever, in French: habile, as a "right-handed" person would be using his "right" hand, as opposed to his left one with which he would be "gauche" meaning "left".aide-de-camp"camp assistant"; assistant to a senior military officeraide-mémoire"memory aid"; an object or memorandum to assist in remembrance, or a diplomatic paper proposing the major points of discussionallez!"go!", as in "go team!"ancien régimea sociopolitical or other system that no longer exists, an allusion to pre-revolutionary France (used with capital letter in French with this meaning : Ancien Régime)aperçupreview; a first impression; initial insight.apéritifa before-meal drink (in familiar French, it is shortened as "un apéro").appellation contrôléesupervised use of a name. For the conventional use of the term, see Appellation d'Origine Contrôléeaprès moi, le délugeremark attributed to Louis XV of France; used in reference to the impending end of a functioning French monarchy and predicting the French Revolution. (After me, the deluge.) 617 Squadron Royal air Force famously known as The Dam Busters use this as their motto. Also averse in the song Après Moi by Regina Spektor.arêtea narrow ridge.armoirea type of cabinet; wardrobe.artistea skilled performer, a person with artistic pretensions.art nouveaua style of decoration and architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries (usually bears a capital in French : Art nouveau).attachéa person attached to an embassy; in French is also the past participle of the verb attacher (=to fasten)au contraireon the contrary.au courantup-to-date; abreast of current affairs.au faitbeing conversent in or with, or instructed in or with.au jusliterally, with juice, referring to a food course served with sauce. Often redundantly formulated, as in 'Open-faced steak sandwich, served with au jus.'au paira young foreigner who does domestic chores in exchange for room and board.au revoir!"See you later!" In French a contraction of Au plaisir de vous revoir (to the pleasure of seeing you again).avant-garde (pl. avant-gardes)applied to cutting-edge or radically innovative movements in art, music and literature; figuratively "on the edge", literally, a military term, meaning "vanguard" (which is the deformation of avant-garde) or "advance guard", in other words, "first to attack" (antonym of arrière-garde).avant la lettreused to describe something or someone seen as a precursor or forerunner of something (such as an artistic or political movement) before that something was recognized and named, e.g. "a post-modernist avant la lettre", "a feminist avant la lettre"; the expression literally means before the letter, i.e. "before it had a name".avec plaisirmy pleasure (lit. "with pleasure")Bballeta classical type of dancebeau gesteliterally "beautiful gesture"; gracious gesture; also, a gesture noble in form but meaningless in substancebeaucoupplenty, lots of, much; merci beaucoup: thanks a lot; used in slang, e.g. "beaucoup money", especially in New Orleans, LA. Occasionally corrupted to "Bookoo," typically in the context of French influenced by Vietnamese culture.bel esprit (pl. beaux esprits)literally "fine mind"; a cultivated, highly intelligent personbellea beautiful woman or girl. Common uses of this word are in the phrases the belle of the ball (the most beautiful woman or girl present at a function) and southern belle (a beautiful woman from the southern states of the US)belles-lettresliterally "fine letters"; literature regarded for its aesthetic value rather than its didactic or informative content; also, light, stylish writings, usually on literary or intellectual subjectsbien fait !literally "well done"; used to express schadenfreude when someone is well-deservedly punishedbien pensantliterally "well thinking"; right thinking, orthodoxblaséunimpressed with something because of over-familiarity, jaded.bon appétitliterally "good appetite"; enjoy your mealbon motwell-chosen word(s), particularly a witty remarkbon vivantone who enjoys the good life, an epicureanbon voyagehave a good trip!bonjour"good day", the usual greetingbonne chance"good luck" (as in, 'I wish you good luck')les boules(vulgar) literally "the balls"; meaning that whatever you are talking about is dreadfulbric-à-bracsmall ornamental objects, less valuable than antiques; a collection of old furniture, china, plate and curiosities. Cf. de bric et de broc, corresponding to our "by hook or by crook", and brack, refuse.briochea sweet yeast bun, kind of a crossover between a popover and a light muffin; French also use the term as slang for 'potbelly', because of the overhang effect.brunettea brown-haired girl. For brown-haired man, French uses brun and for a woman brune. Not used often in French, unlike brun/e. The masculine form, brunet (for a boy) is even more rarely used.bureau (pl. bureaux)officeCça ne fait rien"that doesn't matter"; rendered as san fairy Ann in British WWI slang [1].cachetlit. "stamp"; a distinctive quality ; quality, prestige.caféa coffee shop.café au laitcoffee with milk; or a light-brown color. In medicine, it is also used to describe a birthmark that is of a light-brown color (café au lait spot).carte blancheunlimited authority; literally "white card" (i.e. blank check).carte de visitea calling card, literally "visiting card".carte d'identitéidentity card.c'est bon"that's good".c'est la guerre !"That's War!"; or "Such is war!" Often used with the meaning that "this means war", but it can be sometimes used as an expression to say that war (or life in general) is harsh but that one must accept it.c'est la mode."Such is fashion".c'est la vie !"That's life!"; or "Such is life!" It is sometimes used as an expression to say that life is harsh but that one must accept it.c'est magnifique !"That's great!"; literally it's magnificent.c'est pas grave"it doesn't matter, it's not a big deal" (informal).Ceux qui rient le vendredi, pleureront le dimancheThose who laugh on Friday will cry on Sunday.chacun ses goûts / à chacun ses goûts / à chacun son goût [all 3 are used]"to each his (their) own taste(s)".chaise longuea long chair for reclining; (also rendered chaise lounge or chase lounge via folk etymology).Champs-Élyséesliterally "Elysian Fields"; Avenue des Champs-Élysées, one of the largest boulevards in Paris. Often referred as simply "les Champs" ; l'"Élysée" refers to the French Republich President's main residence, which is situated on the Champs-Élysées.chansona songchanteusea female singerchapeaua hat. In French, chapeau is also an expression of congratulations similar to the English "hats off to...."chargé d'affairesa diplomat left in charge of day to day business at a diplomatic mission. Within the United States Department of State a chargé is any officer left in charge of the mission in the absence of the titular chief of mission.châteaux en Espagneliterally "castles in Spain"; imaginary projects, with little hope of realisation (means the same as "castles in the air" or "pie in the sky"). No known etymology, though it was already used in the 13th century in the Roman de la rose.chef d'œuvrea masterpiececherchez la femme"look for the woman", in the sense that, when a man behaves out of character or in an otherwise apparently inexplicable manner, the reason may be found in his trying to cover up an illicit affair with a woman, or to impress or gain favour with a woman. First used by Alexandre Dumas (père) in the third chapter of his novel Les Mohicans de Paris (1854).chevalier d'industrie"knight of industry" : one who lives by his wits, specially by swindlingchezat the house of : often used in the names of restaurants and the like; Chez Marie = "Marie's"chicstylishchignona hairstyle worn in a roll at the nape of the neckcinéma véritérealism in documentary filmmakingcinq, cinquefive; normally referring to the 5 on dice or cardscinq à septcute name for stuff you do discreetly with someone other than your spouse between five and seven o'clock so no one notices.cinquefoilfive-petal, five-leaf flower of the genus Potentilla, family Rosaceae; also a circular 5-lobed ornamental designclichélit. negative; trite through overuse; a stereotypecliquea small exclusive group of friends without morale; always used in a pejorative way in French.commandanta commanding officercomme ci, comme ça"like this, like that"; so-so, neither good nor badcomme il faut"as it must be" : in accord with conventions or accepted standards; proper.communiquélit. communicated; an official communicationconciergea hotel desk manager (in French also refers to the caretaker of a building usually living at the front floor ; concierges have a reputation for gossiping)concordatan agreement; a treaty; when used with a capital C in French, it refers to the treaty between the French State and Judaeo-Christian religions during the French Empire (Napoleon) : priests, ministers and rabbis became civil servants. This treaty was abolished in 1905 (law Church-State separation) but is still in use in Alsace-Lorraine (those territories were under German administration during 1871–1918)confrèrea colleaguecongéa departure; in French when used in the plural form refers to vacationscontea short story, a tale; in French a conte has usually a fantasy context (such as in fairytales) and always begins with the words "Il était une fois" ("Once upon a time").contre-jouragainst daylightcontretempsan awkward clash; a delaycoquettea flirtatious girl; a teasecordon sanitairea policy of containment directed against a hostile entity or ideology; a chain of buffer states; lit. "quarantine line"cortègea funeral procession; in French has a broader meaning and refers to all kinds of processions.corvéeforced labor for minimal or no paycotte d'armescoat of armscoup de foudrelit. thunderbolt ("strike of thunder"); used only in the context of love at first sight.coup de grâcethe final blow that results in victory (literally "blow of mercy"), historically used in the context of the battlefield to refer to the killing of badly wounded enemy soldiers, now more often used in a figurative context (e.g., business)coup de maîtrestroke of the master, master strokecoup d'œila glance, literally "a blow (or touch) of the eye".coup de théâtreunexpected dramatic turn of events, a plot twistcouturefashion (usually refers to high fashion)couturiera fashion designer (usually refers to high fashion, rather than everyday clothes design)crèchea nativity display; more commonly (in UK), a place where children are left by their parents for short periods in the supervision of childminders; both meanings still exist in Frenchcrème brûléea dessert consisting primarily of custard and toasted sugar, that is, caramel; literally "burnt cream"crème de la crèmebest of the best, "cream of the cream", used to describe highly skilled people or objects. A synonymous expression in French is « fin du fin ».crème fraîcheliterally "fresh cream", a heavy cream slightly soured with bacterial culture, but not as sour or as thick as sour creamcrêpea thin sweet or savoury pancake eaten as a light meal or dessertcri du cœur"cry from the heart" : an impassioned outcry, as of entreaty or protestcuisine minceurgourmet cooking for staying thincul-de-saca dead-end (residential) street; literally "bottom (buttocks) of the bag".Dd'accordin accord; agreed; sure; OK; of coursede nouveauagain; anewde règleaccording to custom;de rigueurrequired or expected, especially in fashion or etiquettede tropexcessive, "too much"déclasséof inferior social statusdécolletéa woman's garment with a low-cut neckline that exposes cleavage, or a situation in which a woman's chest or cleavage is exposed; décolletage is dealt with below.décorthe layout and furnishing of a roomdécoupagedecoration with cut paperdemi-glacea reduced wine-based sauce for meats and poultrydemi-secsemi-dry, usually said of winedéjà vu"already seen" : an impression or illusion of having seen or experienced something before.dénouementthe end resultdérailleura bicycle gear-shift mechanismdernier crithe latest fashion; literally "last scream"derrièrerear; buttocks; literally "behind"déshabillépartially clad or scantily dressed; also a special type of garment.désolésorrydétenteeasing of diplomatic tensiondiableriewitchcraft, deviltry, or, more figuratively, "wickedness"Dieu et mon droitmotto of the British Monarchy. It appears on a scroll beneath the shield of the coat of arms of the United Kingdom.divertissementan amusing diversion; entertainmentdossiera file containing detailed information about a person; it has a much wider meaning in modern French, as any type of file, or even a computer directorydouceur de vivre"sweetness of life"doyenthe senior member of a group; the feminine is doyennedressagea form of competitive horse training, in French has the broader meaning of taming any kind of animaldroit du seigneur"right of the lord" : the purported right of a lord in feudal times to take the virginity of one of his vassals' brides on her wedding night (in precedence to her new husband). The actual French term for this hypothetical custom is droit de cuissage (from cuisse 'thigh').du joursaid of something fashionable or hip for a day and quickly forgotten; today's choice on the menu, as soup du jour, literally "of the day"Eeau de toiletteperfume; can be shortened as eau (water); literally "grooming water." Usually refers to a product which is less expensive, because it has less aromatic compounds, and is thus used more for everyday purposesécartéa card game; also a ballet positionéchappédance movement foot positionéclaira cream and chocolate icing pastryéclatGreat brilliance, as of performance or achievement. Conspicuous success. Great acclamation or applauseécorchéflayed; biological graphic or model with skin removedélana distinctive flair or styleélan vitalliterally "vital ardor"; the vital force hypothesized by Henri Bergson as a source of efficient causation and evolution in nature; also called "life-force"éminence grise"grey eminence" : a publicity-shy person with little formal power but great influence over those in authorityen blocas a groupen passantin passingen principe, oui"in principle, yes" : a diplomatic way of saying 'no'en routeon the way(je suis) enchanté(e)"(I am) enchanted (to meet you)" : a formal greeting on receiving an introduction. Often shortened to simply "enchanté".enfant terriblea disruptively unconventional person, a "terrible child"ennuiboredomententediplomatic agreement or cooperation. L'Entente cordiale (the Cordial Entente) refers to thegood diplomatic relationship between France and United Kingdom before the first World War.entre nousconfidentially; literally "between us"entréeliterally "entrance"; the first course of a meal (UK English); used to denote the main dish or course of a meal (US English)entremetsdesserts/sweet dishes. More literally, a side dish that can be served between the courses of a mealentrepreneura person who undertakes and operates a new enterprise or venture and assumes some accountability for the inherent risksescargotsnailescritoirewriting deskesprit de corps"spirit of the body [group]" : a feeling of solidarity among members of a group; morale. Often used in connection with a military force.esprit de l'escalier"wit of the stairs" : a concise, clever statement you don't think of until too late, e.g. on the stairs leaving the scenel'État, c'est moi!"I am the state!" — attributed to the archetypal absolute monarch, Louis XIV of Franceétudea musical composition designed to provide practice in a particular technical skill in the performance of an instrument. French for "study".excusez-moiexcuse me; can be used sarcastically (depends on the tone)excusez le mot !excuse the word!; if a certain word has negative connotations (for example, a word-joke at a time of grief)extraordinaireextraordinary, usually as a following adjective, as "musician extraordinaire"Ffaçadethe front view of an edifice (from the Italian facciata, or face); a fake persona, as in "putting on a façade" (the ç is pronounced like an s)fait accomplilit. accomplished fact; something that has already happened and is thus unlikely to be reversed.faute de mieuxfor want of betterfauxfalse, ersatz, fake.faux amis"false friends" : words in two different languages that have the same or similar spelling, and often the same etymology but different meanings, such as the French verb rester which means "to stay" rather than "to rest"faux pas"false step" : violation of accepted, although unwritten, social rulesfemme fatale"deadly woman" : an attractive woman who seduces and takes advantage of men in order to achieve personal goals after which she discards or abandons the victim. Used to describe an attractive woman with whom a relationship is likely to result, or has already resulted, in pain and sorrowfiancé/ebetrothed; lit. a man/woman engaged to be married.fier de l'êtreproud of being; "French, and proud to be so"film noira genre of dark-themed movies from the 1940s and 1950s that focus on stories of crime and immoralityfilsused after a man's surname to distinguish a son from a father, as George Bush fils (in French, "fils" = son)fin de saison"end of season" : marks the end of an extended (annual) period during which business increases significantly, most commonly used for the end of summer tourismflambeaua lit torchflâneura gentleman stroller of city streets; an aimless idlerfleur-de-lisa stylized-flower heraldic device; the golden fleur-de-lis on an azure background were the arms of the French Kingdom (often spelled with the old French style as "fleur-de-lys")foie grasfatty liver; usually the liver of overfed goose, hence: pâté de foie gras, pâté made from goose liver. However, "foie gras" generally stands for "paté de foie gras" as it is the most common way to use it.folie à deuxa simultaneous occurrence of delusions in two closely related people, often said of an unsuitable romanceforce majeurean overpowering event, an act of God (often appears in insurance contracts)Ggaffeblundergarçonliterally "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)gauchetactless, does not mean "left-handed" (which is translated in French as "gaucher"), but does mean "left"gaucherieboorishnessGautier et Garguilleall the world and his wife (possibly derived from a 17th century French comic Hugues Guérin, who performed under the stage name Gautier-Garguille, though it is likely that he in turn may have taken this pseudonym from earlier 16th century recorded sayings: prendre Gautier p our Garguille: "to take Gautier for Garguille", that is to mistake one person for another; il n'y a ni Gautier, ni Garguille: "he is neither Gaultier nor Garguille", that is, 'he is no-one')genrea type or class, such as "the thriller genre"glissadeslide down a slopeles goûts et les couleurs ne se discutent pas"tastes and colours are not argued over"; one does not argue over differences in taste, to each his own. French People usually shorten the sentence, to "les goûts et les couleurs..."grâce à"thanks to", "by the grace of", naming credit or fortuneGrand Prixa type of motor racing, literally "Grand Prize"grand projetliterally "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) profitableGrand Guignola horror show, named after a French theater famous for its frightening plays and bloody special effects. (Guignol can be used in French to describe a ridiculous person, in the same way that clown might be used in English.)Hhabituéone who regularly frequents a placehaute couture"high sewing" : Paris-based custom-fitted clothing; trend-setting fashionhaute cuisinea manner of preparing food; literally "upper cooking".haute écoleadvanced horsemanship; literally "upper school"hauteurarrogance; lit. heighthaut mondefashionable society, the "upper world"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 English Order of the Garter (modern French writes honni instead of Old French honi)hors concours"out of the running"; a non-competitor, e.g. in lovehors de combatout of the fight : prevented from fighting, usually by injuryhors d'œuvre"outside the [main] work" : appetizerhuis-clos"closed door" : an enclosed space such as a room or cell, where action or speech can not be seen or heard from outside; title of a play by Jean-Paul Sartre[edit] Iidée fixe"fixed idea": obsession; in music, a leitmotiv.impassea deadlock.insouciant/ea nonchalant man/womaningénu/ean innocent young man/woman, used particularly in reference to a theatrical stock character who is entirely virginal and wholesome. L'Ingénu is a famous play written by Voltaire.[edit] Jj’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, a political scandal which divided France from the 1890s to the early 1900s which involved the false conviction for treason in 1894 of a young French artillery officer of Jewish background)j'adoreliterally, I adore. I love to the full extent. Can imply "Je t'adore", translated as "I love you", or possibly I adore you.j'adoubeIn chess, an expression said discreetly signaling an intention to straighten out the pieces, without being committed to moving or capturing the first one touched as per the game's rules; lit. "I adjust". From adouber, to dub (the action of knighting someone)Jacques Bonhommea name given to a French peasant as tamely submissive to taxation. Also the pseudonym of the 14th century peasant leader Guillaume Cailletje m'appellemy name is...je m'en fous"I don't give a damn / a fuck".je ne regrette rien"I regret nothing" (from the title of a popular song sung by Édith Piaf: "Non, je ne regrette rien"). Also the phrase the UK's then Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont chose to use to describe his feelings over the events of September 16, 1992 ('Black Wednesday')je ne sais pas"I don't know"; collapses to chais pas ʃɛpa in modern colloquial speechje-ne-sais-quoi"I-don't-know-what" : an indescribable or indefinable 'something' which distinguishes the object in question from others which are superficially similar.je suisI amjeunesse dorée"gilded youth"; name given to a body of young dandies who, after the fall of Robespierre, strove to bring about a counter-revolution. Today used for any offspring living an affluent lifestyle.joie de vivre"joy of life/living"[edit] K---[edit] Llaïcitéabsence of religious interference in government affairs and government interference in religious affairslaissez-faire"let do"; often used within the context of economic policy or political philosophy, meaning leaving alone, or non-interference.laissez les bons temps roulerCajun expression for "let the good times roll": not used in proper French, and not generally understood by Francophones outside of Louisianalaméis a type of fabric woven or knit with metallic yarns.layettea set of clothing and accessories for a new babylèse majestéan offense against a sovereign power; or, an attack against someone's dignity or against a custom or institution held sacred (from the Latin "crimen laesae maiestatis": the crime of injured majesty)liaisona close relationship or connection; an affair. The French meaning is broader; "liaison" also means bond such as in une liaison chimique = " a chemical bond"。