When learning French, it’s inevitable to come across words you’ve seen before in English. Many of these words are called “loan words,” which means they’ve been borrowed from French and adapted into everyday use in English. The good news is, with loan words in French you’ve already got a leg up when learning the language!
Whether you want to read some French littérature, order a croissant at a café, or improve your grammaire, French loan words in English can help you better understand and speak French.
Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion Method can help you build French lessons into your regular routine using images paired with French words. Keep reading to discover 130+ French loan words in English!
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French loan words vs. cognates
While both cognates and loan words can be helpful tools when learning French, there is a difference. A cognate is a word that’s the same in two (or more) languages, because the corresponding words have the same origin, are spelled the same or similarly, and mean the same thing. An example of a French cognate word is the word information in French and in English: same Latin origin, same exact spelling in French and English, and same meaning.
Loan words, on the other hand, do not have the same origin. In addition, while they often have the same meaning, some things have gotten lost in translation or changed meaning over time.
For example, take the word “restaurant.” In origin, this comes from the French verb restaurer, which means “to restore.” Prior to the French Revolution, people would go to restaurants for one single item: a restorative broth (bouillon). Eventually, restaurateurs (restaurant owners) adjusted to the times and started serving things other than broth, but the word restaurant (literally: restoring) remains to this day.
Why does English have so many loan words from French?
English is unique because it has many French loan words due to the Norman conquest of England in 1066. When William the Conqueror took over England, the French language became commonplace in places like the government and the church. Additionally, words relating to food and fashion were highly utilized and eventually adopted into the English language. Many of the French words used in English that we recognize come from these areas of life.
There are over 10,000 French words in English that you might not even realize came from French! While many are no longer part of our daily language, you can still use them to help you decipher meaning when reading or listening. Loan words are found in all parts of speech, and can also help you learn more about your own language and boost your vocabulary in both French and English!
Common French loan words in English
The list below contains French words used in English that are easy to understand. While they may not be spelled exactly the same, you can still see the similarity and figure out the meaning. Whether a French verb, French noun, or French adjective, these loan words in French are extremely useful for learning.
| French | English |
| une action | an action |
| actif/active | active |
| une aventure | an adventure |
| l’anatomie | anatomy |
| un appétit | an appetite |
| an archer | an archer |
| une armée | an army |
| l’art | art |
| le bacon | bacon |
| une baguette | a baguette |
| une bataille | a battle |
| la beauté | beauty |
| le bœuf | beef |
| les bottes | boots |
| une broche | a brooch |
| un bouton | a button |
| une cape | a cape |
| le capitaine | the captain |
| une cathédrale | a cathedral |
| changer | to change |
| la charité | charity |
| une cheminée | a chimney |
| la couleur | color |
| le combat | combat |
| le confort | comfort |
| continuer | to continue |
| la crème | cream |
| un croissant | a croissant |
| curieux/curieuse | curious |
| la danse | dance |
| une date | a date (fruit) |
| la dette | debt |
| un diamant | a diamond |
| dîner | to dine |
| une douzaine | a dozen |
| l’envie | envy |
| une erreur | an error |
| la faute | fault |
| une forêt | a forest |
| la grammaire | grammar |
| une herbe | an herb |
| honnête | honest |
| l’honneur | honor |
| une image | an image |
| s’informer | to inform (oneself) |
| un juge | a judge |
| un jury | a jury |
| la justice | justice |
| une lampe | a lamp |
| les loisirs | leisure |
| la littérature | literature |
| se marier (avec) | to marry |
| la mayonnaise | mayonnaise |
| la médicine | medicine |
| la mélodie | melody |
| les mitaines | mittens |
| une montagne | a mountain |
| la musique | music |
| la moutarde | mustard |
| le mouton | mutton (sheep) |
| novice | novice |
| l’océan | the ocean |
| l’huile | oil |
| une olive | an olive |
| une opinion | an opinion |
| la peinture | painting |
| le papier | paper |
| le pardon | pardon |
| le parc | the park |
| le parlement | parliament |
| payer | to pay |
| parfait/parfaite | perfect |
| une personne | a person |
| le poison | poison |
| le porc | pork |
| une prière | a prayer |
| préférer | to prefer |
| la prison | prison |
| la qualité | quality |
| refuser | to refuse |
| la religion | religion |
| la rime | rhyme |
| une rivière | a river |
| (un) rôti | a roast, roasted |
| romantique | romantic |
| royal | royal |
| un(e) saint(e) | a saint |
| la salade | salad |
| le saumon | salmon |
| une sardine | a sardine |
| sauver | to save |
| un scandale | a scandal |
| la sculpture | sculpture |
| une saison | a season |
| un sergent | a sergeant |
| simple | simple |
| solide | solid |
| souverain | sovereign |
| une épice | a spice |
| l’esprit | spirit |
| l’estomac | stomach |
| soudain/soudaine | sudden |
| une table | a table |
| accuser | to accuse |
| une tragédie | a tragedy |
| l’unité | unity |
| un verdict | a verdict |
| le vinaigre | vinegar |
| la vision | vision |
While the meanings of the words above are easy to decipher, they’re not always pronounced the same. Use Rosetta Stone’s TruAccent speech recognition engine to ensure you’re pronouncing these French loan words correctly when speaking French!
Origins of French loan words in English
Many French loan words in English have old French origins, have slightly changed meaning over time, or have a meaning that’s not quite as obvious to figure out. These words are still extremely useful when learning French, and can help level up your French language skills.
| French (Used Today) | Origin in French | English |
| à la carte | according to the menu (ordering things individually) | à la carte |
| attirer | to attract, appeal | attire |
| une couverture | old French blanquet, meaning white wool | blanket |
| un café | coffee | café |
| un calendrier | old French calendier | calendar |
| la chance | luck | chance |
| chanter | to sing | chant |
| un collier | a necklace | collar |
| s’habiller | old French dresser, meaning to put right or direct | dress (verb) |
| l’évidence | obviousness | evidence |
| la foi | old French feid | faith |
| la façon | a way of making or doing something | fashion |
| la fourrure | old French furrer, meaning to stuff or line | fur |
| un vêtement | old French garnement, meaning to equip or decorate | garment |
| un raisin | raisin (un raisin sec means dried grape) | grape |
| un lieutenant | placeholder | lieutenant |
| le marché | marcher, meaning to walk | market |
| merci | thank you | mercy |
| la marine | old French navie, meaning fleet of ships | navy |
| un objet décoratif | old French ournement, meaning accessory | ornament |
| le garde-manger | old French paneterie, where the French stored their bread (pain) | pantry |
| un paysan | one from the countryside | peasant |
| le pouvoir | to be able to | power |
| une robe | a dress | robe |
| un épagneul | old French espaigneul, meaning Spanish dog | spaniel |
| un étalon | old French estalon | stallion |
| étudier | old French estudier | to study |
| goûter | old French taster, meaning to test | to taste |
| la guerre | old French werre | war |
English loan words in French
In addition to using French loan words to boost your learning, the French have borrowed many words from English that can help you better understand French—especially your sports and technology vocabulary.
| French | English |
| cool | cool |
| le basket-ball | basketball |
| le fast-food | fast food |
| le golf | golf |
| le jean | jeans |
| le jogging | jogging |
| le leader | leader |
| le marketing | marketing |
| le pull | pullover, sweater |
| le sandwich | sandwich |
| le selfie | selfie |
| le shopping | shopping |
| le tennis | tennis |
| le volley-ball | volleyball |
One handy trick to remember is that all words borrowed from English are masculine (if they are nouns). Look how much French you already know!
Explore more French loan words with Rosetta Stone
Fortunately, learning common loan words in French can make it much easier to recognize French words in English. In fact, even though English is a Germanic language, an estimated 30% of English words originated with the French language!
If you’re ready to take your French language skills to the next level, Rosetta Stone’s bite-sized lessons can help you quickly gain confidence as you learn French. Discover vocabulary you’ll actually use (including French loan words) as you level up your French and take your learning on the go with the Rosetta Stone app.
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