2,001 Most Useful French Words

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Copyright

Copyright © 2010 by Heather McCoy

All rights reserved.

Bibliographical Note

2,001 Most Useful French Words is a new work, first published by Dover Publications, Inc., in 2010.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McCoy, Heather.

2,001 most useful French words / Heather McCoy.

p. cm.—(Dover language guides)

Includes bibliographical references.

9780486141046

1. French language—Vocabulary. 2. French language—Usage. 3. French language—Grammar. I. Title. II. Title: Two thousand and one most useful French words.

PC2445M33 2010

448.2’421—dc22

2010034730

Manufactured in the United States by Courier Corporation

47615401

www.doverpublications.com

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Alphabetical Section

Category Section

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank those who have assisted me with this project, directly and indirectly. I gratefully acknowledge Rochelle Kronzek and Janet Kopito, editors at Dover Publications, for the opportunity to create a book that allowed me to immerse myself in the glory of words; Sandrine Siméon, for her careful proofreading and helpful suggestions; Bénédicte Monicat, for being a stellar colleague; the students at Penn State University, who continue to teach me so much; and my husband, Gary J. Weisel, whose sense of dedication to hard work will always be a source of inspiration to me.

Introduction

This book is intended for anyone who wishes to enrich his or her French vocabulary. Readers will find a review of well-known terms, as well as many new and useful words. The structure of the book permits it to be used in a variety of ways, either alphabetically for a systematic review, or randomly, to dip in for a casual perusal. This flexibility will contribute to the book’s usefulness.

The first section of the book contains an alphabetical listing of all 2,001 words. Each word is listed in French, with the English translation immediately following. The gender of nouns is indicated as masculine (m.) or feminine (f.); plural nouns are indicated as well (pl.). Adjectives are provided in the masculine form with the feminine form indicated in parentheses. In addition, each word is presented in a French sentence for context, followed by the English translation.

The second part of the book contains a Categories section. Here you will find simple vocabulary reference lists of common words that will be useful to you when you want to describe yourself, talk about your family, communicate while traveling, and many other purposes. These are terms that you have likely learned before—most of them are straightforward enough that contextual information isn’t provided. The Categories section also includes a useful Vocabulary Tips section that provides insight about how you can use English to figure out the meaning of French words, and vice versa. A Faux Amis guide lists words that seem to mean the same thing in both French and English, but, in fact, do not!

The last section of the book contains a short grammar review, complete with helpful charts containing verb conjugations, subject pronouns, and adjective formation. A short guide to prepositions, negation, and question formation is also provided.

A word about context: One of the most important tools we have for discerning meaning in language is context. This is true for our native language, as well as for languages we learn as non-native speakers. You might not know what the word punctilious means in English, but when you see the sentence I can think of no better way to describe Margaret than punctilious—she shows the highest regard for correct behavior, and proper etiquette is always her primary concern, the meaning of punctilious will be clear. You can figure out from the context that punctilious likely means socially correct and mindful of good manners and conventions. A word can also mean very different things depending on the words around it. The sentences This sweater is green and My cousin is interested in green technologies use the word green in different ways, and it is the rest of the sentence that makes the intended meaning evident. In this book we are limited to contextual clues at the sentence level, but in the world beyond this book, contextual clues reach far beyond the sentence. Elements such as the age of the speaker(s), the person who is being addressed (and by whom), the place where these words are being uttered, and even whether humor is intended, all offer potential contextual clues for meaning. Keep this in mind when you hear the words in this book being used in new or unexpected ways.

We believe that 2,001 Most Useful French Words will provide an eminently useful tool, however you choose to use it. Our goal is for this handy book to be an indispensable tool in your further explorations in the French language. Immerse yourself in the pleasure of the words as you read it. Bonne lecture!

French Pronunciation Guide

Here are some general principles of pronunciation:

Nasalization

In French, a vowel is nasalized when it is followed by a single m or n in the same syllable. The transcription of these nasalized vowels appears as:

-an, -am, -em, -en -> ahn, ehn

-in, -im -> ihn, ihm

-on, -om -> ohn, ohm

-um, -un -> uhn

To produce a nasalized vowel, quickly pass the air through both the nose and the mouth at the same time. The m or n isn’t pronounced after the nasal vowel, as follows:

français -> frahn-say ; temps -> tahn

pain -> pihn ; printemps ->prihn-tehn

bon -> bohn

quelqu’un -> kell-kuhn

Silent Final Consonants

In French, most consonants at the end of a word are silent, although there are exceptions to this rule: c, f, and l. The consonant r also is pronounced, but is silent when occurring in the endings -er and -ier.

The French r

The French r can be one of the most challenging sounds for English speakers to pronounce. Pronunciation of the r will depend upon the region of the French-speaking world that you are visiting. In some areas, the French r can resemble the Italian or Spanish r—produced by rolling it on the tip of the tongue. The Parisian r is a more gutteral sound: it’s helpful to imagine the sound being produced in the back of the throat, the same place that produces the h in ahoy. The r is voiced, meaning that there is a slight vibration of the vocal chords.

The Plural s

As mentioned above, consonants at the end of words normally are not pronounced. Make special note of this when pronouncing the s that denotes the plural:

Le chat -> luh shah

Les chats -> lay shah

Notice how the pronunciation of the noun chat does not change between the singular and the plural. This is quite different from English, and is important for English speakers to remember.

Liaison

A final consonant that is normally silent is pronounced when it comes before a vowel or h. This phenomenon is called liaison. Note the following change:

A final s before a consonant: des livres -> day leev-ruh

A final s before a vowel: des animaux -> daze ehn-ee-moh

The rules for liaison can be somewhat complex, so simply pay attention to the phonetic transcriptions in order to get a feel for when its usage is appropriate.

Stress

The last syllable of a French word is usually stressed:

Beaucoup -> boh-koo

However, when the last syllable is an unstressed e (uh in the transcription used here), the next-to-the-last syllable receives the stress:

Formidable -> for-mee-dah-bluh

You will also notice that in addition to the stress at the end of a word, there also is stress at the end of a phrase:

Je suis américain et travaille au musée d’art contemporain.-> zhuh swee za-mary-kihn ay tra-vy oh moo-zay dar cohn-tehn-por-ihn.

Scheme of Pronunciation

Alphabetical Section

A

à in, at, to

Je dois aller à la mairie pour récupérer des documents.

I need to go to the town hall to pick up some documents.

abeille f. bee

Elle est allergique aux piqûres d’abeilles.

She is allergic to bee stings.

abîmer ruin, damage, spoil

Si tu ne fais pas attention, tu vas abîmer ton pantalon.

If you’re not careful, you’ll ruin your pants.

abonner, s’ to subscribe

Je veux m’abonner à cette revue, mais elle est trop chère.

I want to subscribe to this journal, but it’s too expensive.

aborder to tackle, to approach

On va faire attention en abordant ce problème.

We’re going to be very careful when tackling this problem.

abri m. shelter

Il y a un abri antiatomique chez mes grand-parents.

There’s a bomb shelter at my grandparents’ house.

absent(e) absent

Il est souvent absent de notre classe.

He’s frequently absent from our class.

absolument absolutely

Il faut absolument que tu m’appelles demain.

You absolutely must call me tomorrow.

accablant(e) oppressive, damning

Cette chaleur est vraiment accablante.

This heat is truly oppressive.

accepter to accept

Le gouvernement accepte la responsabilité des problèmes du pays.

The government accepts responsibility for the country’s problems.

accès m. access

L’accès aux quais est interdit.

Access to the platforms is forbidden.

accompagner to accompany, go with

Je peux vous accompagner?

May I accompany you?

accord m. accord, agreement

Est-ce qu’il a donné son accord pour le projet?

Did he give his agreement for the project?

accro addict

Elle passe des heures et des heures sur Facebook—c’est une accro!

She spends hours and hours on Facebook—she’s an addict!

achat m. purchase

Je sais que ce sac est un achat impulsif mais, je l’adore!

I know this handbag was an impulse purchase, but I love it!

acheter to buy

Elle veut acheter cette voiture, mais elle n’a pas assez d’argent.

She wants to buy this car but doesn’t have enough money.

action f. action.

Mon cousin aime bien les films d’action.

My cousin loves action films.

actions f. stock or shares

Comme il a des problèmes d’argent en ce moment, il doit vendre toutes ses actions.

Since he is having money problems, he needs to sell all his stocks.

actualité f. current events, news

Ce problème fait toujours la une de l’actualité.

This problem is always in the headlines.

actuel(le) present, current

Quel est l’état actuel de la situation politique dans votre pays?

What is the current state of the political situation in your country?

actuellement currently, at the time being

On a peu de travail actuellement.

We have little work at the time being.

adapter to adapt

Le cinéaste désire adapter cette pièce au cinéma.

The filmmaker wants to adapt this play for film.

adapter, s’ to adjust to

Tu dois t’adapter à la nouvelle situation.

You should adapt to the new situation.

addition f. bill, check

L’addition, s’il vous plaît!

The check, please!

ado adolescent, teen

Il est vrai que les films de vampires sont très appréciés par les ados en ce moment.

It is true that vampire movies are really liked by teens these days.

adopter to adopt

L’Assemblé nationale a décidé d’adopter cette nouvelle loi.

The National Assembly decided to adopt this new law.

adorer to adore

Il adore les langues; il veut devenir prof de langues.

He loves languages; he wants to be a language teacher.

adresse f. address

Quelle est votre adresse?

What’s your address?

aéroport m. airport

Ma navette part pour l’aéroport dans trois quarts d’heure.

My shuttle leaves for the airport in forty-five minutes.

affaiblir to weaken

Cette infection affaiblit le jeune homme à tel point qu’il doit aller aux urgences.

This infection is weakening the young man to the point that he has to go to the emergency room.

affaire f. affair, matter

Sois prudent, c’est une affaire louche.

Be careful, it’s a shady deal.

affaires m. pl. business, business dealings

Mon oncle est expert en affaires internationales.

My uncle is an expert in international business.

affamé(e) starving

Ces réfugiés sont affamés.

These refugees are starving.

affectueux(-euse) affectionate

Elle est toujours très affectueuse avec ses enfants.

She’s always very affectionate with her children.

affliger to afflict, to distress

Cette nouvelle les afflige.

This news is distressing to them.

affoler, s’ to become panicked

Ne t’affole pas, on va régler la situation.

Don’t panic, we’re going to fix the situation.

afin de / afin que in order to / so that

Marc a pris un taxi afin d’arriver à l’heure à son rendez-vous.

Marc took a taxi in order to arrive at his appointment on time.

Il faut que tu étudies afin que je puisse emprunter ton manuel.

You have to study so that I can borrow your textbook.

agacer to annoy, to irritate

Ces petits problèmes m’agacent beaucoup.

These little problems really annoy me.

âge m. age

Elle a quel âge?

How old is she?

âgé(e) aged

Cette dame âgée a survécu à toute sa famille, elle a presque cent ans.

This elderly woman has survived all her family; she is almost one hundred years old.

agence de voyages f. travel agency

Je dois passer par l’agence de voyages afin d’acheter mon billet de train.

I need to stop by the travel agency to buy my train ticket.

agent (de police) m. police officer.

Il y a un agent de police à l’appareil qui veut te parler!

There’s a police office on the phone who wants to talk to you!

agréable agreeable, pleasant

On a passé un après-midi agréable au jardin botanique.

We spent a pleasant afternoon at the botanical garden.

agriculteur m. farmer

Mon oncle est agriculteur dans le Morvan.

My uncle is a farmer in the Morvan region.

aide f. help, assistance

La majorité des fumeurs arrêtent sans aide.

The majority of smokers stop without assistance.

aider to help

Je peux vous aider?

May I help you?

aigre sour

Cette sauce est un peu trop aigre à mon avis.

This sauce is a little too sour, in my opinion.

aiguille f. needle

Il me faut une aiguille à coudre.

I need a sewing needle.

ailleurs; d’ailleurs elsewhere; besides, moreover

Si tu veux boire, il faut aller ailleurs.

If you want to drink, you’ll have to go elsewhere.

On n’a pas réussi à l’examen, et d’ailleurs je dois admettre qu’on n’a même pas étudié!

We didn’t pass the test, and moreover, I must admit that we didn’t even study!

aimable nice, pleasant

Notre nouveau collègue est assez aimable, en fait.

Our new colleague is, in fact, pretty nice.

aimer to love; aimer bien to like

J’aime bien le jazz. Et