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We all know that the words in English language are not just derived from English words at all. In fact, most of English words we all know today are taken from various foreign languages known to man before and today. A certain percentage of English words originated from Portuguese language, some are Latin. There is also a percentage where Spanish and Russian were taken, and so does the French language.
But this time, since we are talking about ways in how to learn French effectively, the basic method I think is suitable for a basic learning is to start with the words English speakers are using. Do you know what these words are? Here are some we can name of.
A
à la carte – literally: on the menu; In restaurants it refers to ordering individual dishes rather than a fixed-price meal.
abattoir – slaughterhouse
B
baguette – a long, narrow loaf of bread with a crispy crust, often called ‘French bread’ in the United Kingdom and United States.
belle – a 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)
C
café – a coffee shop (also used in French for “coffee”).
c’est bon - “That’s good.”
D
Déclassé – of inferior social status
déjà vu - “already seen”: an impression or illusion of having seen or experienced something before.
E
Éclair – a cream and chocolate icing pastry
Entrée – literally “entrance”.
F
fiancé/e - betrothed; lit. a man/woman engaged to be married.
fleur-de-lis - a stylized-flower heraldic device
G
Gaucherie – boorishness
Genre - a type or class, such as “the thriller genre”
H
Hauteur – arrogance; lit. height
hors d’œuvre - “outside the [main] work”: appetizer
I
idée fixe - “fixed idea”: obsession.
Impasse – a deadlock.
J
je m’appelle – my name is…
joie de vivre – “joy of life/living”
L
laissez-faire – “let do”; often used within the context of economic policy or political philosophy, meaning leaving alone, or non-interference.
Liaison – a close relationship or connection; an affair.
M
Maison – house
Milieu – social environment
N
nom de guerre – pseudonym to disguise the identity of a leader of a militant group, literally “war name,” used in France for “pseudonym”
nouvelle cuisine – new cuisine
O
Omelette – omelette
P
Parole – speech, more specifically the individual, personal phenomenon of language.
Q
quoi de neuf? – “What’s new?” What’s up?
R
Rapport - to be in someone’s “good graces
S
Sabotage – subversive destruction, from the practice of workers fearful of industrialization destroying machines by tossing their sabots (“wooden shoes”) into machinery
T
Toilette - the process of dressing or grooming. Also refers in French, when plural (“les toilettes”), to the toilet room.
U
un point c’est tout - And that’s final, and that’s that, full stop (UK), period (US).
V
Voilà! - in French it can mean simply “there it is”; in English it is generally restricted to a triumphant revelation.
Z
le zinc - bar/café counter.
These words are not just used to learn French language but it can also be used when you are learning English abroad.
