Hi everyone!

We always here about English words in French or in other languages. The Academy Francaise is always fighting to protect French language.

But something that we often forgot is that a large number of French words are already communly used by English spreakers. Here some of them for fun ;-)

French Words and Expressions in English

Learn the true meanings of French words and expressions commonly used in English

French Influence in English | French Words in English | Quiz

Over the years, the English language has borrowed a great number of French words and expressions. Some of this vocabulary has been so completely absorbed by English that speakers might not realize its origins. Other words and expressions have retained their "Frenchness" - a certain je ne sais quoi which speakers tend to be much more aware of (although this awareness does not usually extend to actually pronouncing the word in French). The following is a list of French words and expressions which are commonly used in English.

French	Literal meaning	Notes
adieu	until God	Used like "farewell": when you don't expect to see the person again until God (when you die and go to Heaven)
agent provocateur	provocative agent	A person who attempts to provoke suspected individuals or groups into committing unlawful acts
aide-de-camp	camp assistant	A military officer who serves as a personal assistant to a higher-ranking officer
aide-mémoire	memory aid	1. Position paper 2. Something that acts as an aid to memory, such as crib notes or mnemonic devices
à la carte	on the menu*	French restaurants usually offer a menu with choices for each of the several courses at a fixed price (how to read a French menu). If you want something else (a side order), you order from the carte. *Note that menu is a false cognate in French and English.
à la mode	in fashion, style	In English, this means "with ice cream" - apparently someone decided that having ice cream on pie was the fashionable way to eat it.
amour-propre	self love	Self respect
apéritif	cocktail	From Latin, "to open"
après-ski	after skiing	The French term actually refers to snow boots, but the literal translation of the term is what is meant in English, as in "après-ski" social events.
à propos (de)	on the subject of	In French, à propos must be followed by the preposition de. In English, there are four ways to use apropos (we leave out the accent and the space): 1. Adjective - appropriate, to the point: "That's true, but it's not apropos." 2. Adverb - at an appropriate time, opportunely: "Fortunately, he arrived apropos." 3. Adverb/Interjection - by the way, incidentally: "Apropos, what happened yesterday?" 4. Preposition (may or may not be followed by of) - with regard to, speaking of: "Apropos our meeting, I'll be late"; "He told a funny story apropos of the new president."
art déco	decorative art	Short for art décoratif
art nouveau	new art	Characterized by flowers, leaves, and flowing lines
attaché	attached	A person assigned to a diplomatic post
au contraire	on the contrary	Usually used playfully in English.
au fait	conversant, informed	Au fait is used in British English to mean "familiar" or "conversant": She's not really au fait with my ideas.
au gratin	with gratings	In French, au gratin refers to anything that is grated and put on top of a dish, like breadcrumbs or cheese. In English, au gratin means "with cheese."
au jus	in the juice	Served with the meat's natural juices.
au naturel	in reality, unseasoned	In this case naturel is a semi-false cognate. In French, au naturel can mean either "in reality" or the literal meaning of "unseasoned" (in cooking). In English, we picked up the latter, less common usage and use it figuratively, to mean natural, untouched, pure, real.
au pair	at par	A person who works for a family (cleaning and/or teaching the children) in exchange for room and board
aux trois crayons	with three crayons	Drawing technique using three colors of chalk
avant-garde	before guard	Innovative, especially in the arts
avoirdupois	goods of weight	Originally spelled averdepois
bête noire	black beast	Similar to a pet peeve: something that is particularly distasteful or difficult and to be avoided.
billet-doux	sweet note	Love letter
blond blonde	fair-haired	This is the only adjective in English which agrees in gender with the person it modifies: blond is for a man and blonde for a woman. Note that these can also be nouns.
bon appétit	good appetite	The closest English equivalent is "Enjoy your meal."
bon vivant	good "liver"	Someone who lives well, who knows how to enjoy life.
bon voyage	good trip	English has "Have a good trip," but Bon voyage is more elegant.
brunette	small, dark-haired female	The French word brun, dark-haired, is what English really means by "brunette." The -ette suffix indicates that the subject is small and female.
café au lait	coffee with milk	Same thing as the Spanish term café con leche
carte blanche	blank card	Free hand, ability to do whatever you want/need
cause célèbre	famous cause	A famous, controversial issue, trial, or case
cerise	cherry	The French word for the fruit gives us the English word for the color.
c'est la vie	that's life	Same meaning and usage in both languages
chaise longue	long chair	In English, this is often mistakenly written as "chaise lounge" - which actually makes perfect sense.
chargé d'affaires	charged with business	A substitute or replacement diplomat
chef d'oeuvre	chief work	Masterpiece
cheval-de-frise	Frisian horse	Barbed wire, spikes, or broken glass attached to wood or masonry and used to block access
cheval glace	horse mirror	A long mirror set into a moveable frame
chic	stylish	Chic sounds more chic than "stylish."
cinéma vérité	cinema truth	Unbiased, realistic documentary filmmaking
comme il faut	as it must	The proper way, as it should be
cordon sanitaire	sanitary line	Quarantine, buffer zone for political or medical reasons.
coup de grâce	mercy blow	Deathblow, final blow, decisive stroke
coup d'état	state blow	Overthrow of the government
crème brûlée	burnt cream	Baked custard with carmelized crust
crème caramel	caramel cream	Synonym of flan - custard lined with caramel
crème de cacao	cream of cacao	Chocolate-flavored liqueur
crème de la crème	cream of the cream	Synonymous with the English expression "cream of the crop" - refers to the best of the best.
crème de menthe	cream of mint	Mint-flavored liqueur
crème fraîche	fresh cream	This is a funny term. Despite its meaning, crème fraîche is in fact slightly fermented, thickened cream.
crêpe de Chine	Chinese crepe	Type of silk
cri de coeur	cry of heart	The correct way to say "heartfelt cry" in French is cri du cœur (literally, "cry of the heart")
critique	critical, judgment	Critique is an adjective and noun in French, but a noun and verb in English; it refers to a critical review of something or the act of performing such a review.
cuisine	kitchen, food style	In English, cuisine refers only to a particular type of food/cooking, such as French cuisine, Southern cuisine, etc.
cul-de-sac	bottom (butt) of the bag	Dead-end street
debutante	beginner	In French, débutante is the feminine form of débutant - beginner (noun) or beginning (adj). In both languages, it also refers to a young girl making her formal début into society. Interestingly, this usage is not original in French; it was adopted back from English.
décolletage décolleté	low neckline lowered neckline	The first is a noun, the second an adjective, but both refer to low necklines on women's clothing.
dégustation	tasting	The French word simply refers to the act of tasting, while in English "degustation" is used for a tasting event or party, as in wine or cheese tasting.
déjà vu	already seen	This is a grammatical structure in French, as in Je l'ai déjà vu=> I've already seen it. It can also disparage a style or technique that has already been done, as in Son style est déjà vu=> His style is not original. In English, déjà vu refers to the scientific phenomenon of feeling like you have already seen or done something when you're sure that you haven't: a feeling of déjà vu = une impression de déjà vu.
demimonde	half world	1. A marginal or disrespectful group 2. Prostitutes and/or kept women
demitasse	half cup	Refers to a small cup of espresso or other strong coffee.
démodé	out of fashion	Same meaning in both languages: outmoded, out of fashion
de rigueur	of rigueur	Socially or culturally obligatory
dernier cri	last cry	The newest fashion or trend
de trop	of too much	Excessive, superfluous
double entendre	double hearing	A word play or pun. For example, you're looking at a field of sheep and you say "How are you (ewe)?"
du jour	of the day	"Soup du jour" is nothing more than an elegant-sounding version of "soup of the day."
eau de Cologne	water from Cologne	This is often cut down to simply "cologne" in English. Cologne is the French and English name for the German city Köln.
eau de toilette	toilet water	Toilet here does not refer to a commode - see toilette, below. Eau de toilette is a very weak perfume.
en banc	on the bench	Legal: indicates that the entire membership of a court is in session.
en bloc	in a block	In a group, all together
encore	again	A simple adverb in French, "encore" in English refers to an additional performance, usually requested with audience applause.
enfant terrible	terrible child	Refers to a troublesome or embarrassing person within a group (of artists, thinkers, etc).
en garde	on guard	Warning that one should be on his/her guard, ready for an attack (originally in fencing).
en masse	in mass	In a group, all together
en route	on route	On the way
en suite	in sequence	Part of a set, together
esprit de corps	group spirit	Similar to team spirit or morale
fait accompli	done deed	Fait accompli seems more fatalistic to me than done deed, which is so factual.
faux	false, fake	I once saw an ad for "genuine faux pearls." No worries that those pearls might be real, I guess - you were guaranteed fake ones. :-)
faux pas	false step, trip	Something that should not be done, a foolish mistake.
femme fatale	deadly woman	An alluring, mysterious woman who seduces men into compromising situations
fiancé fiancée	engaged person, betrothed	Note that fiancé refers to a man and fiancée to a woman.
film noir	black movie	Black is a literal reference to the stark black-and-white cinematography style, though films noirs tend to be figuratively dark as well (e.g., morbid, bleak, depressing, etc).
fin de siècle	end of the century	Hyphenated in English, fin-de-siècle refers to the end of the 19th century.
fleur-de-lis fleur-de-lys	flower of lily	A type of iris or an emblem in the shape of an iris with three petals.
folie à deux	craziness for two	Mental disorder which occurs simultaneously in two people with a close relationship or association.
force majeure	greater force	Refers to superior/greater force, or to an unexpected or uncontrollable event, such as "an act of God" like a tornado or earthquake.
gamine	playful, little girl	Refers to an impish or playful girl/woman.
gauche	left, awkward	Tactless, lacking social grace
genre	type	Used mostly in art and film - "I really like this genre..."
haute couture	high sewing	High-class, fancy (and expensive) clothing styles
haute cuisine	high cuisine	High-class, fancy (and expensive) cooking or food
hors de combat	out of combat	Out of action
hors d'oeuvre	outside of work	An appetizer. Oeuvre here refers to the main work (course), so hors d'oeuvre simply means something besides the main course.
idée fixe	set idea	Fixation, obsession
je ne sais quoi	I don't know what	Used to indicate a "certain something," as in "I really like Ann. She has a certain je ne sais quoi that I find very appealing."
joie de vivre	joy of living	The quality in people who live life to the fullest
laissez-faire	let it be	A policy of non-interference. Note the expression in French is laisser-faire.
maître d' maître d'hôtel	master of master of hotel	The former is more common in English, which is strange since it is incomplete: "The 'master of' will show you to your table."
mal de mer	sickness of sea	Seasickness
mardi gras	fat Tuesday	Celebration before Lent
matinée	morning	In English, refers to the day's first showing of a movie or play. Can also refer to a midday romp with one's lover.
ménage à trois	household of three	Sexual threesome
mot juste	right word	Exactly the right word or expression.
née	born	Used in genealogy to refer to a woman's maiden name: Anne Miller née (or nee) Smith.
noblesse oblige	obligated nobility	The idea that those who are noble are obliged to act noble.
nom de guerre	war name	Pseudonym
nom de plume	pen name	This French phrase was coined by English speakers in imitation of nom de guerre.
nouveau riche	new rich	Disparaging term for someone who has recently come into money.
nouvelle cuisine	new cuisine
objet d'art	art object	Note that the French word objet does not have a c - you should never write "object d'art"
papier mâché	mashed paper	Used for art
par excellence	by excellence	Quintessential, preeminent, the best of the best
pas de deux	step of two	Dance with two people
passé	past	Old-fashioned, out-of-date, past its prime
passe-partout	pass everywhere	1. Master key 2. (Art) mat, paper, or tape used to frame a picture
peau de soie	skin of silk	Soft, silky fabric with a dull finish
petite	small, short	It may sound chic, but petit is simply the feminine French adjective "short."
petit-four	little oven	Small dessert, especially cake
pièce de résistance	piece of stamina	In French, this originally referred to the main course - the test of your stomach's stamina. In both languages, it now refers to an outstanding accomplishment or the final part of something - a project, a meal, etc.
pied-à-terre	foot on ground	A temporary or secondary place of residence.
prêt-à-porter	ready to wear
protégé	protected	Someone whose training is sponsored by an influential person.
raison d'être	reason for being	Purpose, justification for existing
rendez-vous	go to	In French, this refers to a date or an appointment (literally, it is the verb se rendre - to go - in the imperative); in English we can use it as a noun or a verb (let's rendez-vous at 8pm).
repartee	quick, accurate response	The French repartie gives us the English "repartee," with the same meaning of a swift, witty, and "right on" retort.
risqué	risked	Suggestive, overly provocative
roman à clés	novel with keys	Novel with real people appearing as fictional characters
roman-fleuve	novel river	A long, multi-volume novel which presents the history of several generations of a family or community. In both French and English, saga tends to be used more.
rouge	red	The English refers to a reddish cosmetic or metal/glass-polishing powder, and can be a noun or a verb.
RSVP	respond please	This abbreviation stands for Répondez, s'il vous plaît, which means that "Please RSVP" is redundant.
sang-froid	cold blood	The ability to maintain one's composure.
sans	without	Used mainly in academia, although it's also seen in the font style "sans serif" => without decorative flourishes.
savoir-faire	knowing how to do	Synonymous with tact or social grace.
savoir-vivre	to know how to live	Manners, etiquette
soi-disant	self saying	What one claims about oneself; so-called, alleged
soigné	taken care of	1. Sophisticated, elegant, fashionable 2. Well-groomed, polished, refined
soirée	evening	In English, refers to an elegant party.
soupçon	suspicion	Used figuratively like hint: There's just a soupçon of garlic in the soup.
souvenir	memory, keepsake	A memento
succès d'estime	success of estime	Important but unpopular success or achievement
succès fou	crazy success	Wild success
tableau vivant	living picture	A scene made up of silent, motionless actors
table d'hôte	host table	1. A table for all guests to sit together 2. A fixed-price meal with multiple courses
tête-à-tête	head to head	A private talk or visit with another person
toilette	toilet	In French, this refers both to the toilet itself and anything related to toiletries; thus the expression "to do one's toilette" - brush hair, do makeup, etc. See eau de toilette, above.
touché	touched	Originally used in fencing, now equivalent to "you got me."
tour de force	turn of strength	Something which takes a great deal of strength or skill to accomplish.
trompe l'oeil	trick the eye	A painting style which uses perspective to trick the eye into thinking it is real. In French, trompe l'oeil can also refer in general to artifice and trickery.
vis-à-vis (de)	face to face	In French, when vis-à-vis precedes a noun and means facing, next to, or towards, it must be followed by the preposition de. In English it means "compared to" or "in relation with": vis-à-vis this decision=> vis-à-vis de cette décision.
Voilà !	There it is!	Nearly every time I see this in English, it is misspelled as "voilá" or "violà."
voir dire	seeing saying	Jury selection
vol-au-vent	flight of the wind	In both French and English, a vol-au-vent is a very light pastry shell filled with meat or fish with sauce.
French has also given English scores of words in the domains of ballet and cooking. The literal meanings of the French words are (in parentheses).
Ballet terms: barre (bar), chaîné (chained), chassé (chased), développé (developed), effacé (shaded), pas de deux (two step), pirouette (turn), plié (bent), relevé (lifted)...
Cooking terms: blanch (from blanchir => to bleach), sauté (fried over high heat), fondue (melted), purée (crushed), flambée (burned)...

Source : http://french.about.com/library/bl-frenchinenglish-list.htm