Dictionary WikiFrench Phrases in English: Bon Appétit to Résumé
Open a restaurant menu, flip through a fashion magazine, or sit in on a diplomatic briefing and you will trip over French within minutes. That is no accident. After 1066, Norman rulers ran England in French for roughly three hundred years, and the language of the court seeped into the speech of the kingdom at every level. The standard figure is that around 30% of modern English vocabulary traces back to French roots. What gets less attention is how many complete French expressions—untranslated, accents and all—have slipped into English as ready-made units. They show up in kitchens, galleries, boardrooms, and wedding invitations, sometimes earning their keep and sometimes doing the same job an English phrase would handle.
How French Got Into English
The French–English link sits near the top of any list of important language contacts. William of Normandy's victory over Harold at Hastings in 1066 installed a French-speaking elite on English soil, and for roughly three centuries Anglo-Norman French ran the courts, the church paperwork, and the nobility's dinner conversations.
During that stretch, English quietly soaked up French words—especially in places where status and money lived. Plain Germanic terms stayed attached to hands-on life (house, eat, cow, sheep, child), while French supplied the dressier version (mansion, dine, beef, mutton, infant). That doubling-up is why modern English has two or three ways to say nearly anything.
Once English climbed back onto the throne as the country's main language in the 1300s and 1400s, French kept its grip through prestige. Until the early 1900s, diplomats negotiated in French by default, and even now the language carries a whiff of refinement around food, clothing, and the arts. That aura is the reason English speakers still reach for a French phrase when a plain English one would do the job.
At the Table and in the Kitchen
Try describing a restaurant meal without borrowing from French—it is nearly impossible. The vocabulary of dining, from ordering to cooking techniques, is stacked with imports.
| Phrase | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bon appétit | /bɒn æpəˈtiː/ | Enjoy your meal |
| à la carte | /æ lɑː ˈkɑːrt/ | Ordering individual dishes rather than a set meal |
| à la mode | /æ lɑː ˈmoʊd/ | In the fashion; in the US, served with ice cream |
| haute cuisine | /oʊt kwɪˈziːn/ | High-end, refined cooking |
| mise en place | /miːz ɒn ˈplɑːs/ | Everything in its place (prep before cooking) |
| hors d'oeuvre | /ɔːr ˈdɜːrv/ | Appetizer; literally "outside the work" |
| sommelier | /sɒməlˈjeɪ/ | A wine expert/steward |
| sauté | /soʊˈteɪ/ | To fry quickly in a little fat |
| flambé | /flɒmˈbeɪ/ | Doused in liquor and set alight |
| crème brûlée | /krɛm bruːˈleɪ/ | Burned cream dessert |
| en croûte | /ɒn ˈkruːt/ | Wrapped in pastry |
| soufflé | /suːˈfleɪ/ | Puffed up; a light baked dish |
Style, Design, and the Arts
| Phrase | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| haute couture | /oʊt kuːˈtjʊər/ | High fashion; custom-made designer clothing |
| prêt-à-porter | /prɛt ɑː pɔːrˈteɪ/ | Ready to wear (off-the-rack fashion) |
| avant-garde | /ævɒ̃ ˈɡɑːrd/ | Experimental, innovative (especially in arts) |
| art nouveau | /ɑːrt nuːˈvoʊ/ | An ornamental art style from the late 1800s |
| art deco | /ɑːrt ˈdɛkoʊ/ | A decorative style from the 1920s-30s |
| encore | /ˈɒŋkɔːr/ | Again; an additional performance demanded by audience |
| genre | /ˈʒɒnrə/ | A category of artistic composition |
| oeuvre | /ˈɜːvrə/ | The complete works of an artist |
| faux pas | /foʊ ˈpɑː/ | A social blunder; literally "false step" |
| chic | /ʃiːk/ | Elegantly stylish |
| blasé | /blɑːˈzeɪ/ | Unimpressed due to overexposure |
Everyday Social Expressions
| Phrase | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| déjà vu | /deɪʒɑː ˈvuː/ | Already seen; the feeling of having experienced something before |
| c'est la vie | /seɪ lɑː ˈviː/ | That's life; accepting the inevitable |
| joie de vivre | /ʒwɑː də ˈviːvrə/ | Joy of living; exuberant enjoyment |
| raison d'être | /reɪzɒ̃ ˈdɛtrə/ | Reason for being; purpose of existence |
| savoir-faire | /sævwɑːr ˈfɛər/ | Social know-how; tact and grace |
| je ne sais quoi | /ʒə nə seɪ ˈkwɑː/ | I don't know what; an indefinable appealing quality |
| RSVP (répondez s'il vous plaît) | /ɑːr ɛs viː ˈpiː/ | Please respond (to an invitation) |
| tête-à-tête | /teɪt ɑː ˈteɪt/ | A private conversation between two people |
| rendez-vous | /ˈrɒndɪvuː/ | A planned meeting; an appointment |
| fiancé/fiancée | /fiˈɒnseɪ/ | An engaged man/woman |
| cliché | /kliːˈʃeɪ/ | An overused expression or idea |
| naïve | /naɪˈiːv/ | Lacking experience or sophistication |
Office and Professional Life
| Phrase | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| résumé | /ˈrɛzjʊmeɪ/ | A summary of qualifications (US); CV |
| entrepreneur | /ɒntrəprəˈnɜːr/ | A business founder; one who undertakes ventures |
| carte blanche | /kɑːrt ˈblɒnʃ/ | Complete freedom to act; blank check |
| laissez-faire | /lɛseɪ ˈfɛər/ | A hands-off approach; minimal intervention |
| en route | /ɒn ˈruːt/ | On the way |
| vis-à-vis | /viːzɑːˈviː/ | In relation to; compared with; face to face |
| protégé | /ˈprɒtəʒeɪ/ | Someone guided by an experienced mentor |
| communiqué | /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪ/ | An official announcement or statement |
Bookish and Political Expressions
| Phrase | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| coup de grâce | /kuː də ˈɡrɑːs/ | A final blow; a mercy killing |
| coup d'état | /kuː deɪˈtɑː/ | An overthrow of government |
| enfant terrible | /ɒ̃fɒ̃ tɛˈriːblə/ | A person who behaves shockingly unconventionally |
| fait accompli | /feɪt əˈkɒmpliː/ | An accomplished fact; something already done |
| cause célèbre | /kɔːz səˈlɛbrə/ | A controversial issue attracting public attention |
| bête noire | /bɛt ˈnwɑːr/ | A person or thing someone particularly dislikes |
| esprit de corps | /ɛˈspriː də ˈkɔːr/ | Team spirit; shared enthusiasm in a group |
| noblesse oblige | /noʊˈblɛs əˈbliːʒ/ | The obligation of the privileged to help others |
How to Say Them Without Wincing
When English speakers use these phrases, pronunciation slides along a range—some people fully anglicize them, others push toward something close to the Parisian sound. Register and audience usually decide where you land.
Sounds That Catch English Speakers Off Guard
- Nasal vowels: French runs several vowels through the nose, and English has none of them. The "en" in "en route" is a nasal /ɒ̃/; most English speakers either approximate it or skip it.
- The uvular "r": Parisian "r" is made at the back of the throat, not with the tongue tip the way English does it. Using your regular English "r" is almost always fine.
- Dropped final consonants: Word-final consonants in French usually go silent—"coup" = /kuː/, "ballet" = /bæˈleɪ/, "faux" = /foʊ/.
- Accents do real work: é = /eɪ/, è = /ɛ/, ê = /ɛ/. These marks carry pronunciation information, so ignoring them changes the word.
Where Speakers Trip Up
- "Coup de grâce" ≠ "coup de gras": Grâce is grace or mercy; gras is fat. A "stroke of fat" is not what you want to deliver to a defeated opponent.
- "Pièce de résistance": Regularly mangled in spelling and pronunciation. It refers to the standout item of a group—nothing to do with pushing back against anything.
- "Touché": The fencing term for a hit that landed. In English conversation it concedes a smart counter-argument, not simple agreement.
- "Fiancé" vs. "fiancée": One "e" for a man, two for a woman. English swallows the difference in speech, so the distinction survives only in writing.
- "Crème de la crème": Literally the cream of the cream—the very best. Spellings like "crem" or "crime" show up more often than they should.
These borrowings are not just vocabulary trophies. They mark a long, close contact between two languages that shaped each other across centuries of invasion, politics, and taste. Using them with care signals not just that you know the words but that you know when—and when not—to reach for them.