Oh la la! French is such a sophisticated language. Want to know what 5 French words in English are used differently in French? Keep reading!
As you may know, not ALL the expressions we use in English are completely the same in French. Honestly, they’ll leave you thinking your local French people can’t speak French very well – they are FRENCH, aren’t they SUPPOSED to understand it?
Anyway, let’s move right onto the words:
1) Touché
Never ONCE did I hear a French person in France say Touché, not in the sense of ”an acknowledgement of a good or clever point” anyway. In fact, the one time I ventured to use it, my French speakers all looked at me and one of them said: ”T’as touché quoi? (what did you touch?)”
Ermm, oh no worries, I washed my hands. You know, with the virus and all…
After doing some research, I see that the word comes from fencing and is used to acknowledge a hit. Makes sense, right? So unless you want to get into fencing, do NOT use this word with your dear Francois and Francoise.
2) Connoisseur
- I’m not exactly a connoisseur. (when pronounced in French it sounds completely different – something like kon-wa-sir)
- Um, connaisseur, right?
- Um, yeah, that’s what I said.
My French friends and family corrected me SO MANY TIMES because I just refused to believe I was pronouncing (and writing) it wrong. Wait, I’m going the extra mile to say this complicated word and it’s not even correct?
The thing is that connoisseur WAS something people would say in 1835, so unless you have a time machine, stick to ”connaiseur” in French.
3) Matinée
English: a dramatic performance held in the afternoon
French: morning
- Je vais arriver chez toi dans la matinée. (I’ll arrive at your place in the morning.)
- Umm sure, but I’m not big on theater and I’d like for us to go to a restaurant this afternoon instead.
Wait, wait, wait – so, matinée means MORNING in French, whereas in English it’s a musical performance in the AFTERNOON? Guys, what’s going on here and who’s giving definitions to these words??
4) Soirée
English: an evening party, typically in a private house
French: evening
What’s with all these parties and performances? Is this how the English see the French?
Anyway, you can use soireée as a regular word that means evening. Nothing fancy and no need to have party if you use this word. You can wear your new party dress another time!:)
5) Encore
Guess what this one is related to…
A performance! You got it right. What else could it be? All they do in France anyway is talk about what show they’re going to see next or what party to go to.
In English, encore is an extra piece of music that is performed at the end of a show. You can say: ”The audience wanted an encore”, whereas in French it is NEVER used as a noun, but always as an adverb. For example: ”Est-ce que tu veux encore? (Do you want more)?
However, both in French and English you can shout ”Encore!” at the end of a performance.
That is IT!
Hope you liked the list and that you learned something new! 😊✔ Are you interested in learning vocabulary? Here’s why you shouldn’t learn it by heart, and what to do instead.
