| A | B |
|---|
| le regret | regret |
| une querelle | an argument |
| Concilier carrière et famille | to manage/balance career and family life |
| faire une gaffe ** | to goof up/make a faux pas |
| rejeter | to reject |
| se brouiller | to have a falling out |
| se révolter | to rebel/revolt |
| punir | to punish |
| faire des reproches (f) | to reprimand |
| le remords | remorse |
| faire une bêtise | to mess up/ to do something wrong/bad |
| une bagarre | a fight (physical) |
| la famille proche | immediate family |
| la vie familiale | family life |
| la famille nucléaire | nuclear family (mother, father, children) |
| la famille éloignée | distant relatives/family |
| la famille élargie/étendue | extended family |
| une famille nombreuse | a large family |
| un père célibataire | a single father |
| une mère célibataire | a single mother/mom |
| une famille monoparentale | a single-parent family |
| les ancêtres | ancestors/forefathers |
| une famille recomposée | a family where the couple was previously married to others and then married each other, now having children from previous marriages and possibly also from the new marriage |
| une famille homoparentale | family where the parents are a homosexual couple |
| d'un certain âge | middle-aged |
| la retraite | retirement |
| le repos | rest |
| une maison de retraite | nursing home |
| la maladie de Parkinson | Parkinson's |
| la maladie d'Alzheimer | Alzheimer's |
| le foyer | the home (a narrower meaning in French) |
| le ménage | a household |
| le cocon familial | the warm and fuzzy family nest |
| le nid | the nest |
| servir de modèle à | to be a role model for |
| un cancer (de + le/la/les + body part) | cancer (____ cancer) |
| les aïeux | grandparents |
| les arrière-grands-parents | great grand-parents |
| les arrière-petits-enfants | great grand-children |
| l’héritier / l’héritière | heir |
| un descendant | descendent |
| un testament | a will |
| un frangin | a brother (slang) |
| le parrain | godfather |
| l’aîné (e) (m/f) | the oldest (of the children of a family) |
| le cadet/ le benjamin | the youngest of the children of a family (masc) |
| la marraine | godmother |
| l’aïeule | grandmother |
| l’aïeul | grandfather |
| la cadette / la benjamine | the youngest of the children of a family (fem) |
| une frangine | sister (slang) |
| la bourgeoisie | the (upper) middle class |
| le niveau de vie | standard of living |
| une nourrice / une « nounou » | a nanny |
| le taux de mortalité | the mortality rate |
| la dénalité | the fall/drop in birthrate |
| recevoir de l'aide sociale | to get welfare |
| l'espérance de vie | life expectancy |
| l'Etat providence | the Welfare state |
| la fécondité | fertility |
| la contraception | contraception |
| l'allocation familiale | welfare benefits for families with children |
| se sentir bien dans sa peau | to feel good about oneself, confident |
| se sentir mal dans sa peau | to be awkward/lack self-confidence |
| appartenir à | to belong to |
| le droit de garde | custody (custody rights) |
| le taux de natalité | birth rate |
| l'âge ingrat / l'âge bête | the awkward age (early teens) |
| le destin | destiny |
| le sort | fate |
| l'union libre | couple living together but not married |
| la cohabitation | living together |
| cohabiter | to live together |
| les conjoints | couple/ spouses |
| se sentir mal dans sa peau - | to be awkward/lack self-confidence |
| se sentir bien dans sa peau | to feel good about oneself, confident |
| un rite de passage | a rite of passage |
| le concubinage | common law marriage/living together |
| le compagnon | a life-partner (male) (not married) |
| la compagne | a life-partner (female) (not married) |
| la mort | death |
| le deuil | mourning |
| les funérailles (f) | funeral services |
| l’enterrement (m) (verb : enterrer) | burial (to bury) |
| les obsèques (f) | funeral |
| le/la défunt(e) | the deceased (person) |
| décédé(e) | deceased |
| le cercueil | the coffin |
| la tombe– | grave, tombstone, tomb |
| le tombeau | grave, tomb, sepulchre |
| s’installer | to set up house, to move into to settle in |
| le toit | the roof (also takes on a figurative meaning for home) |
| un pavillon | individual house (usually in suburbs) |
| un F3 | three room flat (two bedrooms/living room) |
| un/e locataire | a renter |
| un/e propriétaire | an owner |
| un bien | a piece of property, a piece of land, a possession |
| le loyer – | the rent |
| l’hypothèque (f) – | the mortage |
| une serrure – | a lock |
| un rideau – | a curtain |
| un volet – | a shutter |
| le mur | a wall |
| les charges (f) | costs (electricity etc.) |
| le plafond – | the ceiling |
| le plancher – | the floor |
| le seuil- | doorway/threshold |
| un(e) enfant unique | an only child |
| des jumeaux | twins (males) |
| des jumelles | twins (females) |
| le gendre | son-in-law |
| un gamin, gosse, môme | kid (male) |
| une gosse, môme, gamine | kid (female) |
| mal élevé (e) | poorly brought up |
| autoritaire | authoritative |
| obéissant (e) | obedient |
| difficile | difficult/picky/demanding |
| bien élevé (e) | well brought up |
| tolérant (e) | lenient/indulgent |
| désobéissant(e) | disobedient |
| docile | docile /obedient |
| équilibré | balanced |
| déséquilibré (e) | imbalanced |
| aisé (e) | well-to-do / well-off |
| privilégié (e) | privileged |
| nanti (e) | affluent / well-off |
| de souche | of an old, native line (family line) |
| appauvri (e) | impoverished |
| bouleversé (e) | extremely upset |
| navré (e) | extremely sorry |
| débordé (e) | overwhlelmed (with work) |
| ingrat (e) | ungrateful |
| tendu (e) | tense |
| gêné (e) | embarrassed/ bothered |
| gâté (e) | spoiled |
| déprimé (e) | depressed |
| à l’aise | comfortable (for a person), well-off |
| rancunier/ rancunière | spiteful |
| digne de foi | trustworthy |
| adopté (e) | adopted |
| exprès | on purpose |
| Le caractère | behavoir/nature/temperment |
| le respect des traditions | respecting traditions |
| l’avarice | miserliness |
| protéger quelqu’un | to protect |
| la confiance | confidence |
| l’humeur | mood |
| l’humour | humor |
| la colère | anger |
| le dévouement | devotion |
| un défaut | a character flaw |
| la vertu | virtue |
| les valeurs | values |
| le comportement | behavior |
| une coutume | a custom |
| le conflit des générations | the clash between generations |
| la rivalité entre frères et sœurs | sibling rivalry |
| le machisme | male chauvinism |
| le manque de communication | lack of communication |
| le manque d’amour | lack of love |
| l’isolement | isolation |
| une dispute | an argument |
| des rapports tendus | tense relationship/relations |
| le manque de soins | neglect |
| un nourrisson | a newborn/ a little baby |
| allaiter | to nurse (a baby) |
| un biberon | a bottle (for a baby) |
| une couche | a diaper (word also means 'layer) |
| le berceau | crib/cradle |
| une fessée | a spanking |
| fouetter | to whip |
| veiller sur | to watch over (idea of caring/protecting) |
| la vieillesse | old age |
| le troisième age | old age |
| l'enfance | childhood |
| le baptême | baptism |
| guetter | to watch (out) for/to wait for |
| d’un certain âge | middle-aged |
| gronder | to reprimand |
| refouler | to repress |
| haïr | to hate |
| priver quelqu’un de quelque chose | to deprive someone of something |
| mal tourner | to turn out bad |
| pleurnicher | to whine |
| en avoir assez de / J'en ai assez! | to have had enough/to be fed up |
| en avoir marre de** /en avoir ras le bol** | slang: to be fed up with |
| l’enfance (f): | childhood |
| un nourrisson | a little baby/ a newborn |
| traiter quelqu’un de ____(adjective) - | to treat someone like a _______ IDIOM |
| (se) vanter de | to boast/to brag about |
| l’identité | identity |
| l’origine | origin |
| la langue maternelle | native language |
| la langue officielle | official language |
| la langue véhiculaire | lingua franca |
| la langue d'enseignement | the language in which school is taught |
| une langue majoritaire | a majority language |
| une langue minoritaire | a minority language |
| une langue de communication | a language used to communicate |
| une communauté linguistique | a linguisitic group (a group who speaks the same language) |
| imposer | to impose |
| un dialecte | a dialect |
| le patois | dialect (considered inferior) |
| la disparition | the disappearance |
| la linguistique | linguistics (the study of the science of languages) |
| parler couramment | to speak fluently |
| le langage | language (in connection to linguistics and psychology) |
| un locuteur / une locatrice (natif/native) | a speaker (native) |
| un interlocuteur / interlocutrice | speaker/ discussion partner |
| s’exprimer | to express onself |
| maîtriser | to master |
| monolingue | monolingual (just speaks one language) |
| bilingue | bilingual (speaks two languages) |
| multilingue /polyglotte | multilingual (speaks multiple languages) |
| plurilingue | multilingual (more often for things/groups) |
| le plurilinguisme | multilingualism |
| anglophone | English speaking |
| francophone | French speaking |
| ______phone | ______speaking |
| baragouiner | speak badly |
| bredouiller | mutter |
| bafouiller | stutter |
| balbutier | stammer |
| un sommet | summit (meeting or mountain peak) |
| le rayonnement | the influence (throughout the world) |
| la coopération | cooperation |
| coopérer | to cooperate |
| protéger | to protect |
| promouvoir | to promote |
| outre-mer | overseas |
| un DOM-TOM | a overseas Department or Territory |
| l’OIF f. | Organisation internationale de la Francophonie |
| la Francophonie | the group of French speaking countries / the movement in favor of the French language / political organisation uniting French speaking countries |
| une ancienne colonie | a former colony |
| la colonisation | colonization |
| un statut | status |
| assumer (le passé) | to take responsability for/ to come to terms with (the past) |
| le colonisateur | a colonizer |
| un colon | a colonist |
| prendre possession de | to take over/take control of |
| un territoire | a territory |
| un,e indigène | a native (especially before colonization) |
| un autochtone | a native |
| la traite | trade (as in: fur trade, slave trade) |
| l’esclavage | slavery |
| exploiter | to exploit |
| l’exploitation | the exploitation |
| la survie | survival/continuance |
| décoloniser | to decolonize |
| la décolonisation | decolonization |
| autonome | autonomous, self-governing, independant |
| l’autonomie | autonomy, independance, self-government |
| la souveraineté | sovereignty |
| le séparatiste | separatist |
| un acquis | established rights/privileges to which one is entitled |
| le niveau de langue | register / (the level of formality or lack of formality of one's speach) |
| la langue parlée | speech |
| la langue écrite | written language |
| la langue courante | the way language is currently spoken |
| la langue familière | casual speech/language used with friends and family |
| la langue populaire | salty, even coarse language |
| la langue soutenue | formal speech/language (used for speeches, job interviews etc) |
| la langue des jeunes | youth speech/ the way teens talk |
| le verlan | a way of inversing syllables to create new words in French, used in les 'cités' |
| vulgaire | vulgar |
| grossier/grossière | rude, vulgar, salty |
| le point | period (punctuation) |
| les deux points | colon (punctuation) |
| le point d’exclamation | exclamation mark |
| le point d’interrogation | question mark |
| la virgule | comma |
| les guillemets | (French) quotation marks |
| l’orthographe | spelling |
| comment est-ce que ça s’écrit ? | how is that spelled? |
| acadien/acadienne | from Acadia (New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) |
| cadjin | cajun |
| les Antilles | French West Indies (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Haiti) |
| antillais(e) | from the French West Indies |
| le Maghreb | Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria |
| maghrébin (e) | from Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria |
| l'Afrique subsaharienne / l’Afrique noire | subsaharan Africa |
| l'Afrique équatoriale / l’Afrique du nord | Northern Africa |
| métis/métisse | of mixed ethnicity |
| le métissage | the mixing of cultures/ethnicities |
| le brassage | the mixing of cultures/ethnicities |
| un mot apparenté | a cognate |
| la parole | speech (the human capacity for speech) |
| un anglicisme | a word used in French from English origine |
| l’argot | slang |
| un faux ami | a word that looks the same between French and English but mean different things |
| un gros mot | a cuss word |
| branché | in the know, up to date, cool |
| désuet | which has fallen out of use |
| l’Hexagone (m) | nickname for France |
| les mœurs (f) | customs (habits) |
| le patrimoine | cultural heritage of a society |
| le mode de vie | way of life |
| le niveau de vie | standard of living |
| l’hébergement | accommodation/lodging |
| (l’) immobilier | real estate (noun or adjective) |
| le domicile | place of residence |
| le logement | accommodation/housing |
| l’abri (m) | shelter |
| déchaîner | to unleash |
| émigrer | to emigrate |
| faire pitié à | to move someone to pity |
| faire semblant de ne pas voir | to ignore |
| fuir | to flee |
| immigrer | to immigrate |
| injurier | to insult |
| maltraiter | to mistreat |
| menace | to threaten |
| mépriser | to despise |
| le piéton/la piétonne | pedestrian |
| un(e) voisin(e) | a neighbor |
| demeurer | to live/to reside/to remain |
| faire la navette | to commute |
| “métro, boulot, dodo | the routine of metro, work, sleep |
| urbain (e) | urban |
| l’exode rural | rural exodus |
| la banlieue | suburb(s) |
| le quartier défavorisé | deprived area/neighborhood |
| la cité | housing project |
| ne pas prêter attention à | to ignore |
| ne pas supporter | to be intolerant of |
| provoquer | to provoke |
| rapatrier | to repatriate |
| renvoyer | to send back |
| s’insérer | to integrate |
| s’installer | to settle |
| s’intégrer | to integrate |
| se réfugier | to take refuge |
| supporter | to put up with |
| tolérer | to tolerate |
| une agression | attack |
| les injures (f) | insults |
| la peur | fear |
| la conduite | behaviour |
| l’insertion | integration |
| la diversité | diversity |
| la culture | culture |
| le milieu culturel | social background |
| une question épineuse | a thorny issue |
| la tolérance | tolerance |
| la haine | hatred/hate |
| un préjugé (contre) | a prejudice (towards) |
| intolérant(e) | intolerant |
| insupportable | intolerable |
| minoritaire | minority (adjective) |
| naturalisé | naturalised |
| étranger (-ère) | foreign |
| valable | valid |
| dépourvu de | deprived of |
| défavorisé (e) | neglected |
| sans papiers | without official papers |
| la zone sensible | difficult area |
| la bande | gang |
| le bidonville | shanty town |
| un taudis | hovel/pigsty/slum |
| l’islam | Islam |
| musulman (e) | Muslim |
| la mosquée | mosque |
| l’imam | imam |
| porter le voile | to wear the veil |
| le voile intégral | Burqua/Niqab |
| le judaïsme | Judaism |
| juif/juive | Jewish |
| le rabbin | Rabbi |
| l’hindouisme | Hinduism |
| le bouddhisme | Buddhism |
| le christianisme | Christianity |
| chrétien (ne) | Christian |
| le catholicisme | Catholicism |
| catholique | Catholic |
| le prêtre/le curé | priest |
| le moine | monk |
| la religieuse/(pejorative) la bonne sœur | nun |
| le couvent | convent |
| la messe | Mass |
| le protestantisme | Protestantism |
| le temple | Protestant church |
| le pasteur | minister/ pastor |
| un(e) réformé(e) | Protestant |
| croyant(e) | a believer |
| pratiquant(e) | a believer who regularly attends service |
| prier | to pray |
| bénir | to bless |
| aller en pèlerinage | to go on a pilgrimage |
| la foi | faith |
| le péché | sin |
| la prière | prayer |
| le pèlerin | pilgrim |
| un symbole religieux | a religious symbol |
| laïc/laïque (adj) | secular (not linked with religion) |
| la laïcité | secularism (lack of religious influence) |
| athée | atheist |
| l’origine (f) | origin |
| le lieu de naissance | birthplace |
| le pays d’origine | country of origin |
| le pays/la terre d’accueil | host country |
| la frontière | border |
| les papiers d’identité | identification documents |
| la carte d’identité | identity card |
| les droits de l’homme | human rights |
| l’asile (m) | refuge |
| l’immigré (m) | immigrant |
| le ressortissant | national/immigrant |
| le réfugié | refugee |
| le demandeur d’asile | asylum seeker |
| un/e exclu(e) | outcast |
| un/e sans-papier | illegal immigrant |
| un/une clandestin(e) | illegal (immigrant) |
| en situation irrégulière | without official papers |
| le centre d’accueil | (immigrant) reception centre |
| la détention | detention |
| le travail au noir | working w/out legal papers |
| l’immigration clandestine | illegal immigration |
| le cercle vicieux | vicious circle |
| le “pied-noir” | former colonist (pej.) |
| les minorités ethniques | ethnic minorities |
| le Beur | 2nd generation North African |
| marocain(e) | Moroccan |
| algérien(ne) | Algerian |
| portugais(e) | Portuguese |
| le racisme | racism |
| SOS racisme | anti racist organisation |
| une attaque raciste | racist attack |
| l’extrême droite | the far right |
| la xénophobie | xenophobia |
| Le xénophobe | xenophobe |
| Le Front National | National Front party (an extreme right party) |
| accueillir | to receive |
| avoir des prejudges | to be prejudiced |
| avoir pitié de quelqu’un | to pity someone |
| combattre les préjugés | to fight prejudice |
| un comptoir | counter |
| un vol | a flight |
| une arrivée | arrival |
| un départ | departure |
| la douane | customs (at airport |
| décoller | to take off (plane) |
| atterrir | to land (plane) |
| une escale | a layover |
| fouiller | to search (a person/bag/etc) |
| être fouillé | to be searched (body/bag) |
| faire enregistrer les bagages | to check your luggage) |
| passer le contrôle de sécurité | to go through security |
| un tarif/les tariffs | the rates |
| être en pension complète | to have full board and lodging |
| en demi-pension | lodging and half board |
| régler la note | to pay the bill (hotel/restaurant) |
| faire de la randonnée | to hike |
| faire du parapente | to paraglide |
| le téléphérique | the cable car |
| avoir le mal de mer | to be seasick |
| un navire | a ship |
| un paquebot | a cruiseship |
| (faire) une croisière | (to go on) a cruise |
| une péniche | a barge |
| un canot | a dinghy |
| une pirogue | a canoe |
| une coquille | seashell |
| la marée | the tide |
| une vague | a wave |
| un parasol | a sun umbrella |
| un phare | a lighthouse |
| un maître-nageur | a lifeguard |
| prendre des coups de soleil | to get sunburned |
| faire du deltaplane | to parasail |
| faire de la plongée sous-marine | to scuba dive |
| un aller-simple | one-way ticket |
| un aller-retour | round trip ticket |
| une excursion | an outing |
| un itinéraire- | an itinerary |
| un séjour | a stay |
| le périple | tour/trip |
| un parcours | journey |
| un circuit | a tour/a trip |
| une étape | a stage/step (of a trip) |
| le décalage horaire | jet lag |
| le sentier battu | the beaten path |
| le dépaysement | change of scenery |
| planifier | to plan |
| demander des renseignements | to ask for information |
| faire les valises | to pack your suitcases |
| composter son billet de train | to punch your train ticket |
| avoir le mal du pays | to be homesick |
| s’évader | to get away from it all |
| se débrouiller | to manage on one’s own/to be resourceful |
| se rendre à | to go to |
| accueillir | to welcome/to host |
| atteindre | to reach |
| s’éloigner (de) | to move/go away from |
| s’épanouir | to develop to one’s full potential/to blossom |
| mener (à) | to lead to |
| aboutir à | to lead to/to end in |
| visiter VS. Rendre visite à | visiter un endroit/rendre visite à une personne |
| Participer à un chantier | participate in a work project |
| Un chantier de solidarité | a group work project |
| Des vacances humanitaires | a service trip |
| Construire | to build |
| Gratifiant | gratifying |
| Le volontariat | volunteer work |
| Le bénévolat | volunteer work |
| Un défi | a challenge |
| Se rendre utile | to make oneself useful |
| Donner de son temps | to give one’s time |
| Donner un coup de main | to lend a helping hand |
| Se faire de nouveaux amis | to make new friends |
| Partir en mission humanitaire | to go on a service trip |
| Tirer quelque chose de l’expérience | to get something out of the experience |
| Faire les valises | to pack your suitcases |
| Emporter le strict nécessaire | to pack/take the minimum |
| Emporter un maximum d’affaires | to pack/take a lot |
| Incontournable | not to be missed |
| insolite | unusual/unexpected |
| un(e) correspondant(e) | a pen-pal/a host sibling |
