| A | B |
|---|
| LA LITTÉRATURE | literature |
| l’œuvre (f) | work, (of art/literature) |
| le chef d’œuvre | masterpiece |
| un tome | a volume |
| une nouvelle | a short story/novella |
| un proverbe | a proverb |
| le retour en arrière | flashback |
| une métaphore | a metaphor |
| le nœud | the crux, central point |
| un symbole | a symbol |
| une image | an image |
| le roman à thèse | novel with a message |
| le thème | theme |
| le cadre | setting, background |
| le personnage | character (person in a work) |
| le caractère | character (i.e. personality) |
| un personnage secondaire | secondary character |
| le personnage principal | main character |
| un héros/une héroïne | hero/heroine |
| l’intrigue (f) | plot |
| l’opéra | the opera/opera |
| le ballet | the ballet/ballet |
| un/e chorégraphe | a choreographer |
| une étoile | a star |
| un rat | young danser of the Parisian Opera school |
| une loge | box (at the ballet, theater or opera, the best seat, sort of private balcony) |
| une représentation | a performance |
| une pièce de théâtre | a play |
| un metteur en scène | producer (theater), director (cinema) |
| l’éclairage | lighting |
| un comédien/une comédienne | actor |
| siffler | to hiss/ to boo / to catcall |
| des jumelles | binoculars / opera glasses |
| la première | opening night |
| la répétition | rehersal session / practice session (for music, theater etc) |
| avoir le trac | to have stage fright |
| le public | the public |
| un spectacle….de mime, de cirque, de variétés | a (mime) (circus) (variety) performance/show |
| L’architecture | architecture |
| un/e architecte | an architect |
| un jardin potager | a vegetable garden |
| une haie | a hedge |
| un buisson | a bush |
| la pelouse | the lawn |
| un vitrail/ les vitraux | a stained glass window (stained glass windows...notice irregular plural in French) |
| le style roman | style developped from 9th to 12th centuries, characterized by the half circle archway, thick stone walls and thick stone pillars + religious iconography |
| le style gothique | followed 'le style roman' / from 12th century to 16th century/ walls less thick, larger windows and doors, pointed arches |
| le style médiéval | (of the Middle Ages) (so, either Romanesque or Gothic or mixed of the two) / |
| le style baroque | style developed in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, first in Italy and then in other Catholic countries characterized by a freedom of form and a profusion of decoration |
| le style classique | (often admiration of Greco-Roman styles) |
| Les beaux arts | fine arts |
| les arts plastiques | sculpture, architecture, drawing, painting |
| un original | an original |
| un faux | a fake/ forgery (tableau) |
| une copie | a reproduction |
| une nature morte | a still-life |
| une toile | a canvas (thus by extension: a painting) |
| une ébauche | a (rough) sketch |
| l’impressionnisme | art movement from the end of the 19th century where painters tried in their work to express the subjective impressions created by light and objects for them / Monet, Renoir |
| l’expressionnisme | art form begun in the early 20th century in which artists tried to represent their feelings or certain aspects of reality through strong, violent, energetic works |
| le cubisme | art movement which flourished from 1910-1930, which tried to show objects destructured into simple, geometric parts / Picasso |
| le fauvisme | a French painters group who, around 1900, used pure, violent colors, used in juxtaposed tones / Matisse |
| le surréalisme | art mouvement where expression and creativity, using the unconcious, were liberated from the control of reason and from widely accepted values |
| l’art nouveau | art style developped in Europe between 1885 and 1914, today definition applies only to architecture and objects of this style |
| l’art abstrait | art form which doesn't represent the concrete world, which uses material, line and color for their own sakes |
| une galerie | a gallery |
| un vernissage | private viewing (of art work) (we also use the French word in English) |
| la Joconde | the Mona Lisa |
| une MJC | acronym for: maison des jeunes et de la culture, which are common institutions in French towns. They organize art/music etc. classes and activities for young people in the town |
| la haute couture | high-fashion |
| un(e) grand(e) couturier (ière) | a fashion designer (high fashion) |
| la gastronomie | the art of cooking and eating fine food |
| un photographe | a photographer (person) |
| une photographie =une photo (courant) = un cliché (familier) | a picture/a photo |
| l’action se déroule… | the plot takes place… |
| le protagoniste | main character, protagonist |
| le dénouement | end, unravelling |
| le décor | scenery, set |
| le sens, la signification | meaning, sense |
| la citation | quotation |
| se dérouler | to take place, unfold |
| s’intituler | to be titled |
| Frapper | to strike, impress |
| Faire le portrait de | to portray |
| s’identifier avec | to identify with |
| Faire allusion à | to allude to |
| le point culminant | the climax/high point |
| Résumer | to summarize |
| Un extrait | an excerpt |
| le fond | content |
| le point de vue | point of view |
| la perspective | point of view |
| frappant | striking |
| Choquant | shocking |
| émouvant | moving |
| allégorique | allegorical |
| ironique | ironic |
| Détaillé | detailed |
| engagé | committed |
| réaliste | realistic |
| vraisemblable | realistic |
| peu croyable | hard to believe |
| concis | concise |
| recherché | elaborate |
| répétitif | repetitive |
| invraisemblable | implausible |
| spirituel | witty |
| LE CINÉMA | the movies, cinema, film (the art) |
| le grand écran | the big screen (thus = film) |
| le septième art | the 7th art, the French consider film the 7th art, after the traditional six arts |
| en v.o. | in the original language the film was made in / not dubbed |
| le réalisateur/ la réalisatrice | the director (of a film) |
| le/la scénariste | the screen writer |
| la vedette | the star |
| le scénario | the screen-play/script |
| le/la cinéphile | film-lover, movie goer |
| un amateur de cinéma | film connoisseur, film lover, film enthusiast |
| la mise en scène | production |
| les effets spéciaux | special effects |
| jouer un rôle | to play a role |
| interpréter un rôle | to play a part/perform a role |
| tourner un film/le tournage | to make a movie / the making/filming of |
| Le montage | editing (of film) |
| Une ouvreuse | usher |
| un critique vs une critique | person who critiques VS the (movie/book) review |
| le jeu des acteurs | the acting |
| un navet | a failure/ a lemon (for a work of art) |
| un échec | a failure |
| un film à succès | a hit/ a success |
| un César | top French film awards name |
| un cascadeur | a stunt man |
| faire la queue | to wait in line |
| une file d’attente | a line (waiting) |
| une bande-annonce | a trailer (film) |
| La bande sonore | soundtrack |
| le générique | the credits (film/tv) |
| passer un film | to show a film |
| une récompense | an award/ reward/ prize |
| un court-métrage | a short film |
| un long-métrage | a feature/full length film |
| un dialogue | a dialogue (note gender is masculine) |
| le cinoche* | slang synonyme for : cinéma |
| la sortie | the release |
| un film policier | a mystery / detective film |
| un film d’aventures | an action film |
| un film de cape et d’épée | a swashbuckler |
| un film d’action | action movie |
| un film à suspense | a thriller / a suspenseful movie |
| un film d’épouvante | horror movie |
| un film de science-fiction | a sci-fi movie |
| un film muet | a slient film |
| un documentaire | a documentary |
| un western | a western |
| une comédie | a comedy |
| le guichet | ticket booth/ticket window |
| des sous-titres | subtitles |
| doublé | dubbed |
| 104. un concert | a concert |
| 105. le chef d’orchestre | conductor |
| 106. diriger | to direct |
| 107. un compositeur/une compositrice | a composer |
| 108. les paroles | lyrics/words |
| 109. fredonner | to hum |
| 110. l’interprète | a singer |
| 111. le tube | a hit |
| 112. le palmarès | charts/ list of winners |
| 113. la voix | the voice |
| 114. un disque | an album/ record |
| 115. un disque compact | a CD |
| 116. la chaîne-stéréo | a stereo (system) |
| 117. le baladeur | walkman |
| 118. le magnétophone | the tape recorder |
| 119. un chœur (les choristes) | a choir |
| 120. un groupe | a band |
| 121. le jazz | jazz |
| 122. le rock | rock |
| 123. la musique pop | pop |
| 124. le reggae | reggae |
| 125. le rap | rap |
| 126. la techno | techno |
| 127. diriger | to direct |
| 128. un/une soliste | a soloist |
| 129. un micro(phone) | a microphone |
| 130. en tournée (f) | on tour |
| 131. un air | a tune |
| 132. télécharger | to download |
| 133. Un auditeur | listener |
| 134. le conservatoire | conservatory |
| 135. un alto | a viola |
| 136. un hautbois | an oboe |
| 137. un morceau | a piece |
| 138. un enfant prodige | a child prodigy |
| 139. une cantatrice | a diva/opera singer |
| 140. une symphonie ≠ un orchestre | symphony (the music) / symphony orchestra |
