33 ANSWERS
I think these are fairly common and widely understood.
- cuisine
- rendez-vous
- RSVP (Répondez, s'il vous plaît)
- protégé
- petit
- à la carte
- au naturel
- bon appétit
- chic
- critique
- cul de sac
- déjà vu
- en route
- faux pas
- foie gras
- hors d'œuvre
- pot-pourri
- sans
- souvenir
- touché
Please feel free to add your own in the comments below (or write an answer to the question, if you prefer).
From a linguistic perspective, any word that English speakers regularly use and know -- anything that is part of their mental lexicon -- is by definition an English word, irrespective of its source, whether French or Navajo or Tibetan. Using this definition, many of the most common English words are actually loans from French. The fact that they have mostly become completely nativized, and are no longer felt to be foreign, is simply evidence that the origins of a word are almost always irrelevant for understanding how today's speakers of English use their language. (All the other answers list words that were borrowed recently and are therefore still felt to be 'foreign', but this an artificial distinction.) Here's a good chart illustrating the influence French has had on English:
Out of the top 500 most frequent words in English, what follows is a list of some words of French origin. In some cases, they are ultimately Latin or Greek words borrowed via French, and in other cases they come from non-standard dialects of French (e.g. Norman French, Anglo-French, etc.), but in all cases there is some French connection.
86. people
104. part
107. place
127. very
129. just
130. form
131. sentence
137. line
138. differ
140. cause
165. port
168. add
177. act
181. change
188. picture
192. animal
193. point
204. page
206. country
209. school
211. study
214. plant
215. cover
220. state
227. city
229. cross
230. farm
234. story
244. press
245. close
247. real
260. example
261. ease
262. paper
263. group
265. music
270. letter
274. car
276. care
277. second
279. carry
281. science
288. mountain
291. base
295. sure
297. color
298. face
300. main
302. plain
304. usual
318. family
319. direct
320. pose
323. measure
325. product
328. numeral
329. class
331. question
333. complete
338. order
342. piece
345. pass
350. space
353. hour
359. remember
372. table
373. travel
377. simple
378. several
379. vowel
384. pattern
386. center
388. person
389. money
390. serve
391. appear
393. map
395. rule
396. govern
399. notice
400. voice
401. unit
402. power
404. fine
405. certain
411. machine
412. note
414. plan
415. figure
418. noun
421. correct
422. able
425. beauty
428. contain
429. front
437. develop
438. ocean
441. minute
443. special
446. clear
447. tail
448. produce
452. multiply
454. course
458. force
460. object
461. decide
462. surface
467. system
469. test
470. record
472. common
474. possible
475. plane
483. check
495. distant
498. paint
499. language
Out of the top 500 most frequent words in English, what follows is a list of some words of French origin. In some cases, they are ultimately Latin or Greek words borrowed via French, and in other cases they come from non-standard dialects of French (e.g. Norman French, Anglo-French, etc.), but in all cases there is some French connection.
86. people
104. part
107. place
127. very
129. just
130. form
131. sentence
137. line
138. differ
140. cause
165. port
168. add
177. act
181. change
188. picture
192. animal
193. point
204. page
206. country
209. school
211. study
214. plant
215. cover
220. state
227. city
229. cross
230. farm
234. story
244. press
245. close
247. real
260. example
261. ease
262. paper
263. group
265. music
270. letter
274. car
276. care
277. second
279. carry
281. science
288. mountain
291. base
295. sure
297. color
298. face
300. main
302. plain
304. usual
318. family
319. direct
320. pose
323. measure
325. product
328. numeral
329. class
331. question
333. complete
338. order
342. piece
345. pass
350. space
353. hour
359. remember
372. table
373. travel
377. simple
378. several
379. vowel
384. pattern
386. center
388. person
389. money
390. serve
391. appear
393. map
395. rule
396. govern
399. notice
400. voice
401. unit
402. power
404. fine
405. certain
411. machine
412. note
414. plan
415. figure
418. noun
421. correct
422. able
425. beauty
428. contain
429. front
437. develop
438. ocean
441. minute
443. special
446. clear
447. tail
448. produce
452. multiply
454. course
458. force
460. object
461. decide
462. surface
467. system
469. test
470. record
472. common
474. possible
475. plane
483. check
495. distant
498. paint
499. language
It doesn't have to be chic, petit(e), déjà vu, faux pas, lingerie, genre, rendez-vous, RSVP, ballet, passé, voilà, crème brulée, cliché, bureau, café, etc., because even many of the most common english words are actually french. For example (from the top of my head):
Beyond the most common words, the list can go longer. Examples:
Loosening the criteria a bit more and allowing some spelling changes, there will be more answers to qualify like mariage, bleu, parc, danse, professeur (acteur, operateur, conducteur, etc), banque, seconde (dentiste, normale, demande, élitisme/élitiste, etc.), oncle (uncle), cercle, couleur, musique (publique, fantastique, etc), pharmacie (tragédie, philosophie, technologie, économie, université, charité, etc.), exemple, véhicule, personne, moustache, ligne, bagages, adresse, dîner.
In addition, there are long lists that answer your question:
- parent
- restaurant
- table
- cigarette
- air
- television, telephone
- orange, fruit
- grand
- question
- train, aeroplane
- Yes, even penis
Beyond the most common words, the list can go longer. Examples:
- stress
- profession, science, intelligence, art, portrait, image, caricature
- region, metre, litre
- lettre, page, document, date, declaration
- union, alliance
- prostitution, crime, torture
- note, test
- certain
- royal, salutation
- total, multiplication, division
- combat, protection, danger
- organise, organisation
- charge
- identification, race, culture, nation,
- opinion, suggestion, consideration, regard
- arrive
- abandon
Loosening the criteria a bit more and allowing some spelling changes, there will be more answers to qualify like mariage, bleu, parc, danse, professeur (acteur, operateur, conducteur, etc), banque, seconde (dentiste, normale, demande, élitisme/élitiste, etc.), oncle (uncle), cercle, couleur, musique (publique, fantastique, etc), pharmacie (tragédie, philosophie, technologie, économie, université, charité, etc.), exemple, véhicule, personne, moustache, ligne, bagages, adresse, dîner.
In addition, there are long lists that answer your question:
As a father of daughters, I will add:
- Mademoiselle
- Ballet
- Leotard
- Camisole (and lots of other clothing terms)
- Manicure
- Coif (and coiffure)
- Rouge
- Petite (Garrick Saito already mentioned petit, but I think the feminine form is probably more common)
Although almost all the words have been mentioned, here are few more I want to add ( might be repeating some) :
- Amateur (non-professional)
- café (coffee house)
- Chauffeur (driver)
- Chignon ( a hairstyle)
- Decor (layout of a room)
- Haute couture (trendsetting fashion)
- Liaison (close connection)
- Mousse (whipped desert)
- Omelette (egg dish)
- Panache (flamboyance)
- Par excellence (quintessential)
- Renaissance (rebirth)
- Rapport ( someone's good graces)
- Sabotage (subversive destruction)
- Sauté ( quickly fried in small amount of oil)
- Venue (location of an event)
Elite.
This word has retained the loan-ness in pronunciation, even though it has been anglicized by cutting off the acute accent over the e (élite).
The word is commonly mispronounced. It is not supposed to rhyme with "delight", but rather with "sweet".
It never fails to amuse me when the "elite people" use it, and say it wrong of course, in a condescending way! :D
This word has retained the loan-ness in pronunciation, even though it has been anglicized by cutting off the acute accent over the e (élite).
The word is commonly mispronounced. It is not supposed to rhyme with "delight", but rather with "sweet".
It never fails to amuse me when the "elite people" use it, and say it wrong of course, in a condescending way! :D
I just love the word millionaire. Here is the list of a few other words:
Ballet
Bouquet
Brunette
Bureau
Chauffeur
Cache
Café
Concierge
Croissant
Decor
Déjà vu
Dossier
Êclair
En route
Esprit
Façade
Fiancé/e
Genre
Grand Prix
Laissez-faire
Liaison
Lingerie
Madame
Marque
Montage
Omelette
Panache
Rapport
Renaissance
Sabotage
Sans
Sauté
Silhouette
Vis-à-vis
Voilà
Voyeur
Ballet
Bouquet
Brunette
Bureau
Chauffeur
Cache
Café
Concierge
Croissant
Decor
Déjà vu
Dossier
Êclair
En route
Esprit
Façade
Fiancé/e
Genre
Grand Prix
Laissez-faire
Liaison
Lingerie
Madame
Marque
Montage
Omelette
Panache
Rapport
Renaissance
Sabotage
Sans
Sauté
Silhouette
Vis-à-vis
Voilà
Voyeur
Table has to be the first!
And i'll say that all (or at least 80% of them) words that end with "tion" come from french : constitution, prostitution, education, annihilation, etc...
Some French expressions (one more "tion") are also commonly used in English as are "bon appétit", "touché" and many other you can find in other answers.
And i'll say that all (or at least 80% of them) words that end with "tion" come from french : constitution, prostitution, education, annihilation, etc...
Some French expressions (one more "tion") are also commonly used in English as are "bon appétit", "touché" and many other you can find in other answers.
Anonymous
Some Asians learning to speak English are unsure about pronouncing this one:
- hors-d'oeuvre
Other phrases that I haven't seen mentioned:
- faux pas
- raison d'état
- hors-d'oeuvre
Other phrases that I haven't seen mentioned:
- faux pas
- raison d'état
Anonymous
"Entrepreneur" has to be mentioned, given how often it's used nowadays.
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