Some of My Favourite French Words in English

an essay by Roger B Rueda

‘Adieu’ is used to say goodbye. ‘Gentlemen, I bid you adieu.’ It’s sound [ə dyoo] or [ə doo] is very magical. It has some daintiness. I mean it’s so cute.

‘Bric-a-brac.’ The correct French spelling is ‘bric-à-brac.’ Note that ‘bric and brac’ don't actually mean anything in French; they are onomatopoeic. It’s a number of small ornamental objects of no great value. It’s pronounced as [bríkə bràk]. When I was in Grade Five, I thought bric-a-brac was a cupboard. My teacher told me to look for the brooms in the bric-a-brac. Well, it took me years to know what really ‘bric-a-brac’ is.

‘Comme il faut’ means ‘as it must.’ The proper way, as it should be. It’s so graceful an expression. It’s pronounced as [kŭm' ēl fō'].

‘Du jour’ means ‘of the day.’ 'Soup du jour’ is nothing more than an elegant-sounding version of ‘soup of the day.' It’s pronounced as [doo zhoor].

‘Esprit d'escalier’ means ‘stairway wit.’ Thinking of an answer or comeback too late. It’s pronounced as [e-spree des-kal-i-ye].

‘Force majeure’ means  ‘greater force’ refers to superior/greater force, or to an unexpected or uncontrollable event, such as ‘an act of God’ like a typhoon or earthquake. It’s pronounced as [fawrss ma-zhur].

‘Gauche.’  If you describe someone as gauche, you mean that they are awkward and uncomfortable in the company of other people. ‘We're all a bit gauche when we're young.’ ‘She was a rather gauche, provincial creature.’ It’s pronounced as [gōsh].

‘Haute cuisine’ means  ‘high cuisine.’ High-class, fancy, (and expensive) cooking or food. It’s pronounced as [ot kwi zeen].

‘Idée fixe’ means  ‘set idea.’ Fixation, obsession. It’s pronounced as [ee dày feeks]; its plural idées fixes, [ee dày feeks].

‘Je ne sais quoi’ means  ‘I don't know what.’ Used to indicate a ‘certain something,’ as in ‘I really like Aljur. He has a certain je ne sais quoi that I find very appealing.’ It’s pronounced as [zhö nə say kwaa].

‘Laissez-faire’ means  ‘let it be.’ A policy of non-interference. Note the expression in French is ‘laisser-faire.’ It’s pronounced as [lè say fér] or [ lè zay fér].

‘Mot juste’ means  ‘right word.’ Exactly the right word or expression. It’s important. For one, good writing needs good diction. And being wordy sometimes is not good. It’s pronounced as mot juste [mo zhoost].

‘Nouvelle cuisine’ means ‘new cuisine.’ Cooking style developed in the 1960's and 70's that emphasised lightness and freshness. It’s pronounced as [noo vèl kwi zeen] or [noo vèl kwee zeen]. On TV these days, we can see a lot of nouvelle cuisine promoted by different companies, say, tuna companies and seasoning companies. I love the food prepared by ABS-CBN’s Junior Masterchief. The kids here are good at making nouvelle cuisine, which seems outlandish to my fancy.

‘Oh là là’   means ‘oh dear.’ Usually misspelled and mispronounced ‘ooh la la’ in English. It sounds hilarious at first time you hear it.

‘Prêt-à-porter’ means ‘ready to wear.’ Originally referred to clothing which is manufactured in standard sizes ready to be bought off the rack, now sometimes used for food. It’s pronounced as [prèt aa pawr táy]. These days, things are prêt-à-porter. It’s not ‘instant’ as most of us would mean that ‘instant’ is prêt-à-porter.

‘Rouge’ means ‘red.’ The English refers to a reddish cosmetic or metal/glass-polishing powder, and can be a noun or a verb. If a woman or an actor rouges their cheeks or lips, they put red powder or cream on them to give them more colour. ‘Florentine women rouged their earlobes.’ ‘She had curly black hair and rouged cheeks.’

‘Tableau vivant’ means ‘living picture.’ A scene made up of silent, motionless artistes. It’s pronounced as [tábblō vee van] or [ta blṓ vee van]. Its plural ‘tableaux vivants,’ [tábblō vee van, ta blṓ vee van].