Use French expressions to say what you mean in English

A great many English words derive from French, in an altered form, and this makes understanding and speaking French a little easier than it otherwise would be.

Even more curious is the amount of words in English that are pure French.

They have slipped across the Channel and are now scattered through the English dictionary without any form of Anglicisation. 

They are used all the time, whether consciously or not, while still being at home in French. We have here a truly interchangeable cross-border vocabulary ready to be deployed in either language.

Why do English-speakers need to resort to French to plug gaps in their verbal self-expression?

There are various reasons for the adoption of a bon mot.

Areas of French know-how

Often English cedes ground in a particular area of life that is dominated by France. Thus, the language of the kitchen and of good eating is indisputably French, although there are a few rare examples of the French borrowing from English now too.

“Enjoy your meal” just doesn't have the nuanced good wishes of “Bon appétit”. 

The whole world eats hors d’oeuvres and omelettes as an implicit recognition of where the real cordon bleu and haute cuisine is to be found. 

The British chain of fast food outlets called Pret A Manger has a French name for a good reason: it evokes something much more appetising than “Ready to Eat”.

Similarly, for talking about fashion the right English words come straight from the fashion houses of Paris. 

It has always been à la mode and chic to talk about haute couture and French labels sell the exotic and sexy. 

Who would want to buy underwear when they could have lingerie?

Read more: Different ways to say hello in French

Art is also French territory. Papier-maché sounds so much more than scraps of paper mixed with glue; and trompe l’oeil invites you into a dream world that “eye tricking” just does not do.

Another group of words remind us that France was once the trendsetter of international diplomacy and political discourse. 

We could coin English equivalents for coup d’etat, laissez faire, agent provocateur and éminence grise, but why would we want to when these expressions are so well established?

Generally, French words and phrases ring with the sense of sophistication and civilisation. They seem to bestow elegance on all that they touch. 

“Bon voyage” wishes you far more than a “nice trip” and je ne sais quoi actually makes it sound as if ignorance is clever.

Anyone with a little savoir faire can show off their learning by dropping in an avant garde or even an en garde into the conversation. You could say it is de rigueur but, as we all know, it should not be pushed too far. An overuse of French words in English can tip over into the irritating and pretentious. 

Say them with a French accent in France

All this vocabulary is prêt à porter from Calais to Folkestone and back again, but I would like to add a few little warnings before you describe yourself as a fluent French speaker. 

You will have to deliver these words in their proper French accent if you want to be understood. You also have to join them up with the correct syntax or they will be adrift in the air without context. 

Finally, you should be sure that you are saying what you mean. Some French words have been shaped in English for a new use: boutique is a synonym for magasin (a shop) and although a cul-de-sac is intelligible, a street that does not go anywhere is normally called an impasse.

You also need to beware of false friends: words that are identical, or at least similar, in both languages but have wildly different meanings. Which is the next subject to which I will turn my attention.