French may not be one of the languages with the most words, but it has its own idioms that have contaminated the world. across borders. Here is a small selection of countries and words chosen and improbable present in friends next door or on the other side of the world. Well, we are not going to lie to each other among the most common French words we find “baguette”, “croissant”, “café”, “bistrot”, which universally symbolize our savoir vivre (the beret, the cheese, the pinard and sausage, but we don’t lose hope of imposing our cultural pillars).
Editor’s note, this top makes no sense but it is nevertheless true.
1. In Russian
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Good news for Russian-speaking apprentices, at least 400 Russian words are pronounced exactly the same as in French. Here is a small lexicon of the language of Poutinou: pineapple, banana, baritone, nervous breakdown, banker, angina, pygmy, microbe, skeleton, tyrant, fascist, moron, whooping cough and of course the pyjamas and the Devil. Could there be a hidden link between these words?
2. In Persian
Pineapple, flu, abscess, brochure, gendarmerie, lampshade, without forgetting thesubscriptionthe Post card and all calendar months. Yes yes, all of this makes no sense.
3. In Japanese
“Coup d’etat”, finally more precisely Kudeta as you can imagine, the terms in katakana are not written exactly as in French. It’s up to you to recognize which word it is: mademoazeru (hint = she’s a marriageable girl), potofu (heated over low heat), resutoran (where we eat), mayonezu (to accompany the fries, thank you). In short, there are so many Japanese words inspired by French that we have made a top in its own right.
4. In Spanish
Even if our languages are not too far apart, there are still some purely Franco-French terms: mayonesa, charcutería, pistachio, bombón, jamón, vianda, bon vivant, bistronomia . Obviously, when it comes to food, we are the preums.
5. In Vietnamese
Yes, thanks to these superb years of colonization in Indochina (the camp is really good, youki) many French words have been “Vietnamesed” among which we count in particular all the parts of a bicycle. Yes, it’s weird but “pedal”, “handlebar” and “saddle” are pronounced more or less the same way. Otherwise, we also have atiso (for “artichoke”), cà phê, pê ni xi lin, op la (“fried eggs”) or so so the (for “chocolate”).
6. In Estonian
Historically, nothing links Estonia to France (but then nothing at all, except perhaps the fact that my cousin by marriage personally spent a weekend there in 2003). And yet, we still have a few words like stool for stool, müür for a wall, tunnel, or even Krutoon for croutons. However, this does not prevent you from visiting Estonia, I personally lived there for 6 months and when you like beets and potatoes, you are served.
7. In Korean
The hair clipper in Korean is said barikan as in Japanese, because Bariquand et Marre was the first mower brand to be imported into Japan. Otherwise, there are also the traditional “baguette”, “dessert” and “croissant”. French power of the fat.
8. In German
Wallet, verlan (yes yes on the other hand from there to speak German in verlan we will calm down), entrecote, faux pas, well living, right wordand lounge chair. But know especially dear readers still lost in ignorance, that in German just like in Persian the words “brochure” and “subscription” are identical to French. There, it is said.
9. In Khmer (language spoken in Cambodia and not in Khmerousia, a country that does not exist. At all.)
If they are not pronounced exactly the same way, we find a bunch of French words like broker (lying down), police, faucet, spring, pharmacy and quite naturally backpack.
10. In Hebrew
And we save the best for last with the Hebrew language which uses some French words without having the same meaning, naughty as it is. For example, “luggage” means “car trunk”. On the other hand, who knows why, the elephant legs are said in the same way, “padéléphone” just like the expressions “nouveau riche”, “gourmet”, “charming” or even “past” (in the sense of has-been)
