Main similarities and differences
city centre (lit. centre town)
- You may know much more French than you think! French and English are
close cousins in the world family of languages, and have many thousands
of words in common. - Within moments of your arrival, you could see any of the following
words on signs in a French town. These will help you get your bearings.
hôtel
restaurant
garage
bar
cinéma
avenue - The same spelling doesn't mean the pronunciation is the same. Here are a few examples:
service
brochure
traincafé
terrible
double - There are also many words in French that look like English words, but have taken on different meanings:
le parking car park
le speaker announcer
- The way you emphasise a French word can take some getting used to. There's much more stress on the end of words than in English:
English
parking
restaurantFrench
le parking
le restaurant
- The order of words can also be the reverse of the English equivalents, as in the following examples:
a Place de la Bastille - Bastille Square (lit. the Square of the Bastille)
Rue de Rivoli
Rivoli St (lit. the Street of Rivoli)
city centre (lit. centre town)