81 beautiful French words and phrases you should learn
French is often said to be the language of love, likely due to the many beautiful words it contains. From their sound to their meaning, such words add poetry when you’re speaking in French. Even though several of them are among the most difficult words to pronounce in French, learning them is well worth the effort. To get you started, here is our list of ten of the most beautiful words in French.
Words, despite being abstract, are considered beautiful at times. In the case of French, many words are labeled as such. How come? A few factors prompt people to define a word as 'beautiful':
French melodic sounds make its pronunciation phonetically elegant. Soft consonants, open vowels, and liaisons add a musical quality to the language and make it rhythmically pleasant.
Cultural connotations mostly paint French as the language of romance as well as sophistication.
French words aren't that long, but they are rich in meaning.
Top 66 beautiful French words
Time to discover some of the most beautiful French terms out there!
positive feeling of disorientation when you are in a foreign place
la détente
relaxation
l’éclair
lightning
l’émerveillement
wonder/astonishment
l’étincelle
sparkle
le foyer
home
la frimousse
sweet kid’s face
la gourmandise
indulgence
la libellule
firefly
la matinée
morning
la merveille
marvel/wonder
le miel
honey
la panache
flamboyant confidence
le ruisseau
water stream
le tourbillon
windwhirl
15 beautiful French phrases and idioms
French
English
Coup de foudre
Love at first sight (lit. bolt of lightning)
Être dans la lune
To daydream (lit. to be in the moon)
Quand on aime, on ne compte pas
When you love something or someone, you don't worry about how much money you're spending
Avoir un cœur d’artichaut
To be overly sentimental (lit. to have an artichoke heart)
Jeter l’éponge
To give up (lit. to throw the sponge)
Rentrer dans sa coquille
To retreat into one’s shell
Avoir d’autres chats à fouetter
To have bigger fish to fry (lit. to have other cats to whip)
Ne pas être dans son assiette
To not feel well (lit. to not be in one’s own plate)
Mettre la puce à l’oreille
To plant a suspicion (lit. to put a flea in one’s ear)
C’est pas la mer à boire
It’s not a big deal (lit. it’s not the sea - you have - to drink)
Les carottes sont cuites
It’s too late (lit. the carrots are cooked)
Chercher midi à quatorze heures
To overcomplicate things (lit. to look for midday at 2pm)
Tomber dans les pommes
To faint (lit. to fall on the apples)
En faire tout un fromage
To make a big deal out of nothing (lit. to make cheese out of everything)
Mettre de l’eau dans son vin
To compromise (lit. to put water in one's wine)
Être dans de beaux draps
To in a difficult situation (lit. to be in some nice sheets)
Learn by heart some of the most beautiful French words and their meanings
We could go on and on, but our list is a good start to give you a taste of some of the most beautiful words and expressions in French. You can learn their different meanings and practice their pronunciation, as well as some of the expressions they can appear in. It’s the surest way to fall in love with the language!
Anne-Lise is a translator and copywriter working for various industries... Settled down in London, she cannot get enough of the exceptional cultural life in the English capital city, starting with theater, be it to see a new West End show or to roll up her sleeves with her amateur drama group. She is also interested in photography, as her Instagram profile shows. She indulges her passion for languages in a translation blog she writes with other linguist friends. Go to her Linkedin page to know more about her background and her professional experience.