Cognates are words found in two different languages that have the same root and the same meaning. These look-alike words often have similar spellings. Becoming aware of cognates can help students increase their French vocabulary quickly.
A note of caution, however: even though a French word may look similar to its English counterpart, it likely won’t sound exactly the same because of the uniqueness of French pronunciation. Be sure to review French pronunciation guides or ask a French speaker to pronounce the cognates for you.
The following French/English cognates are grouped into categories to help the French language student learn them more easily in a useful context.
People and Animal Cognates
le bébé - baby ...... la famille - family ...... le touriste - tourist ...... l’astronaute - astronaut ...... le pilote - pilot ....... le docteur - doctor ...... le danseur - dancer ...... l’artiste - artist ....... le dentiste - dentist ....... le juge - judge ....... le vétérinaire - veterinarian
le panda - panda ...... l’éléphant - elephant ...... le dauphin - dolphin ...... le gorille - gorilla ...... le tigre - tiger ...... le leopard - leopard ...... le lion - lion ...... le zébra - zebra ...... le bison - bison ...... le rhinocéros - rhinoceros ...... la girafe - giraffe ...... le lézard - lizard ...... l’aigle - eagle ...... l’hamster - hamster ...... l’hippopotame - hippopotamus ...... le kangourou - kangaroo
Cognates for Sports and Musical Terms
le tennis - tennis ....... le baseball - baseball ....... le karaté - karate ....... le ski - skiing ........ le golf - golf ....... le volley-ball - volleyball ...... le basket-ball - basketball
la guitare - guitar ...... la trompette - trumpet ...... la flûte - flute ...... l’harmonica - harmonica ...... le piano - piano ...... le violon - violin ...... l’orchestre - orchestra
Cognates for Food, Shapes, and Other Useful Items
le chocolat - chocolate ....... le sandwich - sandwich ....... l’hamburger - hamburger ....... le yaourt - yogurt ....... la soupe - soup ...... la salade - salad ...... la tomate - tomato ...... la carotte - carrot ...... le céleri - celery ....... le melon - melon ...... l’orange - orange ...... la banane - banana ...... l’abricot - apricot ...... les cereales - cereal ...... le café - coffee ...... la crème - cream ...... le dîner - dinner ...... le pique-nique - picnic
le cercle - circle ...... le rectangle - rectangle ...... le cône - cone ...... le cube - cube ...... le triangle - triangle ...... l’ovale - oval
la table - table ...... le réfrigérateur - refrigerator ...... la lampe - lamp ...... le miroir - mirror ...... le papier - paper ....... la lettre - letter ....... la radio - radio ....... la téléphone - telephone ....... le calendrier - calendar ........ la photo - photograph ....... le dictionnaire - dictionary ....... la télévision - television ....... l’aquarium - aquarium ....... la fleur - flower ...... la cheminée - chimney ...... le robot - robot ...... le moteur - motor ...... le télescope - telescope ...... la médecine - medicine
Cognates for Places To Go and Transportation
le restaurant - restaurant ...... le café - café ...... l’hôtel - hotel ...... la banque - financial bank ...... le parc - park ...... l'hôpital - hospital ...... le capital - capital ....... l’appartement - apartment ....... le garage - garage ...... le cinéma - cimena/movie theater ...... le tunnel - tunnel ...... la riviére - riverla montagne - mountain
le taxi - taxi ...... l’autobus - bus ...... l’ hélicoptère - helicopter ...... l’ambulance - ambulance ...... le train - train ...... la bicyclette - bicycle ...... le tricycle - tricycle ...... le bulldozer - bulldozer
False Cognates - French Words That Might Not Mean the Same as English Look-Alikes
Beware of false cognates. These French words may look like English words, but they can mean something else entirely.
La champignon is not a champion, but a mushroom; a champion is le champion
L'interrupteur is not someone who interrupts, but a light switch; someone who interrupts might be considered très impoli or grossier.
Le raisin is not the dried version, but the actual grape; the dried version is le raisin sec.
Identifying cognates can help French language students build usable vocabulary quickly. The above French/English cognate inventory is by no means a complete list; but it provides a starting place for the student to increase functional vocabulary. The list should be added to as new cognates are discovered.
Bonne chance!
Check out useful Spanish/English, and Italian/English cognates, too.
