y

10th century; from Old French i, from Latin hīc (“here”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰi-ḱe (“this, here”)), with meaning influenced by Old French iv (“there, thither”), itself from Latin ibī. Derivation from the latter poses difficulty from a phonetic standpoint. Compare Catalan hi.

der

3 Also used when a group has both men and women

4 Also used as third person plural reflexive

Il est dans la maison. Il y est.

Nous allons au Mexique. Nous y allons.

We are going to Mexico. We are going there.

adverbial phrase
adverbial phrase#English

Used as a pronoun to replace an adverbial phrase starting with à.

With verbs: see Appendix:French verbs followed by à for verbs which use this structure.

personnes y nommées

procédures y afférentes

documents y relatifs

eaux y affluentes

(archaic) With adjectives. Only used with a handful of adjectives (the most common combination being y compris, which is a special case), mainly in legal terminology.

Je pense à mon pays. J’y pense.

I think about my country. I think about it.


y

Eye dialect spelling or contraction of il and ils.

(Quebec, colloquial) he: alternative form of il

(Quebec, colloquial) they: alternative form of ils

(Quebec, colloquial) they: alternative form of elles


te

From Middle French te, from Old French te, from Latin tē, (accusative of tū), from Proto-Indo-European *twé, *te, accusative of *túh₂ (“you”).

Il te cite souvent.

Il te donne le livre.

Tu te souviens d’elle.

You remember her. (literally, “You remind yourself of her.”)


on

→ Esperanto: oni
→ Ido: onu

Inherited from Old French hom, om (nominative form), from Latin homō (“human being”) (compare homme from the Old French oblique form home, from the Latin accusative form hominem). Its pronominal use is of Germanic origin. Compare Old English man (“one, they, people”), reduced form of Old English mann (“person”); Catalan hom; German man (“one, they, people”); Dutch men (“one, they, people”). In the second sense, meaning "we", also compare the development Malay kita orang (“we (incl.) + person”) and also dialectal kitorang, kitong, torang.

noncog

2003, Natasha St. Pier, L’instant d’après (album), Quand on cherche l’amour (song)

On ne peut pas pêcher ici

(indefinite) one, people, you, someone (an unspecified individual)

On oublie nos certitudes

On s’est amusés.


en

From Latin inde (“thence”). Compare Catalan en, Italian ne.

Essaies-en !

Tu as combien de livres ? J’en ai trois.

How many books do you have? I have three (of them).

Y a-t-il beaucoup de pièces ? Oui. Il y en a beaucoup.

Are there many rooms? Yes, there are many (of them).

Martin a trois sandwichs, mais j’en ai seulement deux.

Martin has three sandwiches, but I have only two (of them).

Il y en a combien ?

Je bois de l’alcool parce que j’en ai besoin

J'en donnerai ici la méthode, que je poursuivrai seulement en deux ou trois exemples, qui seront si aisés à continuer qu'il ne sera pas nécessaire d'en donner davantage.

1654, Blaise Pascal, Traité du triangle arithmétique

I shall give (of it) here the method that I shall pursue only in two or three examples, which will be so easy to continue that it will not be necessary to give more of them.

Used as the object of a verb to indicate an indefinite quantity; of it, of them. Replaces the partitive article (du, de la, etc.)

Est-ce qu’elle vient de Barcelone ? Oui, elle en vient.

Does she come from Barcelona? Yes, she comes from there.

Adverbial preposition indicating movement away from a place already mentioned; from there, from it. Replaces the phrase de là or d’ici.


quelque chose

She smiled and said something to a man in shirtsleeves, who had followed her.

1920 [1897], Bram Stoker, “Journal de Jonathan Harker (Sténographié)” (chapter I), in Ève Paul-Margueritte, Lucie Paul-Margueritte, transl., Dracula, translation of original in English:

Then I have a vague memory of something long and dark, with flashing eyes, just like we saw the other evening in the setting sun, while I had the impression of being surrounded by sweetness and bitterness all together.

1920 [1897], Bram Stoker, “Journal de Mina Murray” (chapter VIII), in Ève Paul-Margueritte, Lucie Paul-Margueritte, transl., Dracula, translation of original in English:

something (an indefinite or indeterminate object)

il y a quelque chose de pourri au royaume du Danemark


me

Middle French language
Old French language

From Middle French me, from Old French me, from Latin mē (accusative of ego), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁me- (“me”). Northern dialects have preserved a form mi for the indirect object (also found in Old French in the Oaths of Strasbourg), from Latin mihi, dative singular of ego, through a Vulgar Latin *mi, whereas in standard French, it has merged into me.

Est-ce que tu me vois ?

Émilien me donne un peu d’argent. ― Émilien gave some money to me.


tout

Inherited from Middle French tout, from Old French tot, from Vulgar Latin tōttus, alteration (likely via expressive gemination) of Latin tōtus. Compare Catalan tot, Italian tutto, Portuguese todo, Romanian tot, Spanish todo.


lui

Haitian Creole: li

J’habitais avec lui.

C’est lui qui a dit cela.

Lui, il n’en sait rien.

Je crois aussi que je n’avais jamais si bien écouté, et que lui non plus n’avait jamais mis autant de patience à ses explications.

1873, Alphonse Daudet, Contes du Lundi, La Dernière Classe:

I believe also that I had never listened so well, and that neither had he ever put so much patience into his explanations.

him, he; the third-person masculine singular personal pronoun used after a preposition, or as the predicate of a linking verb, or when disjoined from a sentence, or as a stressed subject

Je lui ai donné le livre.

him, her; the third-person singular personal pronoun used as an indirect object


personne

Louisiana Creole: personne

Inherited from Middle French personne, from Old French persone, presonne, from Latin persona, of unknown, perhaps Etruscan, origin.

comme personne

Il n’y a personne ici.

Qui l’a lu? Personne.

Il n’a parlé avec personne.

Personne ne parle avec lui.

Il le sait mieux que personne.


un

head

un m (feminine une, masculine plural uns, feminine plural unes)

une (feminine)
uns (masculine plural)
unes (feminine plural)

From Old French un, from Latin ūnum, accusative singular of ūnus (“one”), from Old Latin oinos, from Proto-Italic *oinos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos.


ce

Inherited from Old French ço, from Late Latin ecce hoc.

C’est beau !

est-ce que...?

forms yes–no questions (literally, “is it that...?”)

ce dont je parlais

C’eût été avec plaisir, mais...

It would have been with pleasure, but...

C’eût été dommage...

predicative adjective
predicative adjective

(subject of être, with predicative adjectives or relative clauses, singular only) it, this, that (see § Usage notes, below)

C’est un/une célébrité.

Ce sont des célébrités.

Ce sont des gens bien.

C'est un roc ! ... c'est un pic ! ... c'est un cap ! Que dis-je, c'est un cap ? ... C'est une péninsule !

1897, Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac

It's a rock! ... it's a peak! ... it's a cape! What am I saying, a cape? ... It's a peninsula!

(subject of être, with predicate nouns) he, she, it, this, that

ce semble

ce peuvent être...

[...] ce paraissent être encore là des points à noter [...]

1866, Guérineau de Boisvillette, Ce qu'il a laissé!, page 56:

[…] these seem to be more points worth noting […]

(archaic, subject of verbs other than être) it, this, that


li

li (second person singular, objective case)

Probably from influence of Louisiana Creole li (“he, she, it”).


tu

tu (second person informal singular, plural vous, object te, emphatic toi, possessive determiner ton)

vous (plural)
toi (emphatic)
ton (determiner possessive)

From Old French tu, from Latin tū, from Proto-Italic *tū, from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂.
Cognates with the exact same usage are the Italian tu, as well as du in German or ты in Russian.


la

From Middle French la, from Old French la, from Latin illam, which is the accusative singular feminine of ille.

Où est Judith ? Je ne la vois pas.

Prends cette boîte et mets-la dans le coin.


se

From Middle French se, from Old French se, from Latin sē. See also soi.

me

The other reflexive and reciprocal direct and indirect object pronouns

soi

The third-person reflexive and reciprocal disjunctive pronoun

The third-person reflexive and reciprocal direct and indirect object pronoun.

Je suis partie à la chasse et faut vous autres se comportes bien.

I'm going hunting and y'all need to behave yourselves.

(Louisiana) The second-person plural reflexive and reciprocal direct and indirect object pronoun.


je

je (first person singular, plural nous, object me, emphatic moi, possessive determiner mon)

nous (plural)
moi (emphatic)
mon (determiner possessive)

From Middle French je, from Old French je, from Late Latin eo, from Classical Latin egō̆.


nous

nous (first-person plural, singular je, object nous, emphatic nous, possessive determiner notre)

je (singular)
nous (emphatic)
notre (determiner possessive)

Inherited from Middle French nous, from Old French nous, nos, from Latin nōs, from Proto-Italic *nōs.
In several dialects of French, je may be used instead of nous (j'allons instead of nous allons, je voyons instead of nous voyons etc.), this use was perceived as peasant-like and thus often mocked since the 15th century (for example by Molière). However this use survived and spread in various regions of the so-called domaine d'oïl (linguistic area starting above Auvergne where the oïl varieties of Romance developed from the 4th or 5th century). The regions of France where this use of je (from Latin ego "I") instead of nous, nos (from Latin nos, "we") was recorded are Normandy, Romance-speaking Brittany, Poitou and Anjou, Champagne, Ardennes, Bourgogne and Franche-Comté, Dauphiné, Berry, Touraine, Orléanais, Bourbonnais, Maine.
See cognates in regional languages in France: Angevin je and nous, Bourbonnais-Berrichon je and nous, Bourguignon i and nous, Champenois ju and nous, Franc-Comtois i and nôs, Gallo je and nouz, Lorrain nos, Norman je and nos, Orléanais je and nous, Picard nos, Poitevin-Saintongeais i/jhe and nous, Franco-Provençal nos, Occitan nosautres (Provençal nousautes), Catalan nosaltres, Corsican noi.

the plural personal pronoun in the first person:

(royal, historical) we (as the royal we)


tout le monde

From tout (“all”) + le (“the”) + monde (“people; world”). Literally, “all the world”.

af

Tout le monde est arrivé.


vous

head

vous (second-person plural and second-person formal singular, informal singular tu, object vous, emphatic vous, possessive determiner votre)

tu (informal singular)
vous (emphatic)
votre (determiner possessive)

Inherited from Middle French vous, from Old French vos, vous, from Latin vōs, from Proto-Italic *wōs.
See cognates in regional languages in France: Angevin, Bourbonnais-Berrichon, Bourguignon, Champenois, Lorrain, Orléanais, and Poitevin-Saintongeais vous; Franc-Comtois vôs; Gallo vouz; Norman and Franco-Provençal vos; Picard os; Occitan vosautres (Provençal vousautes); Catalan vosaltres; Corsican voi.
Other cognates with the same usage are voi in Italian as well as вы in Russian.

cog

Vous allez

the plural personal pronoun in the second person:

Je vous adore.

Je vous donnerai mon adresse.

I will give you my address / I will give my address to you.

Monsieur, je ne peux pas vous le dire

(formal, polite) plural or singular personal pronoun in the second person:


eux

From Old French els, from Latin illos, which is the accusative plural of ille.


il

head

il m (third-person singular, plural ils, accusative le, dative lui, emphatic lui, possessive determiner son)

ils (plural)
le (accusative)
lui (dative)
lui (emphatic)
son (determiner possessive)

From Middle French il, from Old French il, from Late Latin illī.

Il est parti.

he (third-person singular masculine subject pronoun for human subject)

Je cherche mon livre. Où est-il ?

it (third-person singular subject pronoun for grammatically masculine objects)

Il pleut.

(impersonal pronoun) Impersonal subject; it


les

Inherited from Middle French les, from Old French les, from Latin illōs m and illās f which are the accusative plurals of ille.


dont

Inherited from Middle French dont, from Old French dunt, from Vulgar Latin/Latin dē unde (“from where”). Compare Spanish donde (“where”).

Vous rappelez-vous ce dont je vous ai parlé ?

Il n’est rien dont je sois encore certain.

There is nothing of which I am still certain.

Quel est le pays dont provient cette marchandise suspecte ?

What is the country from which the suspicious merchandise comes?

J’ai décidé d’abandonner l’affaire dont je vous ai entretenu il y a quelques jours.

I decided to abandon the matter of which we have been speaking for a few days.

La maladie dont il est mort porte un nom imprononçable.

The disease of which he died has an unpronounceable name.

Les pays dont nous n’avons point de connaissance sont les destinations privilégiées des grands aventuriers.

The countries of which we have little knowledge are the privileged destinations of great adventurers.

Ces étoiles — dont le nom m’échappe — sont les plus brillantes de la voûte céleste.

These stars, whose names escape me, are the brightest in the skies.

Le Québec est une province du Canada dont les frontières correspondent au territoire de la nation québécoise.

Quebec is a province of Canada whose borders correspond to the Quebecois nation.

Le coup dont il fut frappé.

Il a eu dix enfants, dont neuf filles.

He had ten children, nine of them girls.

Denotes a part of a set, may be translated as "including" or such as in some situations.


l'

(before a vowel or mute h) Apocopic form of le, la: him, her, it

Icitte y’a papa qui se r’met / fe sa p’tite opération / t’aurais du l’voir, y fakait / fallait l’traiter aux p’tits oignons

2002, Jean-François Pauzé, Marie-Annick Lépine (lyrics and music), “Toune d'automne”, in Break Syndical:

(Quebec, colloquial, after a vowel) Apocopic form of le: him, it


moi

Inherited from Middle French moy, from Old French mei, moi, mi (“me”), tonic form of me, from Latin mē (“me”), from Proto-Indo-European *(h₁)me-, *(h₁)me-n- (“me”). More at me.
See cognates in regional languages in France: Norman mei; Gallo mai; Picard moè; Bourguignon moi; Franco-Provençal mè; Occitan and Corsican me.

me (first-person singular direct object pronoun)

to me (first-person singular indirect object pronoun)


le

le m (feminine la, masculine and feminine plural les)

la (feminine)
les (feminine masculine plural)

From Middle French le, from Old French le, from Latin illum, by dropping il- and -m. Latin illum is the accusative singular of ille.

Où est Malik ? Je ne le vois pas.

Mon sac ? Je vais le mettre dans la voiture.

Je suis petit et lui, il l’est aussi.

I am small and he is too (literally, “... and he is it too”)

used to refer to something previously mentioned or implied; not translated in English


autre

Inherited from Middle French aultre, from Old French autre, from Latin alterum.


t'

Je t’ai vu.

T’as vu mon frère ?


quid

Quid de la transparence du programme ?

(informal, originally humorous, learned) what about


lea

lea gender-neutral (canonical)
les (plural)

Je ne lea vois pas souvent.


qui

Inherited from Middle French qui, from Old French qui, from Latin quī.

Tu as vu qui ?

Je ne sais pas qui vous êtes.

La personne qui parle connait bien son sujet.

The person who speaks knows his/her subject well.

Cette voiture bleue qui passe me plait beaucoup.

This blue car which is passing I like a lot.

J’aime les chiens qui sont calmes.

Un homme à qui j’ai parlé.

Si lugubre que fût l’appartement, c’était un paradis pour qui revenait du lycée.

Gloomy as the apartment was, it was still a paradise for those who came back from school.

Rira bien qui rira le dernier.

(relative) who, whom (after a preposition), which, that


alle

(North America) she (third-person singular feminine)


que

Inherited from Latin quid, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷid, compare *kʷis. Doublet of quoi 'what', the tonic/emphasized counterpart, hence diphthongized.

Que pensez-vous de cette peinture ?

Qu’auriez-vous fait d’autre ?

Qu’a-t-on fait de la vérité ?

(slightly formal, accusative) The inanimate direct-object interrogative pronoun.

Qu’est-il arrivé ?

Que me vaut cette visite ?

Que sommes-nous ?

(slightly formal, nominative) The inanimate subject or predicative interrogative pronoun.


que

C’est un homme que je connais très bien.

Je viens de lire la lettre que vous m’avez envoyée.

I've just read the letter that you sent me.

(accusative, relative) The direct object relative pronoun.


toi

Inherited from Middle French toi, tei, from Old French tei, te, from Latin tē.

J’ai besoin de toi.

Et toi, ça va comment ?

Souviens-toi de ce qui est vraiment important.

Attends, tu m’as dit qu’il y a dans cette maison plus de deux-cents livres. Est-ce qu’ils sont tous à toi ?

Wait, you told me that there are more than two hundred books in this house. Are they all yours?

Toi, t’es quelque chose de différent.

Psalm 71:5

For you are my hope, Eternal Lord! In you I entrust myself since my youth.

Car tu es mon espérance, Seigneur Éternel! En toi je me confie dès ma jeunesse.

Oh, Achab, cria Starbuck, il n’est pas trop tard, même maintenant, le troisième jour, pour renoncer. Vois, Moby Dick ne te cherche pas. C’est toi, toi qui la cherches follement.

1996, Herman Melville, translated by Lucien Jacques, Joan Smith, and Jean Giono, Moby Dick, Gallimard, →ISBN, page 722:

"Oh, Ahab," cried Starbuck, "it's not too late, even now, on the third day, to give up. See, Moby Dick isn't looking for you. It is you, you who seeks her madly."

you (informal second-person singular personal pronoun)


ils

ils m pl (third-person plural, singular il, accusative les, dative leur, emphatic eux, possessive determiner leur)

il (singular)
les (accusative)
leur (dative)
eux (emphatic)
leur (determiner possessive)

Inherited from Vulgar Latin illī, which sounded il in Old French, to which a plural -s was added. While il was the nominative form from late Latin, els, eus was the oblique form ("them") that had evolved from late Latin illōs, and is the ancestor of modern French eux.
In Old French, "they", being a nominative, was il from late Latin *illi, thus it didn't have the final -s, thus it was il used both for "he" and "they". The -s was added at the end of the 13th century in some regions, at the time the declension system of Old French started to collapse. As a consequence, some oïl languages in France have retained the original Old French il-form, and in some other regions, the ils-form supplanted the older one. Some dialects have even retained both forms depending on the locals.
See cognates in regional languages in France: Angevin, Champenois, Lorrain, and Orléanais is; Bourbonnais-Berrichon ils; Bourguignon âs; Franc-Comtois and Poitevin-Saintongeais és; Gallo i and iz; Norman i and is; Picard is and i; Franco-Provençal ils; Occitan els (Gascon eus); Catalan ells; Corsican elli.


nul

Inherited from Middle French nul, from Old French nul, from Latin nūllus.


leur

Inherited from Middle French leur, from Old French lor, from Latin illōrum, genitive masculine plural of ille.
As a possessive it was originally uninflected (as still is Italian loro), but adopted the plural ending in Middle French. Feminine -e was hindered by the analogy of other possessives, all of which have but one plural form and in the case of notre, votre no gender agreement at all.

Je leur ai donné un coup de main.


elle

head

elle f (third-person singular, plural elles, accusative la, dative lui, emphatic elle, possessive determiner son)

elles (plural)
la (accusative)
lui (dative)
elle (emphatic)
son (determiner possessive)

Inherited from Old French ele, from Latin illa, feminine of ille.

Je crois qu’elle est partie.

Voilà ma voiture. Elle a cinq ans.

it (feminine gender third-person singular subject pronoun)

C’est à elle.

disjunctive form of elle; her; à elle = hers


elles

elles f pl (third-person plural, singular elle, accusative les, dative leur, emphatic elles, possessive determiner leur)

elle (singular)
les (accusative)
leur (dative)
elles (emphatic)
leur (determiner possessive)

Inherited from Old French eles, from Latin illās, accusative feminine plural of ille.


quoi

From Latin quid; ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷid, compare *kʷis. Cognate to English what, which differs due to changing under Grimm’s law.

De quoi parle-t-il ?

À quoi penses-tu ?

À quoi cela sert-il ?

Avec quoi cela se mange-t-il ?

En vue de quoi fais-tu cela ?

(interrogative; for things) what
(after a preposition)

C’est quoi ? (attributive)
What is this/that? (noncolloquial French: Qu’est-ce ? / Qu’est-ce que c’est ?)

Il dit quoi ? (direct object)
What does he say? (noncolloquial French: Que dit-il ? / Qu’est-ce qu’il dit ?)

(attributive or direct object; colloquial)

Je sais quoi faire.

Je ne sais pas quoi faire.

I don't know what to do. (more formal French: Je ne sais que faire.)

(relative; for things) what, (that) which

Laisse-moi te montrer ce sur quoi je travaille en ce moment.

(literally, “...that on which I am working...”)

Let me show you what I am working on at the moment.

Et voilà à quoi nous avons passé notre temps.

And that's what we've spent our time on.

Ils ont perdu beaucoup d’argent, en conséquence de quoi ils ont dû fermer le magasin.

They've lost a lot of money, in consequence of which they've had to close the shop.

Il y avait de quoi remplir trois boîtes.

(after de and before an infinitive verb)

Il n’y a pas de quoi en faire tout un plat !

There's nothing to make a big thing out of!

Merci !
—Il n’y a pas de quoi [me remercier].
Thanks!
—Don't mention it.

literally, “There is nothing [to thank me for].”

Quoi que je fasse, rien ne changera.

(before a subjunctive verb) whatever
(direct object)

Quoi qu’il arrive, je serai là.

(before a subjunctive verb) whatever
(subject of an impersonal verb)


ça

J’aimerais ça.

Je veux ça.

Ça va.

Partout ça criait, ça hurlait, ça se battait.

There was shouting, screaming, fighting everywhere.

used to indicate actions happening generally without specifying an agent, like on but with a greater suggestion of mass, generalized, unattributable, or confused action; people


rien

⇒ Louisiana Creole: arien

desctree

⇒ Saint Dominican Creole French: arien
Haitian Creole: anyen

Inherited from Middle French rien, from Old French rien, from Latin rem (“thing”). Compare Catalan res (“nothing”) or Galician ren (“nothing”).

Antoine Lavoisier
Rien ne se perd, rien ne se crée, tout se transforme.

Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed.

Je n’ai besoin de rien d’autre.

En tous les bienfaits d’importance, la preuve ne peut avoir de lieu ; car il n’y a bien souvent que deux qui en sachent rien .

1630, François de Malherbe, Le traité des bienfaits de Sénèque, III, 10:

In any good deed of importance proof is unnecessary; for perfectly often there are only two knowing anything of it.


tel

Inherited from Old French tel, from Latin tālis. Compare Spanish tal.


iel

head

iel gender-neutral (third-person singular, plural iels, accusative lea, dative lui, emphatic ellui, possessive determiner son)

iel gender-neutral (canonical)
iels (plural)
lea (accusative)
lui (dative)
ellui (emphatic)
son (determiner possessive)

[…]; les jours où iels n’avaient pas l’occasion de parler un peu, juste tous les deux, iel se sentait vide.

2014, Carina Rozenfeld, La Symphonie des abysses, Robert Laffont, book 1:

[…]; on days when they didn't have the opportunity to talk a little, just the two of them, they felt empty.

Ainsi démarra la journée d’Emil. Iel suivait bien évidement les conseils de sa mère, continuant à affirmer qu’iel était un garçon, ce qui jusque là n’avait jamais été démenti.

2016 March 4, Olivia B. Smith, Witch Hunt, Partie 1 : Le Legacy d’Olivia:

That's how Emil's day started. They naturally followed the advice of their mother and continued to say that they were a boy, which had never been contested until that point.

Pour les Ferreux.
Pour Ferenusia, découvert en même temps qu’Antoinette, quand iel avait débarqué à Paris un an auparavant.
Pour iel-mêmes [sic], aussi.

2017, Cindy Van Wilder, chapter 19, in Les Outrepasseurs, volume 4 Férénusia, Gulf stream éditeur:

For the Ferrous.
For Ferenusia, discovered at the same time as Antoinette, when they had arrived in Paris a year earlier.
For themselves, too.

Tout architecte se doit d’être complètement responsable des conditions et conséquences politiques des projets qu’iel accepte; toute position qui ferait de lui ou d’elle un.e simple exécutant·e constituerait une insulte à sa fonction et à sa capacité d’agir.

2019 December 20, “Casbah d’Alger : lettre ouverte à Jean Nouvel”, in L’Humanité:

Every architect must be completely responsible for the conditions and political consequences of the projects that they accept; any position which would make him or her a simple executor would constitute an insult to their function and to their ability to act.

(gender-neutral, neologism) they (singular). A gender-neutral singular third-person subject personal pronoun.


cela

By surface analysis, ce + là. See also -là.


quel

fr-pron

quel m (feminine quelle, masculine plural quels, feminine plural quelles)

quelle (feminine)
quels (masculine plural)
quelles (feminine plural)

Inherited from Middle French quel, from Old French quel, from Latin quālis.

Quel est son nom?


a

C’te fille-là, a’a l’air cute.

(Quebec, colloquial) alternative form of elle (“she”)


celui

celui m (feminine celle, masculine plural ceux, feminine plural celles)

celle (feminine)
ceux (masculine plural)
celles (feminine plural)

From icelui, from ici (“here”) + lui (“him”) or from Vulgar Latin *ecce illui, (genitive-)dative masculine singular of *ecce ille (influenced by Latin cui 'to whom'; cf. French lui), from Latin ecce + ille. Compare Italian colui, cf. also Romanian acelui.

Le bon choix est celui que je vous ai indiqué.

The right choice is the one I have indicated to you.

Les états paranoïaques, tels que ceux de schizophrénie, peuvent sembler superficiellement similaires mais sont caractéristiquement différents.

Paranoid states, such as those of schizophrenia, can appear similar on the surface, but they are fundamentally different.

Contrairement au modèle français, le Président du Conseil ne dispose pas de pouvoir formel, tel que celui de désigner ou renvoyer les autres, ou encore la capacité de dissoudre le Parlement.

Unlike the French model, the President of the Council does not have any formal power, such as that of appointing or dismissing others, or even the ability to dissolve Parliament.


tous

Inherited from Middle French tous < Old French toz. By surface analysis, tout + -s.

Ils étaient tous là.

Tous étaient là.


celle

J’avais oublié ma gomme, alors j’ai emprunté celle de Pierre.

I'd forgotten my eraser, so I borrowed Pierre's.


koi

(Internet slang, text messaging) Alternative spelling of quoi


celui-ci

celui-ci m (feminine celle-ci, masculine plural ceux-ci, feminine plural celles-ci)

celle-ci (feminine)
ceux-ci (masculine plural)
celles-ci (feminine plural)


soi

Inherited from Old French sei, accented form of se, from Latin sē (in accented position), from Proto-Indo-European *swé (reflexive pronoun). More at se. Cognate with Italian sé, Portuguese si, Spanish sí.

inh

(rare) nominative pronoun reinforcing indefinite or very generalized subject; one

(more commonly) Designating or reinforcing a reflexive (direct) object or the regime of a preposition

Occasionally representing other pronouns, e.g. ourselves, or translated according to the referenced indefinite subject

Near-synonym: soi-même

Pourquoi ne pense-t-on qu’à soi ?


qqn

Abbreviation of quelqu’un (“sb; somebody”).


quelqu'un

fr-pron

quelqu’un m (feminine (rare) quelqu’une, masculine plural quelques-uns, feminine plural (rare) quelques-unes)

quelqu’ un (canonical masculine)
quelqu’une (feminine rare)
quelques-uns (masculine plural)
quelques-unes (feminine plural rare)

Il y a quelqu’un ici qui parle français ?

Is there anybody here who speaks French?

Je voudrais parler avec quelqu’un d’autre.

I would like to speak with someone else.

(in the masculine singular) someone, somebody, anyone, anybody

(in the masculine singular) (colloquial) (a) somebody (someone singular or notable, i.e., who stands apart from most others in importance, skill, merit, etc.)

J’ai lu quelques-uns de ces livres.

(in the plural; used with de, en or an antecedent) some

(in the masculine plural) some people, certain


chacun

Inherited from Middle French chascun, from Old French chascun, from Vulgar Latin *cascunum, *casquunum, a conflation of quisque unum (“each one”) + *cata unum, a variant form showing a derivative of Ancient Greek κατά (katá) (this variant form survived into Old French as chaün). Compare Occitan cadun, chascun, Catalan cadascun, Italian ciascuno.

Ces fromages coutent 1 euro chacun.

Chacun pour soi.


m'

Je m'appelle Marcel.

Donne-m'en deux.

(in certain contexts) prevocalic form of moi


lequel

lequel m (feminine laquelle, masculine plural lesquels, feminine plural lesquelles)

laquelle (feminine)
lesquels (masculine plural)
lesquelles (feminine plural)

Elle préfère l’homme avec lequel tu sortais.

She prefers the man with whom you were going out.

Il se remet à travailler sur le projet pour lequel il avait déjà passé tellement de temps.

He's starting to work on the project on which he had already spent so much time.

(relative, following a preposition) which, that, whom

Passe-moi le ballon. ― Lequel ? Il y en a trois.

Pass me the ball. — Which one? There are three of them.


n'importe quoi

Non, mais tu dis n’importe quoi, là !


auquel

auquel m (feminine à laquelle, masculine plural auxquels, feminine plural auxquelles)

à laquelle (feminine)
auxquels (masculine plural)
auxquelles (feminine plural)


aucun

From Old French alcun, from Vulgar Latin *alicunus, from Latin aliquī + unus.
Cognate with Italian alcuno, Spanish alguno, Galician algún, Portuguese algum.

Aucun d’entre eux n’a été capable de répondre.

Aucun de ses amis ne sait où il est.


lesquels

Elle préfère les hommes avec lesquels tu sortais.

She prefers the men with whom you you were going out.

Il se remet à travailler sur les projet pour lesquels il avait déjà passé tellement de temps.

He's starting to work on the projects on which he had already spent so much time.

(relative pronoun) masculine plural of lequel: (following a preposition) which, that, whom

lequel

Passe-moi les ballons. - Lesquels ? Il y en a de différentes sortes.

Pass me the balls. - Which ones? There are different sorts.


duquel

duquel m (feminine de laquelle, masculine plural desquels, feminine plural desquelles)

de laquelle (feminine)
desquels (masculine plural)
desquelles (feminine plural)

Contraction of de (“of/from”) + lequel (“which”).

Voilà l’homme à côté duquel Marc s’asseyait.

There is the man next to whom Marc was sitting.

of which, of whom, from which, from whom


yé

(nonstandard) Alternative form of je (representing the Hispanic pronunciation)


celui-là

celui-là m (feminine celle-là, masculine plural ceux-là, feminine plural celles-là)

celle-là (feminine)
ceux-là (masculine plural)
celles-là (feminine plural)


celles

Je veux te montrer mes photos... celles que j’ai prises pendant mes vacances.

I want to show you my photos... the ones I took during my vacation.


soi-même

Lire est une activité que l’on peut faire par soi-même.

Reading is an activity where man works on oneself .

On a le droit à ne pas témoigner contre soi-même.

One has the right not to incriminate oneself.

Il parle avec soi-même tout autant qu’avec autrui.

He talks to himself as much as to others.

Il est attendu du condamné qu’il fasse amende honorable et expie ses pêchés en subissant sa peine, laquelle devrait donc être mise à profit pour une réflexion sur soi-même.

(literally, “ […] for reflection upon oneself.”)

The convict is expected to make honorable amends and atone for his sins by serving his sentence, which should therefore be put to good use for self-reflection

Ces différentes formes de gouvernance s’appuient sur la confiance en la capacité de chacun à s’orienter et à prendre des décisions par soi-même dans son domaine d’action.

These different forms of government are based in each person's ability to orient themselves and to make decisions by themselves in their field of action.


quelqu'une

(rare, poetic) feminine singular of quelqu’un


quiconque

Inherited from Old French kiqunques, composed of qui (“who”) + qu(i) + onques (“ever”). The adverbial /-s/ may have later been removed by influence of Latin quicumque, which has the same meaning. Compare Italian chiunque, a similar formation.


maint

Inherited from Middle French maint, from Old French maint, meint (“many”), from Frankish *managiþu (“a large quantity, a great many”), from Proto-Germanic *managiþō (“large quantity, multitude”), from Proto-Indo-European *monegʰ- (“many”). Cognate with Middle Dutch menichte (“multitude, great number”), Middle High German mennichte (“quantity”), Old English menigdu (“group of people”). More at many.
Alternatively, the Old French could be from Gaulish *mantī, from Proto-Celtic *mantī (“quantity”) (compare Welsh maint, Old Irish méit), from Proto-Indo-European *mh₁-nt-, from *meh₁- (“to measure”).


ç'

Ayant ensuite rapporté audit commandeur tout ce qui nous avait été articulé par l’empereur et par le prince, le sieur commandeur nous déclara à son tour que si, dans cette circonstance, il avait semblé à qui que ce fût qu’il agît ou parlât en homme qui a du ressentiment, ç’avait été tout à fait contre son intention, [...]

1842, Négociations relatives à la succession d'Espagne sous Louis XIV, page 530:

Having then reported to said commander everything that the emperor and the prince had said to us, the commander told us that if, on that occasion, it had seemed to anybody that he had acted or spoken resentfully, then that had not been his intention at all […]

Si j’ai hésité d’abord à employer ce moyen, ç’a été par la crainte de voir les malades rester plus longtemps que cela n’eût été utile sous l’influence de l’éther, [...]

1847, L'abeille médicale, volume 4, page 79:

If I hesitated at first to use this method, it was out of fear of seeing patients stay under the influence of ether for longer than necessary, …

Et puis tu vois ce qui arrive... Ah ! ç’a été le grand malheur de notre Alsace de toujours remettre son instruction à demain.

1875, Alphonse Daudet, “La Dernière Classe”, in Contes du lundi:

And then you see what happens... Oh! it’s been the great misfortune of our Alsace to always put off its education until tomorrow.

Ç’a été une de nos occupations aux Hautes Études, en hiver 1896-97, travail fructueux, s’il en est.

1900, Revue Biblique Internationale, L’École pratique d’études bibliques, page 127:

This has been one of our occupations at Hautes Études, in winter 1896–97; fruitful work, if ever there were any.


grand-chose

a big deal; something or someone important

Par ici, il n’y a pas grand-chose à faire.

Je n’ai plus grand-chose à y ajouter.

On me dit que nos vies ne valent pas grand-chose ; elles passent en un instant comme fanent les roses.

People tell me that our lives are not worth much; they go by in an instant, like roses wilt.


qu'

(before vowel sound) Apocopic form of que (what, that, whom; only)


s'

Il s’habille.

Il s’aime.

Ils s’aiment.

They love themselves. / They love each other.

Elision of se before a word beginning with a vowel.

Y s’bouge le cul ou quoi?

(informal) Elision of se before a word beginning with a consonant.


j'

J’ai sommeil.

J’habite à Paris.

J’veux pas savoir.

I don't wanna know. (informal, short for "Je ne veux pas savoir.")

J’comprends.

I understand. (informal, see usage notes for pronunciation


le sien

fr-pron

le sien m (feminine la sienne, masculine plural les siens, feminine plural les siennes)

la sienne (feminine)
les siens (masculine plural)
les siennes (feminine plural)

Je n’avais pas de crayon, alors Paul m’a prêté le sien.

I didn't have a pencil, so Paul lent me his.

Je n’avais pas de crayon, alors Marie m’a prêté le sien.

I didn't have a pencil, so Marie lent me hers.


desquels

Contraction of de (“of/from”) + lesquels (“which”).


qu'est-ce qui

Contraction of underlying que est-ce qui (literally “what is it that”).

Qu’est-ce qui t’a frappé ?

Qu’est-ce qui se passe ?

what (used as an interrogative for a subject)


qu'est-ce que

Qu’est-ce que tu fais ?

What are you doing? / What do you do? / What is it that you do?

Qu’est-ce qu’il a mangé ?

what, what is it that (used as an interrogative for a direct object)

Qu’est-ce que la liberté ?

Qu’est-ce qu’un blog ?

what is (used as an interrogative for a definition)


l'un

l’ un (canonical masculine)
les uns (plural)

l’un des meilleurs vins


celle-ci

feminine singular of celui-ci: this one, the latter


celles-ci

feminine plural of celui-ci: these ones, the latter ones


ceux-ci

masculine plural of celui-ci: these ones, the latter ones


bibi

Tu vas chez H&M. Et le crétin qui range derrière toi, c’est bibi.

2015 January, Virginie Despentes, Vernon Subutex, volume 1, Éditions Grasset, →ISBN:

(informal) yours truly (I, me or myself)


quelles

Quelles femmes ?


icelui

icelui m (feminine icelle, masculine plural iceux, feminine plural icelles)

icelle (feminine)
iceux (masculine plural)
icelles (feminine plural)

Comment Candide fut élevé dans un beau château, et comment il fut chassé d’icelui.

How Candide was raised in a beautiful castle, and how he was driven from such.

(now only in law or humorous, obsolete) this one


ce que

C’est ce que font les gens bien.

Cela n’est pas ce que je voulais.

Il avait bien conscience de ce qu’il avait fait.

He knew perfectly well what he had done.

Ce que dit le roi est vrai, parce que le roi le dit.

What the king says is true, because the king says it.

A est à B ce que C est à D

(accusative, relative) what (relative pronoun - direct object)

Savez-vous ce qu’il dit ?

Savez-vous ce que vous faites ?

(accusative, interrogative) what (in indirect questions)


ce qui

Ce qui est vrai, c’est que je l’adorais.

C’est quoi, ce qui a occasionné ça ?

Puisque nous sommes ici sans savoir ce qui nous attend un peu plus tard, laisser parler mon instinct me guérit.

Since we're here without knowing what awaits us a little bit later, letting my instinct[s] speak heals me.

(nominative, relative) what (that which; those which; the thing that)

Je ne sais pas ce qui y est écrit.

I don't know what it says [lit. is written].

Savez-vous ce qui arrive ?

(nominative, interrogative) what (in indirect questions, subject)


auxquels

masculine plural of auquel: to which, at which


Votre Majesté

Your Majesty, address for a ruling monarch


auxquelles

feminine plural of auquel: to which, at which


chacune

feminine singular of chacun: each, each one, every, every one


ceux-là

masculine plural of celui-là: those ones, the former


celles-là

feminine plural of celui-là: those ones, the former


les leurs

Ce sont vos papiers ou les leurs ?

Je préfère nos voisins aux leurs.

J’ai besoin de vos papiers, pas des leurs.

plural of le leur; plural of la leur; theirs


le leur

le leur m (feminine la leur, plural les leurs)

Non, ce n’est pas leur fils. Le leur est plus jeune.

No, that's not their son. Theirs is younger.


pas mal

Revue française d'odonto-stomatologie, Volume 17

However, we learn that he smoked about 20 cigarettes per day and drank quite a bit of alcohol in the form of whisky.

Cependant, nous apprenons qu’il fumait approximativement vingt cigarettes par jour et consommait pas mal d’alcool sous forme de whisky.

(idiomatic, informal) quite a bit, quite a few (a decent amount)


qqch

Abbreviation of quelque chose (“sth; something”).


moé

(Quebec, colloquial) Alternative form of moi


autrui

Inherited from Old French autrui, from Vulgar Latin *alterui, alteration (after cui) of Latin alterī, dative singular of alter. Compare lui.

Il ne faut pas faire mal à autrui.

Il est bien plus difficile de se juger soi-même que de juger autrui.

1943, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le Petit Prince:

It is more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others.

Yvan. Dès l’instant qu’il n’y a pas de préjudice pour autrui…

From the moment there is not prejudice for others…

(chiefly literary) others; other people; someone else


l'on

The elided article l’ + on, which is of nominal origin (see the related homme). This pronoun has traditionally been assessed as a euphonic prothesis (in particular after que to avoid the homophone of qu’on with con), but the form is in fact found in free variation, including at the beginning of sentences in very formal usage.

(formal, literary) Alternative form of on


Sa Majesté

Her Majesty (a title of respect when referring to a female monarch)

His Majesty (a title of respect when referring to a male monarch)


la vôtre

feminine singular of le vôtre; yours (the one belonging to you)


les nôtres

Ce sont vos livres ou les nôtres ?

plural of le nôtre; plural of la nôtre; ours (belonging to us)


les vôtres

plural of le vôtre; plural of la vôtre; yours (the ones belonging to you (plural))


le nôtre

le nôtre m (feminine la nôtre, plural les nôtres)

Leur appartement est plus grand que le nôtre.


la nôtre

Leur famille est plus grande que la nôtre.

feminine singular of le nôtre; ours (the one belonging to us)


le vôtre

le vôtre m (feminine la vôtre, plural les vôtres)

yours (the one belonging to you, plural or formal)


Votre Grandeur

/vɔ.tʁə ɡʁɑ̃.dœʁ/

Je suis, madame, le géant Caraculiambro, seigneur de l’île Malindrania, qu’a vaincu en combat singulier le jamais dignement loué chevalier don Quichotte de la Manche, lequel m’a ordonné de me présenter devant Votre Grâce, pour que Votre Grandeur dispose de moi tout à son aise.

1837, Louis Viardot, L’Ingénieux Hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manche^(fr.Wikisource), translation of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Volume I, Chapter I:

I am, madame, the giant Caraculiambro, lord of the island Malindrania, whom the ever worthily praised Don Quixote of La Mancha has beaten in remarkable combat, and has ordered me to present myself before Your Grace, so that Your Highness may dispose of me at her discretion.


Votre Grâce

/vɔ.tʁə ɡʁɑs/

I am, madame, the giant Caraculiambro, lord of the island Malindrania, whom the ever worthily praised Don Quixote has beaten in remarkable combat, and has ordered me to present myself before your grace, so that your highness may dispose of me at her discretion.


Votre Révérence

Votre Révérence f (plural Vos Révérences)

« Eh ! seigneur licencié, s’écria-t-il alors, que Votre Grâce me laisse faire ; il n’est pas juste que je reste à cheval, tandis que Votre Révérence est à pied.
 – Je ne le souffrirai en aucune manière, répondit le curé... »

1837, Louis Viardot, L’Ingénieux Hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manche^(fr.Wikisource), translation of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Volume I, Chapter XXIX:

"Oh! Sir licentiate," exclaimed he, "that Your Grace would allow me; it is not just that I should remain on horseback, while Your Worship is on foot."
"I will not suffer it in any manner," replied the curate...


Votre Courtoisie

Votre Courtoisie (plural Vos Courtoisies)

Jamais je ne me lèverai d’où je suis, valeureux chevalier, avant que Votre Courtoisie m’octroie un don que je veux lui demander, lequel tournera à votre gloire et au service du genre humain.

1837, Louis Viardot, L’Ingénieux Hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manche^(fr.Wikisource), translation of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Volume I, Chapter III:

Never will I rise from where I am, valiant knight, until Your Courtesy grants me a favour that I want to ask of him, which will adound to your glory and to the service of the human race.


les siennes

J’avais oublié mes notes, alors Paul m’a montré les siennes.

I'd forgotten my notes, so Paul showed me his.

J’avais oublié mes notes, alors Marie m’a montré les siennes.

I'd forgotten my notes, so Marie showed me hers.


les siens

J’avais oublié mes devoirs, alors Paul m’a montré les siens.

I'd forgotten my homework, so Paul showed me his.

J’avais oublié mes devoirs, alors Marie m’a montré les siens.

I'd forgotten my homework, so Marie showed me hers.


la sienne

Je n’avais pas de souris, alors Paul m’a prêté la sienne.

I didn't have a mouse, so Paul lent me his.

Je n’avais pas de souris, alors Marie m’a prêté la sienne.

I didn't have a mouse, so Marie lent me hers.

feminine singular of le sien: his, hers, its


Sa Majesté impériale

Her Imperial Majesty
Her Imperial Majesty

Her Imperial Majesty (a title of respect when referring to an empress)

His Imperial Majesty
His Imperial Majesty

His Imperial Majesty (a title of respect when referring to an emperor)


Son Altesse

His Highness, third person form of address for a high noble

Her Highness, third person form of address for a high noble


Son Excellence

Son Excellence f (plural Leurs Excellences)

His Excellency, third person form of address for a high dignitary

Her Excellency, third person form of address for a high dignitary


nawak

From a shortening of portnawak, a verlan form of n’importe quoi.

C’est nawak !

(informal, Verlan) nonsense, rubbish, gibberish


l'un l'autre

l’un l’autre m (feminine l’une l’autre, masculine plural les uns les autres, feminine plural les unes les autres)

l’ un l’ autre (canonical masculine)
l’une l’autre (feminine)
les uns les autres (masculine plural)
les unes les autres (feminine plural)

Max et Roman s’encouragent l’un l’autre à persister.

Max and Roman encourage each other to carry on.

Dans la construction réciproque, les différents sujets exercent leur action les uns sur les autres.

In a reciprocal construction, the different subjects perform their actions upon one another.

Après leur première rencontre une attirance mutuelle les pousse dans les bras l’un de l’autre.

After they first meet, a mutual attraction thrusts them into each other's arms.

Des observations précises et étalées dans le temps montrent que les constellations changent lentement de forme et que les étoiles se déplacent les unes par rapport aux autres.

Precise observations carried out over time show that the constellations slowly change shape, and that stars move in relation to one another.

[…] les hommes ne sont faits que pour se secourir les uns les autres.

[…] men are only made to help one another.

Toutefois même le cas de la bohème artiste, littéraire, est complexe, car en fait les deux mondes de la bohème ne sont pas étanches l’un à l’autre […]

2010, Pascal Brissette, Anthony Glinoer, Bohème sans frontière:

However, even the case of artistic or literary bohemia is complex, because the two bohemian worlds are not entirely separate from each other […]

As your hands become withered, will you now reach out only for each other?

2017, Tanya Anne Crosby, translated by Angélique Olivia Moreau, L'Espoir des MacKinnon, translation of MacKinnons' Hope:

(reciprocal pronoun) each other, one another


quantième

Inherited from Middle French quantiesme, from Latin quantus + *-ĕsimus. By surface analysis, quant + -ième.

Le quantième sommes-nous ?

(interrogative, literary) which day of the month


toé

(Quebec, New England, Missouri, colloquial) you, thee: alternative form of toi


vous autres

Louisiana Creole: vouzòt

See vous and autre. Compare Asturian vosotros, Catalan vosaltres, Galician vosoutros, Italian voialtri, Occitan vosautres, Spanish vosotros, all of identical meanings.


nous autres

Louisiana Creole: nouzòt

See nous and autre. Compare Asturian nosotros, Catalan nosaltres, Galician nosoutros, Italian noialtri, Occitan nosautres, Spanish nosotros.

we: first-person exclusive plural pronoun (I and others but not you)

(Canada) We: inclusive or exclusive first-person plural (I and you; I, you, and others; or I and others)


les tiennes

Mes chaussures sont moins belles que les tiennes.


n'importe lequel

n’importe lequel m (feminine n’importe laquelle, masculine plural n’importe lesquels, feminine plural n’importe lesquelles)

n’ importe lequel (canonical masculine)
n’importe laquelle (feminine)
n’importe lesquels (masculine plural)
n’importe lesquelles (feminine plural)


la mienne

Ce n’est pas ta carte, c’est la mienne !


le mien

le mien m (feminine la mienne, masculine plural les miens, feminine plural les miennes)

la mienne (feminine)
les miens (masculine plural)
les miennes (feminine plural)

Votre père sait comment s’appellent tous ses vingt collègues de bureau et le mien peut guère rappeler les noms de ses trois enfants.

Your father knows the names of all his 20 colleagues and mine can hardly recall the names of his 3 children.


les miens

Les crayons de Louise sont jaunes ; les miens sont blancs.

Louise's pencils are yellow; mine are white.


les miennes

J’ai pris les clés de David et lui, il a pris les miennes.


la tienne

J’ai ma trousse. Où est la tienne ?

Mon école est plus petite que la tienne.


les tiens

J’ai oublié mes écouteurs. Tu me prêtes les tiens, s’il te plaît ?

I forgot my earphones. Could you please lend me yours?


la leur

C’était de notre faute, pas de la leur.


le tien

le tien m (feminine la tienne, masculine plural les tiens, feminine plural les tiennes)

la tienne (feminine)
les tiens (masculine plural)
les tiennes (feminine plural)

C’est mon stylo ou le tien ?

yours; the one belonging to you (singular)


ma pomme

From ma (“my”) + pomme (“head”, literally “apple”).


mézigue

Earlier mes zigues, from zigue (“guy, bloke”). Compare English slang this guy (“myself”).

(slang) me (first-person singular personal pronoun)


cézigue

Earlier ses zigues, from zigue (“guy, bloke”).

(slang) him, her (third-person singular personal pronoun)


tézigue

Earlier tes zigues, from zigue (“guy, bloke”).

(slang) you (second-person singular personal pronoun)


walou

Borrowed from Moroccan Arabic والو (wālu).


tout et n'importe quoi

(derogatory) everything, anything (without discrimination)


tout un chacun

Tout un chacun a le droit de consulter un avocat.

Everyone has the right to consult a lawyer.


grand monde

Coordinate term: grand-chose

Il n’y a pas grand monde.


âme qui vive

Il n’y a pas âme qui vive.


à moi

Ce livre est à moi.


quoi que ce soit

avant de faire quoi que ce soit d’autre


Vos Courtoisies

Votre Courtoisie
Votre Courtoisie#French


Votre Excellence

fr-pron

Votre Excellence f (plural Vos Excellences)


un tant soit peu

du moment que cela soit un tant soit peu véridique.

(literally, “As long as it is somewhat true.”)

As long as it is even the slightest bit veracious.

Mais un législateur qui aurait un tant soit peu de valeur, si infime soit elle, quand bien même il n’en irait pas comme l’argument vient de le démontrer, n’aurait-il pas commis en cette occasion, plus qu’en n’importe quelle autre circonstance où il aurait eu l’audace de mentir aux jeunes gens dans l’intérêt du bien, son plus utile mensonge, celui capable de faire que tous, non pas de force mais de leur plein gré, se conduisent de façon entièrement juste ?

a tiny bit, the least bit, the slightest bit, even remotely


eux-autres

Ils ont fait croire aux parents que leurs enfants étaient dan’ un grand désavantage parce qu’ils parlaient français. Ils aviont pas compris encore qu’eux-autres aurait pu garder la langue française.

2001, Kevin James Rottet, Language Shift in the Coastal Marshes of Louisiana, →ISBN:


dégun

Borrowed from Occitan degun, from Latin nec ūnus (“not even one”). Compare Catalan degú, Spanish ninguno, Portuguese nenhum.

On like les photos de ta meuf, on craint dégun / Le commissaire m’interroge, j’connais dégun / Il pose quelques bouteilles mais c’est un dégun / Tu dis que tu n’es pas seul mais j’vois dégun

2015, “On craint dégun”, in Capo Dei Capi, vol. 1, performed by Alonzo:


iels

head

iels gender-neutral pl (third-person plural, singular iel, accusative les, dative leur, emphatic elleux, possessive determiner leur)

iels gender-neutral (canonical plural)
iel (singular)
les (accusative)
leur (dative)
elleux (emphatic)
leur (determiner possessive)

[…] ; les jours où iels n’avaient pas l’occasion de parler un peu, juste tous les deux, iel se sentait vide.

2014, Carina Rozenfeld, La Symphonie des abysses, Robert Laffont, book 1:

the days when they [plural] didn't have the chance to talk a little, just the two of them, they [singular] felt empty.

Arthaud, Poutou, Cheminade, Dupont-Aignan, Lassalle ? Aucune chance, iels sont considéré·e·s comme des “petits candidats”.

2017 April 15, Tanguy Porret, “ABSTENTIONNISME - [Épisode 3] LE VOTE BLANC ?”, in Le Mégaphone, INSA Rennes, retrieved 2019-06-13:

[Nathalie] Arthaud, [Philippe] Poutou, [Jacques] Cheminade, [Nicolas] Dupont-Aignan, [Jean] Lassalle? No way; they are seen as "minor candidates".

(neologism) They. A gender-neutral personal pronoun (third-person plural subject).


c'tte

(colloquial) Alternative spelling of cette


c't

(colloquial) Alternative spelling of cet


les uns après les autres

l’un après l’autre
l'un après l'autre#French


rien de rien

/ʁjɛ̃ də ʁjɛ̃/

Compare Catalan res de res (“nothing at all”), Italian niente di niente (“nothing at all”), Spanish nada de nada.


bôrô

Borrowed from a Mande language with a noun meaning “sack”. Used suddenly since 1998 in French.

J’ai envie de les ken mais boro j’ai muri […] Boro fuck ta sainte nitouche

2020 March 27, Lazamah (lyrics and music), “Pimp”, in Pimp:

It would list me to sard her, but enough, I have matured. […] Enough fuck your little princess

the subject is content, satisfied, or the object is much, enough, a satisfactory or maximal amount

Le retour du bôrô d’enjaillement est pris au sérieux par des éléments des forces de l’ordre, particulièrement ceux du commissariat de Police du 24ème arrondissement, au niveau de l’ancien corridor, sur la route de Grand-Bassam. « Nous avons des informations que les jeunes ont repris le bôrô. Nous avons donc fait des postes de contrôle et de surveillance sur l’étendue du territoire de notre compétence entre Port-Bouët et Grand-Bassam.

2018 November 10, “Abidjan : Le bôrô d’enjaillement est de retour”, in linfodrome:

bôrô d’enjaillement
bôrô d'enjaillement#French

Ellipsis of bôrô d’enjaillement (“a kind of game played by yobs consisting of jumping onto the decks of vehicles in running traffic (originally busses, later minibusses)”, literally “sack of enjoyment”).


Votre Majesté Impériale

fr-pron

Votre Majesté Impériale f (plural Vos Majestés Impériales)

Your Imperial Majesty
Your Imperial Majesty

Your Imperial Majesty, address for an emperor, or empress


y en a des qui

il y en a des qui
il y en a des qui#French

Less formal alternative of il y en a des qui


il y en a des qui

Y en a des qui ne pensent jamais qu’à eux.

Some people never think of anyone but themselves.


rien de tel

Rien de tel n’est possible.

Je ne m’attends à rien de tel.

Ayant écouté tout son discours, je peux vous assurer qu’il n’a jamais rien dit de tel.

Having listened to his speech, I can assure you that he never said anything of the sort.


qqc

Abbreviation of quelque chose (“sth; something”).


Abbreviation of quelqu’un (“sb; somebody”).


l'une l'autre

l’une l’autre (canonical feminine singular)


ellui

(gender-neutral, neologism) (disjunctive of iel) them


elleux

head

elleux gender-neutral pl (singular ellui)

elleux gender-neutral (canonical plural)
ellui (singular)

(gender-neutral, neologism) Them. A gender-neutral personal pronoun (third-person plural disjunctive).


n'importe laquelle

n’ importe laquelle (canonical feminine)

n’importe lequel
n'importe lequel#French


n'importe lesquels

n’ importe lesquels (canonical masculine plural)


n'importe lesquelles

n’ importe lesquelles (canonical feminine plural)


touski

(Quebec, slang) everything, all there is.