French Notes

Cognates — Definition

Cognates are words in French and English that look similar and often have similar meanings.

  • True cognates: similar spelling + similar meaning
  • Partial cognates: similar spelling + partly different meaning
  • False cognates: similar spelling + unrelated meaning

Examples

  • géologie → geology
  • décembre → December

Nouns — Gender & Cognate Patterns

French nouns are either masculine or feminine.

  • le, un → masculine singular
  • la, une → feminine singular
  • les → plural (both genders)
  • l' → singular nouns beginning with a vowel sound

Useful Cognate Endings

Many French nouns resemble English nouns.

French Ending Usually English Example
-ie -y l'anthologie → anthology
-é -y la légalité → legality
-eur -or le directeur → director
-iste -ist un artiste → artist
-ment -ment l'accomplissement → accomplishment
-re -er une lettre → letter

Memory Shortcut

  • -iste often means -ist
  • -eur often means -or
  • -ment usually stays -ment
  • Look for familiar endings before reaching for a dictionary.

Practice Words

  • l'anthologie anthology
  • la légalité legality
  • un gladiateur gladiator
  • un dentiste dentist
  • le centre center
  • la densité density
  • décembre December
  • les gouvernements governments

Adjectives — Agreement and Cognate Patterns

French adjectives change depending on gender and number.

  • Feminine singular usually adds -e
  • Masculine plural usually adds -s
  • Feminine plural usually adds -es

-eux / -euse → -ous

  • anxieux → anxious
  • généreux → generous

Adjective Word Order

In English, adjectives usually come before the noun. In French, adjectives usually follow the noun.

Basic Pattern

un volume important → an important volume

les volumes importants → the important volumes

une méthode technique → a technical method

les méthodes techniques → the technical methods

Examples

  • une technique méthodique → a methodical technique
  • une analyse thermique → a thermal analysis
  • une analyse thermique différentielle → a differential thermal analysis
  • une abondante bibliographie → an abundant bibliography
  • les méthodes modernes → the modern methods
  • une détermination structurale → a structural determination
  • un spécialiste capable → a capable specialist
  • un jugement important → an important judgment
  • un phénomène curieux → a curious phenomenon
  • une tendance instinctive → an instinctive tendency
  • une déclaration formelle → a formal declaration
  • les sciences physiques → the physical sciences
  • les jugements subjectifs → subjective judgments
  • une lettre instructive → an instructive letter
  • les lettres instructives → the instructive letters
  • une lettre charmante → a charming letter
  • un sujet charmant → a charming subject
  • une tendance épicurienne → an Epicurean tendency
  • le gouvernement indien → the Indian government

Reading Tip

When reading French, try locating the noun first. Then look immediately before and after it for adjectives. Many French adjectives that resemble English words are cognates and can often be understood with little memorization.

Cognate Adverbs

When a French adjective ends in a recognizable cognate form, adding -ment often creates an adverb.

Pattern

  • adjective + -ment → English -ly

Examples

  • rapidement rapidly
  • anxieusement anxiously
  • intellectuellement intellectually

Exception

Not every word ending in -ment is an adverb. Some nouns also use this ending.

  • un accomplissement an accomplishment
  • un jugement a judgment

Reading Shortcut

When you see a long unfamiliar word ending in -ment, first ask:

  • Does it look like an adjective I recognize?
  • If yes, try translating it as an English -ly word.

Practice Phrases

  • une réponse catégoriquement négative a categorically negative answer
  • un volume particulièrement important a particularly important volume
  • une phrase curieusement formulée a curiously formulated phrase
  • une idée logiquement impossible a logically impossible idea
  • un effort absolument admirable an absolutely admirable effort
  • une méthode essentiellement moderne an essentially modern method
  • une décision substantiellement correcte a substantially correct decision
  • un jugement essentiellement erroné an essentially erroneous judgment