FlexiLingoIn one line
l'argentmeans both "money" and "silver" — and at the bank the key words arele compte,la carteandle virement.
Nouns
Everyday money
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
l'argent (m.) | /aʁ.ʒɑ̃/ | money |
la monnaie | /mɔ.nɛ/ | change, currency |
le billet | /bi.jɛ/ | banknote |
la pièce | /pjɛs/ | coin |
l'euro (m.) | /ø.ʁo/ | euro |
le centime | /sɑ̃.tim/ | cent |
le prix | /pʁi/ | price |
la dépense | /de.pɑ̃s/ | expense |
le budget | /byd.ʒɛ/ | budget |
les économies (f. pl.) | /e.kɔ.nɔ.mi/ | savings |
la dette | /dɛt/ | debt |
le pourboire | /puʁ.bwaʁ/ | tip |
At the bank
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
la banque | /bɑ̃k/ | bank |
le compte | /kɔ̃t/ | account |
le compte courant | /kɔ̃t ku.ʁɑ̃/ | current account |
le compte épargne | /e.paʁɲ/ | savings account |
la carte bancaire | /kaʁt bɑ̃.kɛʁ/ | debit card |
la carte de crédit | /kaʁt də kʁe.di/ | credit card |
le distributeur | /dis.tʁi.by.tœʁ/ | cash machine |
le code | /kɔd/ | PIN |
le virement | /viʁ.mɑ̃/ | bank transfer |
le prélèvement | /pʁe.lɛv.mɑ̃/ | direct debit |
le RIB | /ʁib/ | bank details |
le chèque | /ʃɛk/ | cheque |
le relevé de compte | /ʁə.lə.ve/ | bank statement |
le crédit | /kʁe.di/ | credit, loan |
le prêt | /pʁɛ/ | loan |
le taux d'intérêt | /to dɛ̃.te.ʁɛ/ | interest rate |
l'assurance (f.) | /a.sy.ʁɑ̃s/ | insurance |
l'impôt (m.) | /ɛ̃.po/ | tax |
la facture | /fak.tyʁ/ | bill, invoice |
le reçu | /ʁə.sy/ | receipt |
le RIBis asked for constantly in France — for salary, rent, bills. It is one of the first things a newcomer needs. There is no direct English equivalent as a single document; it is closest to a set of account details on a printed slip.
Verbs
| Verb | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
payer | /pe.je/ | to pay |
coûter | /ku.te/ | to cost |
dépenser | /de.pɑ̃.se/ | to spend |
économiser | /e.kɔ.nɔ.mi.ze/ | to save |
gagner | /ɡa.ɲe/ | to earn |
emprunter à | /ɑ̃.pʁœ̃.te/ | to borrow from |
prêter à | /pʁe.te/ | to lend to |
rembourser | /ʁɑ̃.buʁ.se/ | to repay, refund |
retirer | /ʁə.ti.ʁe/ | to withdraw |
déposer | /de.po.ze/ | to deposit |
virer | /vi.ʁe/ | to transfer |
ouvrir un compte | /u.vʁiʁ œ̃ kɔ̃t/ | to open an account |
devoir de l'argent à | /də.vwaʁ də laʁ.ʒɑ̃ a/ | to owe money to |
Adjectives
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
cher /ʃɛʁ/ | chère /ʃɛʁ/ | expensive |
gratuit /ɡʁa.tɥi/ | gratuite /ɡʁa.tɥit/ | free |
riche /ʁiʃ/ | riche /ʁiʃ/ | rich |
pauvre /povʁ/ | pauvre /povʁ/ | poor |
fauché /fo.ʃe/ | fauchée /fo.ʃe/ | broke (colloquial) |
bancaire /bɑ̃.kɛʁ/ | bancaire /bɑ̃.kɛʁ/ | banking |
mensuel /mɑ̃.sy.ɛl/ | mensuelle /mɑ̃.sy.ɛl/ | monthly |
annuel /a.ny.ɛl/ | annuelle /a.ny.ɛl/ | annual |
Set phrases
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
en espèces | /ɑ̃.n‿ɛs.pɛs/ | in cash |
par carte | /paʁ kaʁt/ | by card |
par virement | /paʁ viʁ.mɑ̃/ | by transfer |
Ça fait combien ? | /sa fɛ kɔ̃.bjɛ̃/ | how much is that? |
Vous acceptez la carte ? | /vuz ak.sɛp.te la kaʁt/ | do you take cards? |
Je n'ai pas de monnaie. | /ʒə ne pa də mɔ.nɛ/ | I have no change |
Gardez la monnaie. | /ɡaʁ.de la mɔ.nɛ/ | keep the change |
C'est hors de prix. | /ɔʁ də pʁi/ | it's outrageously expensive |
faire des économies | /fɛʁ dez e.ko.no.mi/ | to save money |
être à découvert | /de.ku.vɛʁ/ | to be overdrawn |
payer en plusieurs fois | /pɛ.je ɑ̃ ply.zjœʁ fwa/ | to pay in instalments |
Ça vaut le coup. | /sa vo lə ku/ | it's worth it |
Traps
| Trap | Explanation |
|---|---|
l'argent is masculine | And uncountable — de l'argent, never un argent. |
monnaie ≠ money | la monnaie is change or a currency. Money in general is l'argent. |
emprunter and prêter are opposites | emprunter à = to borrow from prêter à = to lend to. Both take à. |
payer takes a direct object | payer le repas — not payer pour le repas. |
| The euro sign goes after the number | 15 € with a space — not €15. See majuscules-ponctuation. |
| Decimals use a comma | 15,50 € — not 15.50. |
facture is both a bill and an invoice | Context decides. |
Two of those come straight from English.
payer pouris a translation of "pay for" and is wrong before a thing —je paie le repas, not. (It is correct before a person:je paie pour le repaspayer pour quelqu'un= to pay on someone's behalf.) And writing€15instead of15 €is an English habit that looks foreign on a French page.
emprunter and prêter — the trap everybody falls into
two verbs that both take `à` and mean opposite things
English has the same pair and the same confusion — "borrow" and "lend" are mixed up by native speakers constantly. What makes the French version harder is that both take à:
| French | English | Direction | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
J'emprunte de l'argent à Marie. | I borrow money from Marie | towards me | /ʒɑ̃.pʁœ̃t də laʁ.ʒɑ̃ a ma.ʁi/ |
Je prête de l'argent à Marie. | I lend money to Marie | away from me | /ʒə pʁɛt də laʁ.ʒɑ̃ a ma.ʁi/ |
That à means "from" in the first and "to" in the second. English at least gives you two different prepositions to hold on to; French gives you one.
A way to remember it:
Put
prêternext todonner— something leaves you. Putemprunternext toprendre— something comes to you.
That is a memory hook, not an etymology — prêter comes from Latin praestare and is not related to donner.
And the same double life belongs to apprendre:
| Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
J'apprends le français à Marie. | I teach Marie French | /ʒa.pʁɑ̃ lə fʁɑ̃.sɛ a ma.ʁi/ |
J'apprends le français. | I learn French | /ʒa.pʁɑ̃ lə fʁɑ̃.sɛ/ |
apprendre means both, and only the structure tells you which: if it has à qqn, it is teaching. English keeps "learn" and "teach" separate, so this one is a genuine French oddity.