Money in French expressions: French and money (2024)

FAQs

What are French expressions for money? ›

Fric, oseille, blé, pognon and thune are all informal terms widely used by French people to denote cash. There are also a few French expressions relating to money, for example a person who spends money without thinking about it is known as a flambeur, or a 'big spender'.

Money can contribute to happiness for those who use it well but create misery for those who are controlled by greed. On ne peut avoir le beurre et l'argent du beurre. You cannot have the butter and the money for it. You cannot have your cake and eat it too.

If they need to specify silver metal, they'll say argent métallique or argent métal. I If they need to specify “money”, they'll say pièces or billets de monnaie. But most of the time, just saying “argent” is clear from context.

In Canadian French, dollar amounts are often referred to as piasses in the same way that an English speaker would use the words "buck" or "bucks" in informal settings. The word piasse is derived from the word piastre.

The euro is the official currency of France, which is a member of the European Union. The Euro Area refers to a currency union among the European Union member states that have adopted the euro as their sole official currency.

Dave Ramsey: “You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you.” Thomas Jefferson: “Never spend your money before you have it.” Suze Orman: “A big part of financial freedom is having your heart and mind free from worry about the what ifs of life.”

1. Je pense, donc je suis. - René Descartes. This simple, yet powerful maxim is probably one of the most well-known French quotes as well as famous sayings in history.

"Follow the money" is a catchphrase popularized by the 1976 docudrama film All the President's Men, which suggests political corruption can be brought to light by examining money transfers between parties.

What is a hard French sentence to say? A challenging French sentence is "Les sangsues sont sans succès" (The leeches are unsuccessful), demanding precision with the "s" sounds. This phrase serves as a linguistic workout, testing articulation and providing a fun challenge for learners of all levels.

What is the famous slogan in France? ›

A legacy of the Age of Enlightenment, the motto "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité" first appeared during the French Revolution. Although it was often called into question, it finally established itself under the Third Republic.

French Love Phrases

J'aimerais t'inviter à dîner – I would love to invite you to dinner. J'aimerais passer plus de temps avec toi – I would love to spend more time with you. Tu es l'homme/la femme de mes rêves – You are the man/woman of my dreams. Je suis folle/fou de toi – I am crazy about you.

French proverbs related to money

Money is the root of all evil. L'argent ne pousse pas sur les arbres. Money doesn't grow on trees. L'argent ne tombe pas du ciel.

la thune, les thunes

= That's not worth a penny. J'ai besoin de thunes. = I need some money. (Une thune was originally a familiar term for a five-franc coin, but after the introduction of the euro in France, it became a slang term for money in general.)

L'argent ne fait pas le bonheur.

“Money cannot buy happiness.” Nearly identical to its English counterpart, this expression means that although money lets you buy things, it's not enough to achieve happiness.

" J'air du Nez" literally means that you have a good nose for seeing commodity. This gesture means that something is very expensive, or you need money. People occasionally also say du fric! when they make this gesture.

The official currency in France is the Euro. If you're in a store or restaurant you'll probably see the Euro symbol listed: €. Online and in currency exchange stores you're more likely to see the three-letter ISO code: EUR. Each Euro is broken down into 100 cents.

I figured out that une balle meant a euro when referring to money, and soon had a similar conversation that led to me learning that le sou also refers to money in a general sense, but more often to les centimes (cents, money less than one euro).