Times have changed. French money ain’t what it used to be.
Maybe you’re old enough to remember when the Euro replaced the franc way back in 2002.
The language around money has changed too, since there are so many slang words to talk about dough, bucks and bills.
So you can bank on the fact that knowing money words in French can help you with everything from traveling in the French-speaking world to getting extra value out of French pop culture.
So let’s get current with currency—à la française (French style).
When Will You Need to Talk About Money in French?
No matter who you are, where you go or what you do for a living, talking about money is inevitable. That’s why having a good grasp of French monetary terms will serve you well, whether you’re a tourist, a student or a globe-trotting tycoon.
- French money vocabulary is necessary for traveling, working or living in France or other francophone countries—from simple currency exchanges to payment documentation.
- If you’re a global entrepreneur (or just dabble in the international financial scene), French money terms will increase your understanding of business and economics in the 29 nations where French is an official language.
- Learning money words, especially slang and everyday terms, will help you better understand French media and pop culture.
Money is part of life, so French songs, TV shows and movies are rife with references to money.
How to Put French Money Words in Your Wallet
Here’s a bountiful grab-bag of resources for learning and practicing French money-related terms.
L’argot de l’argent (Money Slang) Lists
Money-related jargon grows about as quickly as inflation! Keep up with the latest lingo using these resources:
- This list of slang and idiomatic expressions involving money casually covers the world of money as it relates to work. Give the audio player near the top of the page a click—you’ll hear all the French terms on the page pronounced in a little over a minute.
- You’ll find a list of over 90 French money expressions in this online English-French dictionary—ranging from standard French phrases, to colloquialisms, to proverbs such as l’argent fait la loi (money talks — literally, “money makes the law”).
- Converse more colorfully about your finances with this Cool French: Money primer from the BBC.
Money Vocabulary Online Study Tools
Use a combination of online flashcards, quizzes and games to help you learn money vocabulary:
- Break into discussions about banking and personal finance with this flashcard set of 25 useful words.
- Here are 40 French banking terms, with some detours into investment and purchasing.
- This multiple-choice quiz includes many formal terms related to investment and finance.
Rags About Riches
Grow your commercial word interests with these three French business periodicals:
- A classic since 1908, Les Échos was the first daily French financial newspaper. You’ll find your fill of economic analyses, as well as newer features on tech, marketing and ecologically sustainable businesses.
- A relative newcomer, La Tribune was founded in 1985 as an economics-focused publication. It comes complete with a stock ticker and minute-by-minute news timeline.
- L’Éconews tackles French fiscal events on both the national and international stage, with a good dollop of political reporting. Like La Tribune, it offers an up-to-date news ticker sidebar.
Bank on It: How to Talk About Money in French
Now it’s time to go for the gold! This glossary of French money terms will guide you through chatting, saving, spending and investing.
Currency in Conversation
Depending on your conversation partner, you may get mileage out of both the standard French and slang terms for money.
l’argent liquide: cash
In English, a similar term would be “liquid assets,” although that belongs more to the world of high finance than everyday conversation.
le billet: paper money, bank note
Mnemonic: The word billet in French looks a bit like “bill” in English… as in “a dollar bill,” a “billfold” or a “wad of bills.”
Be careful because billet is also a word for “ticket”—as in trains, plains, automobiles and the lottery.
la monnaie: loose change, currency
The word monnaie sounds like a mock-French pronunciation of the English word “money.”
une pièce de monnaie: a single coin
la thune: money
This slang term for money derives from an old word for a five-franc piece, hearkening back to the days before the Euro.
poigner des poissons: to make money
Poigner is a colloquialism for “to catch” or “to grab,” coming from either la poignée (handful or fistful) or la poigne (the grip of one’s hand).
Poigner des poissons means “to make money”—literally, “to catch some fish.”
le pognon: money (used similarly to “bread” or “dough” in English)
Pognon seems to be related to the French words for “fistful,” “grip” and “grab.” According to Wordsense, it comes from a corruption of poigner.
If it’s related to la poignée, le pognon could refer (figuratively) to a fistful of Euros… or even dollars.
le blé: money (literally, “wheat”)
French uses blé (wheat) as a slang term for money in the same way “bread” is used to mean “money” in English. In both cases, something essential that money can buy is used to represent money.
une balle: a Euro
Just like “buck” means “dollar” in American English, une balle is an informal French word for a Euro. (Back in the old, pre-Millennium days, it used to refer to a franc.)
The standard French word balle means both a “bullet” and a “ball” (used in sports). However, it can also mean “chaff,” which is probably what led to its use referring to a single Euro, since blé (wheat) is slang for “money.”
Chaff is considered the worthless part of the grain. What with inflation, some folks might see a single franc or Euro out of a whole bunch of money (the wheat) as small and valueless. In other words, it’s extremely petty cash.
Example sentences:
Le billet et la monnaie sont tous les deux des genres de l’argent liquide. (Paper money and coins are both types of cash.)
Pour avoir le pognon, il faut poigner les poissons. (To have dough, you have to make money.)
High Finance and Economics
le marché boursier: stock market
France’s equivalent of the New York Stock Exchange, Euronext Paris, was known as La Bourse until the turn of this century.
les services financiers: financial services
le conseil d’administration: board of directors
entrer en récession: to go into a recession
le ralentissement économique: economic slowdown
Ralentissement comes from the verb ralentir, which means “to slow down.”
la crise financière: financial crisis
le plan de sauvetage: bailout plan
la banque d’investissement: investment bank
le placement: investment
Un bon placement is “a good investment.”
Placement can also refer to the act of getting someone a job, as in bureau de placement (employment agency).
And, outside of an economic or career context, placement can mean the act of placing an object somewhere.
le retour sur investissement: return on investment (ROI)
en souffrance: past due
Unlike impayé (unpaid) and arriéré (past due), en souffrance is a formal expression that usually refers to an investment or financial instrument (rather than an invoice or a bill for services rendered).
Example sentences:
Après le ralentissement économique causé par la crise financière, plusieurs pays étaient entrés en récession. (After the economic slowdown caused by the financial crisis, several countries entered into a recession.)
Les placements de la banque d’investissement étaient en souffrance avant que le plan de sauvetage ait implémenté par le gouvernement fédéral. (The investment bank’s investments were past due before the bailout plan was implemented by the federal government.)
No matter what the economy does, remember: L’apprentissage d’une langue est toujours un bon placement, et le retour sur investissement est excellent. (Learning a language is always a good investment, and the return on investment is excellent.)
