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French and English are quite much different languages. They are part of two different linguistic groups: French like the other languages of south-Western Europe is a romance language (along with Spanish, portuguese or Italian), when English, like the other languages of north-western Europe (Dutch, German or Scandinavian languages) is a Germanic language.
This mean that both French and English derive at the origin from two quite unrelated languages: vulgar latin and proto-Germanic (but both part of the greater family of "indo-European" languages)
This mean that the language strutures and basic vocabulary are quite distant between both languages.
That said, both southern English and northern french-speaking areas being quite close geographically they have being vocabulary exchanges. Especially since William the conqueror (a french-speaking Norman, from Normandy in Northern France) invaded the lands on the north side of the Channel... This had an important impact on the addition of a lot of french vocabulary into English. This is why today, even if the core vocabulary of modern English is still of Germanic root at 90%; in the total vocabulary of English has about 50% of vocabulary of French or latin origin (mainly intellectual, scientific or technical speech)
These borrowings sometimes gives the superficial idea that both languages are somehow similar; when in fact they are based on two very different roots.
It is just that in English the words that are similar to French are similar because they actually come from French and not from English root. The words of English roots are, on their side completely different.
It is also important to notice that the pronounciation of both languages, included of the English words that have been borrowed from French are completely different.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
French and English are both Indo-European languages, which means they share some similarities in vocabulary and grammar. However, they have a different origin and evolved separately, resulting in distinct pronunciation, spelling, and grammatical rules. French also has a more complex verb conjugation system and a greater focus on gender and agreement in nouns and adjectives compared to English.
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Which English words are the same as French ones?
Some English words that are similar to French words include: Date (English) / Date (French) Cafe (English) / Café (French) Table (English) / Table (French) Animal (English) / Animal (French)
Are names the same in french as they are in English?
Not always. While some names may be similar or have equivalents in both French and English, others may be unique to one language or have different variations. For instance, "John" is "Jean" in French, and "Mary" is "Marie."
What are french words that sound like English called?
French words that sound like English are often referred to as "false friends" or "faux amis". These are words that look or sound similar in both languages but have different meanings. An example is the French word "pain" which means "bread" in English, not "pain" as in "suffering".
What is the french word for object?
The french word for "object" is very similar to the english one. We say "objet" in french.
How do you translate 'yes' into French?
Yes in French is oui, pronounced like the English we. A slang version, similar to yeah, is ouais, pronounced like the English way.
How were the French Dutch and English settlements different from and similar to each other?
They WORKED on their homework instead of cheating and you did NOT!
What is Beijing in French?
Pékin (similar to the English Peking) or Beijing (same as English)
How do you say princesa in french?
In French, the word is very similar to the English version: Princesse.
What does d'accord mean in English?
"D'accord" is an expression of agreement in French, similar to "okay" in English.
What is the french word for object?
The french word for "object" is very similar to the english one. We say "objet" in french.
What are french words that sound like English called?
French words that sound like English are often referred to as "false friends" or "faux amis". These are words that look or sound similar in both languages but have different meanings. An example is the French word "pain" which means "bread" in English, not "pain" as in "suffering".
Who is French Estates General most similar to?
English house of Commons
How were the English and french governments of the late 1600s similar or different?
The English government had a Queen while the French had a king. Both countries believed in the divine right of monarchs and had ties to the Capet Dynasty of the 600's. The French king had a tendency to order senseless beheading while the English preferred burning people at the stake.
Why the Canadians talk french?
For similar reasons why Americans talk English.
What French word does 'the name' derive from?
The English word 'name' is similar to the French word 'nom' but it does not derive from it. .
Do you capitalize french airplane?
In the English language, "French", and similar words for other countries, should be capitalized.
What languages are similar to English but not the same?
There are no any such laguages that are similar to English! French, however, with its specially decorated fonts, seems to an extent near to English, only in written form.
