Demystifying French-English Spelling connection for you! ✨

🇫🇷🇬🇧 Are you ready to dive into the fascinating world of French-English spelling connection? Hold on to your berets, because we’re about to explore how these linguistic twins separated at birth still manage to amaze us with their similarities. 🤝🗺️

🌟 Spelling Equivalents: A Magical French-English Spelling Connection

French and English have a rich history of influence on each other, thanks to Latin roots and the Norman Conquest. 🏰📚 This linguistic love affair has left us with loads of spelling patterns that make learning French a breeze. These are the ‘cognates’ – words that are almost identical in both languages. It’s like discovering secret treasures when you can effortlessly recognize and understand these words, but watch out for the ‘faux amis’ (false friends)! 😬🙅

Here’s the scoop: These aren’t strict rules, but rather general guiding principles with a few exceptions here and there. Also, remember the tiny tweaks like accents and extra letters. For example, French’s “-ment” equivalent to English’s “-ly” is pretty nifty, but you need to add an “e” before the suffix in French. Let’s dig in deeper! 🕵️‍♀️💡

🚀 Equivalent Word Endings

1. -ain / -aine ➡️ -an

• French: américain.e / marocain.e
• English: American / Moroccan

French and English dazzle us with nationalities. Whether it’s an American dream or Moroccan mystique, these words bring cultures closer. 🌍🇺🇸🇲🇦

2. -aire ➡️ -ar / -ary

• French: nucléaire / adversaire
• English: nuclear / adversary

From nuclear energy to adversaries in a thrilling tale, French and English keep us hooked with their similar spellings. 🚀🔥

3. -ais / -aise ➡️ -ish

• French: écossais.e / polonais.e
• English: Scottish / Polish

These words are a language lover’s delight. Whether it’s the Scottish Highlands or Polish pierogi, you’re already halfway there. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇵🇱. However guessing is no easy task as these are not as easy to spot.

4. -ance / -ance / -ence ➡️ -ance / -ence

• French: tolérance / confiance
• English: tolerance / confidence

When it comes to tolerance and confidence, these words speak the same language – literally! 🙌💃🕺

5. -ant / -ant / -ent ➡️ -ing

• French: redondant / indépendant
• English: redundant / independent

Redundant or independent? French and English give us the lowdown in a snap. ♻️🆓

6. -aque ➡️ -ack

• French: attaque / zodiaque
• English: attack / zodiac

French and English, ever the cosmic pals, reveal the secrets of both attacks and the stars! ✨🌠

7. -é ➡️ -y

• French: calamité / purité
• English: calamity / purity

Calamity or purity, it’s all about the “é” that bridges the gap between French and English. 🧯💦

8. -é / -ée ➡️ -ed

• French: épelé.e
• English: spelled

“Spelled” or “épelé,” past participles never sounded so simple! 📝✅

9. -er ➡️ to + verb

• French: choquer
• English: to shock

This one’s a cinch! “Choquer” leads to “to shock,” giving us the infinitive equivalent. ⚡🧨

10. -eur ➡️ -or / -our

• French: docteur / odeur / cuiseur
• English: doctor / odor / cooker

From doctors and odors to cookers, the “eur” brings a touch of magic to your vocabulary. 🍳💉🤩

11. -er / -eux / -euse ➡️ -ous

• French: curieux.euse / fibreux.euse
• English: curious / fibrous

From curious minds to fibrous textures, French and English stick together like glue. 🧠🌾

12. -gue ➡️ -g

• French: analogue / dialogue
• English: analog / dialog

Analog or dialogue, French and English cut to the chase with this one! 🎥📞

13. -i ➡️ -y

• French: canari / délai
• English: canary / delay

Canaries and delays are a walk in the park, thanks to the “i-y” connection. 🐦🕓

14. -i / -ie ➡️ -ed

• French: fini.e
• English: finished

“Finished” or “fini.e,” it’s the sweet ending to a thrilling story. 🏁📖

15. -ier / -ière ➡️ -er

• French: émeutier.ière / jardinier.ière
• English: rioter / gardener

From the chaos of rioters to the serenity of gardeners, French and English help us cultivate our vocabulary. 🌻🌪️

16. -if / -ive ➡️ -ive

• French: exclusif.ive / distinctif.ive
• English: exclusive / distinctive

Exclusivity and distinctiveness are like a stylish pair of shoes – they fit perfectly in both languages! 👠👞

17. -ique ➡️ -ic / -ical

• French: aromatique / logique
• English: aromatic / logic, logical

Aromatics and logic are the spices of life, and French and English have the perfect blend. 🌿🧠

18. -ir ➡️ to + verb

• French: choisir
• English: to choose

Choosing words to express your thoughts becomes a breeze with “choisir.” 🤔🤝

19. -isation ➡️ -ization / -isation

• French: naturalisation / organisation
• English: naturalization / organization

Whether it’s becoming a citizen or creating an organization, French and English have your back. 🏛️🤝

20. -iser ➡️ -ize / -ise

• French: agoniser / catégoriser
• English: agonize / categorize

Whether it’s the agony of choice or categorizing your thoughts, these words make it crystal clear. 😩📊

21. -isme ➡️ -ism

• French: activisme / bilinguisme
• English: activism / bilingualism

From activism to bilingualism, these words unite cultures and ideas. 🌎🤗

22. -iste ➡️ -ist / -istic

• French: cycliste / fataliste
• English: cyclist / fatalist, fatalistic

Cycling with fate or contemplating the inevitable – French and English give you the key! 🚴🤔

23. -ment ➡️ -ly

• French: abruptement / constamment
• English: abruptly / constantly

Whether it’s the suddenness of a situation or the continuity of time, these words have got you covered. ⏳🌀

24. -oire ➡️ -ory

• French: illusoire / accessoire
• English: illusory / accessory

Illusions and accessories, thanks to French and English, you can never go wrong with your style. 💍🎩

25. -ois / -oise ➡️ -ese

• French: chinois.e / viennois.e
• English: Chinese / Viennese

From the Great Wall of China to the charm of Vienna, these words open doors to diverse cultures. 🌉🍜

26. -re ➡️ to + verb / -er

• French: conclure
• English: to conclude

Concluding a sentence or a chapter, it’s all in the “re-er” combo. 📚🔚

27. -re ➡️ -er

• French: centre
• English: center

The center of attention or the center of the room, French and English have your sense of direction covered. 🎯🎉

28. -tion ➡️ -tion

• French: adoption / compétition
• English: adoption / competition

Adoption or competition, these words speak the universal language of excitement and challenge. 🏆👶

29. -u / -ue ➡️ -ed

• French: répondu.e
• English: responded

Responded or répondu.e, it’s like reading a message from a friend. 📬🤳

🌟 Other Spelling Equivalents

30. ^ ➡️ _s

• French: ancêtre / hôpital
• English: ancestor / hospital

The circumflex accent reveals the heritage of these words, connecting the past with the present. 🌳🏥

31. av- ➡️ adv-

• French: aventure / avantage
• English: adventure / advantage

From adventures to advantages, French and English love to keep us on the edge of our seats. 🏹🧭

32. é- ➡️ s-

• French: écale / étudier
• English: scale / study

From weighing scales to the art of studying, these words help us measure our knowledge. 📏🧪

33. en + -ant ➡️ -ing

• French: en étudiant / en lisant
• English: studying / reading

Studying and reading go hand in hand, bridging the gap between two languages effortlessly. 📖🤓

🔑 Key:

• .x Additional or different letter(s) needed for feminine noun or adjective (inclusive writing)
• [US] Applies mainly to American English
• [UK] Applies mainly to British English

So there you have it! French-English spelling equivalents are like secret codes waiting to be deciphered. Unlocking these connections can make learning and using both languages a piece of cake. 🍰🗝️

Let me know if you’ve discovered more French-English spelling magic! And remember, language learning is all about the fun and the journey. 🚀🌟

Preparing for French DELF B2 exam and terrified of Production Orale? Check out my dedicated series on this subject on my Blog to help you ace it like a pro!

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P.S. Are French verb conjugations nightmarishly hard for you? Or you are someone who like to learn them and practice to perfect your French? Regardless, I have written this book to help fellow learners own French conjugations like a boss!