Cognates & patterns

Words ending in -tion are almost always the same in French, English and German. You already know hundreds of them. Two things change:

1. Pronunciation: French says /sjɔ̃/ (roughly see-on, with a nasal on), not English shun or German tsion. nation /nasjɔ̃/, information /ɛ̃fɔʁmasjɔ̃/.
2. Gender: all French -tion nouns are feminine: la nation, une information. Same as German die Nation, which makes it easy.

French	English	German
la nation	nation	die Nation
l'information	information	die Information
la situation	situation	die Situation
la génération	generation	die Generation
la réaction	reaction	die Reaktion
la tradition	tradition	die Tradition
la station	station, stop	die Station, Haltestelle
la population	population	die Bevölkerung
la satisfaction	satisfaction	die Zufriedenheit
l'éducation	education, upbringing	die Bildung, Erziehung
la communication	communication	die Kommunikation
la réputation	reputation	der Ruf
la collection	collection	die Sammlung
la section	section, department	die Abteilung
la protection	protection	der Schutz
la proposition	proposal, offer	der Vorschlag
l'instruction	instruction, education	die Anweisung, Bildung

Traps

• After s, the t stays a real /t/: la question /kɛstjɔ̃/, la suggestion /sygʒɛstjɔ̃/.
• Meaning shifts: une proposition is usually a proposal or offer (not mainly a grammar term). Une station is a metro stop or a resort (une station de ski). L'instruction often means education or a judicial investigation (le juge d'instruction).
• Spelling with x: some English -ction words use -xion in French: la connexion (connection), la réflexion (reflection).
• German often uses its own word where French and English share one: satisfaction is Zufriedenheit, protection is Schutz. Think English first for these.

French -ité (sometimes just -té) matches English -ity and German -ität. These nouns are almost always feminine, like German die Universität.

Pronounce the ending /ite/ with a closed é and a light stress on it: u-ni-ver-si-TÉ.

French	English	German
la qualité	quality	die Qualität
la réalité	reality	die Realität
la société	society, company	die Gesellschaft, Firma
l'université	university	die Universität
l'identité	identity	die Identität
la possibilité	possibility, option	die Möglichkeit
la capacité	capacity, ability	die Kapazität, Fähigkeit
la quantité	quantity	die Quantität, Menge
l'électricité	electricity	die Elektrizität
la majorité	majority	die Mehrheit
la spécialité	speciality	die Spezialität
l'humidité	humidity	die Feuchtigkeit
la priorité	priority, right of way	die Priorität, Vorfahrt
l'intensité	intensity	die Intensität
l'opportunité	opportunity	die Gelegenheit
la communauté	community	die Gemeinschaft
la liberté	liberty, freedom	die Freiheit
l'activité	activity	die Aktivität

Traps

• Masculine exceptions: le côté (side), l'été (summer, m), le comité, le traité (treaty). And le député (member of parliament) is not an -ité noun at all: it comes from the verb députer.
• La société in business French usually means a company (Firma): une société anonyme = a public limited company (AG).
• La priorité on road signs means right of way (Vorfahrt): priorité à droite.
• L'opportunité exists, but everyday French prefers l'occasion for opportunity. And l'actualité means the news, not actuality.
• Some words go through -té with a changed stem: la beauté (beauty), la santé (health, not guessable).

French -ique corresponds to English -ic or -ical and to German -isch (adjectives) or -ik (nouns). Pronounce it /ik/, with the light final stress: po-li-TIQUE, é-co-no-MIQUE.

As an adjective, -ique has the same form for masculine and feminine: un problème technique, une solution technique. Only the plural adds -s.

French	English	German
politique	political / politics	politisch / die Politik
économique	economic, economical	wirtschaftlich
la musique	music	die Musik
pratique	practical, handy	praktisch
électrique	electric	elektrisch
technique	technical	technisch / die Technik
classique	classic, classical	klassisch
logique	logical	logisch
historique	historic, historical	historisch
dramatique	dramatic	dramatisch
identique	identical	identisch
sympathique	nice, friendly	sympathisch
la république	republic	die Republik
la clinique	clinic, private hospital	die Klinik
la panique	panic	die Panik
la critique	criticism, review	die Kritik
typique	typical	typisch
magnifique	magnificent	großartig

Traps

• sympathique (colloquial sympa) means nice, likeable, exactly like German sympathisch, not English sympathetic (= compatissant).
• économique also means cheap, economical: une voiture économique (a fuel-efficient car).
• la critique is both criticism and a review (film, book): une bonne critique = a good review.
• pratique often means handy, convenient: C'est pratique ! (That's handy!)
• public keeps the English spelling in the masculine but has publique in the feminine: le service public, l'opinion publique. Same for grec / grecque.
• la clinique is usually a private hospital; a public one is l'hôpital.

Adjectives in -eux (masculine) and -euse (feminine) match English -ous and often German -ös. Germans have a pronunciation advantage: -eux is /ø/, the German ö in schön, and -euse is /øz/ with a voiced z: nerveux /nɛʁvø/, nerveuse /nɛʁvøz/.

The masculine -eux does not change in the plural: un homme sérieux, des hommes sérieux. The feminine plural is -euses.

French (m / f)	English	German
dangereux / dangereuse	dangerous	gefährlich
sérieux / sérieuse	serious	ernst, seriös
nerveux / nerveuse	nervous	nervös
curieux / curieuse	curious	neugierig
fameux / fameuse	famous	berühmt
anxieux / anxieuse	anxious, worried	ängstlich, besorgt
ambitieux / ambitieuse	ambitious	ehrgeizig, ambitioniert
généreux / généreuse	generous	großzügig, generös
délicieux / délicieuse	delicious	köstlich
mystérieux / mystérieuse	mysterious	mysteriös
religieux / religieuse	religious	religiös
luxueux / luxueuse	luxurious	luxuriös
furieux / furieuse	furious	wütend
précieux / précieuse	precious	kostbar
nombreux / nombreuses	numerous	zahlreich
courageux / courageuse	courageous, brave	mutig

Traps

• heureux (happy) and malheureux (unhappy) look like the pattern but are not guessable. Learn them separately.
• fameux often means the famous in an ironic way, or simply great: pas fameux = not great.
• curieux also means strange: C'est curieux. (That's odd.)
• sérieux covers English serious and German seriös (reliable): une société sérieuse is a trustworthy company.
• Not every -ous word becomes -eux: jaloux / jalouse (jealous), énorme (enormous), anonyme (anonymous).

Pattern 1: -ment = English -ly

French -ment turns an adjective into an adverb, exactly like English -ly (German just uses the bare adjective: schnell). The rule: take the feminine form of the adjective and add -ment:

• rapide → rapidement
• normal → normale → normalement
• final → finale → finalement
• officiel → officielle → officiellement

If the masculine already ends in a vowel, add -ment to it directly: vrai → vraiment, absolu → absolument.

Pattern 2: -ment = English -ment (nouns)

Many nouns in -ment are masculine and identical to English: le gouvernement, le moment, le document.

French	English	German
rapidement	rapidly, quickly	schnell
simplement	simply	einfach
exactement	exactly	genau
finalement	finally, in the end	schließlich
normalement	normally	normalerweise
officiellement	officially	offiziell
honnêtement	honestly	ehrlich gesagt
correctement	correctly	richtig, korrekt
littéralement	literally	buchstäblich
vraiment	really	wirklich
le gouvernement	government	die Regierung
le moment	moment	der Moment
le document	document	das Dokument
le monument	monument	das Denkmal
le développement	development	die Entwicklung
le département	department	das Département, die Abteilung
l'argument	argument (a reason)	das Argument
l'instrument	instrument	das Instrument
le compliment	compliment	das Kompliment
le médicament	medicine, medication	das Medikament

Traps

• -amment / -emment: adjectives in -ant / -ent become -amment / -emment (both pronounced /amɑ̃/): constant → constamment, évident → évidemment, récent → récemment.
• actuellement = currently (German aktuell), not actually! Actually = en fait.
• éventuellement = possibly, if need be, not eventually (= finalement).
• un argument is a reason / point you make, not a quarrel (= une dispute).
• le médicament is any medicine, not only drugs in the illegal sense.
• le département in France is mostly an administrative region (like a German Landkreis, but bigger).

The rule

French words ending in -aire often match English -ary or -ar and German -är. Words in -oire often match English -ory and German -orie / -orium. Many are adjectives and nouns at the same time.

French	English	German
nécessaire	necessary	notwendig
le salaire	salary	das Gehalt (Salär in CH)
populaire	popular	populär
solaire	solar	Solar-, Sonnen-
nucléaire	nuclear	nuklear, Atom-
temporaire	temporary	temporär, vorübergehend
le vocabulaire	vocabulary	das Vokabular
le dictionnaire	dictionary	das Wörterbuch
le commentaire	comment, commentary	der Kommentar
le partenaire	partner	der Partner
le notaire	notary	der Notar
le vétérinaire	vet(erinary surgeon)	der Tierarzt
intermédiaire	intermediary	intermediär, Vermittler
le laboratoire	laboratory	das Labor(atorium)
obligatoire	obligatory, compulsory	obligatorisch, Pflicht-
l'histoire	history, story	die Geschichte, Historie
la mémoire	memory	das Gedächtnis, Memoiren
la victoire	victory	der Sieg
le territoire	territory	das Territorium
le répertoire	repertoire, directory	das Repertoire

Traps

• le formulaire = a form to fill in (German Formular), not formulary.
• le salaire covers both salary and wage: it is the everyday word for pay.
• la mémoire (fem.) = memory; le mémoire (masc.) = a thesis or written report. Same spelling, different gender!
• Gender is unpredictable: le dictionnaire, la victoire, **l'**histoire (fem.). Learn each noun with its article.
• -aire in French is pronounced /ɛʁ/, -oire is /waʁ/: salaire /sa.lɛʁ/, victoire /vik.twaʁ/.

The rule

Many French nouns in -ie match English -y and German -ie. They are almost all feminine (la). Typical families: -logie (= -logy), -graphie (= -graphy), -sophie, -cratie (= -cracy), -nomie (= -nomy).

Pronunciation: -ie is /i/; -tie in démocratie is /si/.

French	English	German
la technologie	technology	die Technologie
l'économie	economy	die Wirtschaft, Ökonomie
la philosophie	philosophy	die Philosophie
la géographie	geography	die Geografie
la démocratie	democracy	die Demokratie
la théorie	theory	die Theorie
la stratégie	strategy	die Strategie
la catégorie	category	die Kategorie
la cérémonie	ceremony	die Zeremonie
l'industrie	industry	die Industrie
l'énergie	energy	die Energie
la compagnie	company	die Gesellschaft, Kompanie
la galerie	gallery	die Galerie
la copie	copy	die Kopie
la pharmacie	pharmacy, chemist's	die Apotheke
la batterie	battery, drum kit	die Batterie, das Schlagzeug
la garantie	guarantee, warranty	die Garantie
la biologie	biology	die Biologie

Traps

• l'économie also means savings: faire des économies = to save money (German sparen).
• la pharmacie = German Apotheke, not Pharmazie (the subject is la pharmacie too, but in daily life it is the shop with the green cross).
• la batterie is both a car or phone battery and a drum kit.
• la compagnie is mainly an airline or theatre company (compagnie aérienne); a business is usually une entreprise or une société.
• Words ending -ité (lesson 2) and -ie both often match English -y: la société (society) vs la stratégie (strategy). Gender is feminine in both.

The rule

German has a huge family of Latin verbs in -ieren (organisieren, reservieren, informieren). Almost all of them exist in French as -er verbs, and they are regular: they conjugate like parler. English equivalents often end in -ate, -ize / -ise, -fy, or are just the bare stem.

Shortcut: German -ieren → French -er. organisieren → organiser, reservieren → réserver.

French	English	German
organiser	to organise	organisieren
réserver	to reserve, to book	reservieren, buchen
confirmer	to confirm	bestätigen
accepter	to accept	akzeptieren, annehmen
informer	to inform	informieren
discuter	to discuss, to chat	diskutieren, sich unterhalten
négocier	to negotiate	verhandeln
calculer	to calculate	kalkulieren, berechnen
modifier	to modify, to change	modifizieren, ändern
justifier	to justify	rechtfertigen
publier	to publish	publizieren, veröffentlichen
consulter	to consult, to check	konsultieren, nachschlagen
comparer	to compare	vergleichen
adapter	to adapt	adaptieren, anpassen
limiter	to limit	limitieren, begrenzen
développer	to develop	entwickeln
imaginer	to imagine	sich vorstellen
importer	to import	importieren
analyser	to analyse	analysieren
présenter	to present, to introduce	präsentieren, vorstellen

Traps

• -ifier = -ify (modifier, justifier, simplifier), -iser = -ize/-ise (organiser, réaliser).
• réaliser = to carry out, achieve (a project). Using it for to realise (notice) is an anglicism; prefer se rendre compte.
• discuter is often just to chat, not a heated discussion.
• importer also means to matter, mostly in fixed phrases: peu importe (never mind, it doesn't matter) and n'importe quoi (anything / nonsense).
• consulter un médecin = to see a doctor; consulter ses mails = to check one's email.
• contrôler = to check, inspect (contrôler les billets), not always to control.

The rule

The French past participle of -er verbs ends in -é. It matches English -ed and very often German -iert. Used as an adjective, it agrees like any other adjective: organisé, organisée, organisés, organisées (all pronounced /ɔʁ.ga.ni.ze/).

French	English	German
organisé	organised	organisiert
préparé	prepared	präpariert, vorbereitet
situé	situated, located	gelegen (situiert)
compliqué	complicated	kompliziert
réservé	reserved, booked	reserviert
informé	informed	informiert
motivé	motivated	motiviert
qualifié	qualified	qualifiziert
publié	published	publiziert, veröffentlicht
modifié	modified	modifiziert, geändert
limité	limited	limitiert, begrenzt
adapté	adapted	adaptiert, angepasst
isolé	isolated	isoliert
développé	developed	entwickelt
justifié	justified	gerechtfertigt
calculé	calculated	kalkuliert, berechnet
critiqué	criticised	kritisiert
compensé	compensated, offset	kompensiert

• L'appartement est bien situé. The flat is well located.
• La réunion est très bien organisée. The meeting is very well organised.
• Le dossier est compliqué. The file is complicated.

Traps

• fatigué = tired (not usually fatigued), occupé = busy (a phone line or a seat: occupied), pressé = in a hurry.
• passé as an adjective = past, last: la semaine passée = last week. As a noun, le passé = the past.
• Not every -é word is a participle: le café, l'été, la vérité, la société are nouns. Nouns in -té usually match English -ty (vérité = verity/truth, société = society).
• Watch the agreement in writing: Elle est fatiguée, Les salles sont réservées. The sound stays /e/.

The rule

French nouns in -ence and -ance usually exist in English in the same form, and in German often as -enz or -anz. They are almost all feminine: la différence, la distance.

They often come from an adjective in -ent / -ant: différent → la différence, important → l'importance, indépendant → l'indépendance.

French	English	German
la différence	difference	Differenz, Unterschied
la conférence	conference, lecture	Konferenz, Vortrag
la présence	presence	Präsenz, Anwesenheit
l'intelligence	intelligence	Intelligenz
la conséquence	consequence	Konsequenz, Folge
la tendance	tendency, trend	Tendenz, Trend
la distance	distance	Distanz, Entfernung
l'ambulance	ambulance	Ambulanz, Krankenwagen
l'indépendance	independence	Unabhängigkeit
la surveillance	surveillance, supervision	Überwachung
l'innocence	innocence	Unschuld
la substance	substance	Substanz
la nuance	nuance, shade	Nuance
la préférence	preference	Präferenz, Vorliebe
la résidence	residence	Residenz, Wohnsitz
la référence	reference	Referenz
l'importance	importance	Bedeutung, Wichtigkeit
la patience	patience	Geduld
l'existence	existence	Existenz

• Quelle est la différence ? What's the difference?
• La conférence commence à dix heures. The conference starts at ten.

Traps

• la chance = luck (Glück), not mainly chance: Bonne chance ! Good luck!
• la correspondance = also the connection between trains or metro lines: J'ai une correspondance à Lyon.
• la résidence = often a housing complex or student residence (une résidence universitaire).
• l'expérience = experience and experiment.
• la licence = a bachelor's degree (or a licence).
• Gender trap: le silence is masculine.

The rule

French -iste = English -ist = German -ist; French -isme = English -ism = German -ismus. The -iste words are both nouns and adjectives, and the form is the same for men and women: un touriste, une touriste; il est optimiste, elle est optimiste. All -isme words are masculine: le tourisme.

French	English	German
le / la touriste	tourist	Tourist(in)
le tourisme	tourism	Tourismus
le / la journaliste	journalist	Journalist(in)
le journalisme	journalism	Journalismus
le / la spécialiste	specialist	Spezialist(in)
le / la dentiste	dentist	Zahnarzt, Zahnärztin
réaliste	realistic, realist	realistisch
le réalisme	realism	Realismus
optimiste	optimistic	optimistisch
l'optimisme	optimism	Optimismus
pessimiste	pessimistic	pessimistisch
le / la terroriste	terrorist	Terrorist(in)
le terrorisme	terrorism	Terrorismus
le capitalisme	capitalism	Kapitalismus
le / la socialiste	socialist	Sozialist(in)
l'artiste (m./f.)	artist, performer	Künstler(in)
le / la pianiste	pianist	Pianist(in)
le racisme	racism	Rassismus
le féminisme	feminism	Feminismus
l'égoïsme	selfishness	Egoismus

• Elle est journaliste au Monde. She's a journalist at Le Monde.
• Le tourisme est important pour l'économie. Tourism is important for the economy.

Traps

• Note the article: l'artiste, l'optimisme (élision before vowels).
• réaliste, optimiste are adjectives, where English uses -ic: un plan réaliste = a realistic plan.
• Some -iste jobs have no -ist in English or German: le fleuriste (florist, Blumenhändler), le garagiste (car mechanic), le cycliste (cyclist, Radfahrer).
• Pronunciation: -isme is /ism/ with a voiceless /s/, not /izm/ as in English: le tourisme /tu.ʁism/.

The rule

The French ending -eur corresponds to English -or or -er and German -or or -eur. Most of these words name a person (job, role) or a machine. Many end in -teur.

French	English	German
le directeur	director, manager	Direktor, Leiter
le moteur	motor, engine	Motor
l'ordinateur	computer	Computer, Rechner
le professeur	teacher, professor	Lehrer, Professor
le docteur	doctor	Doktor, Arzt
l'acteur	actor	Schauspieler
l'ingénieur	engineer	Ingenieur
le producteur	producer	Produzent, Erzeuger
le créateur	creator, founder	Schöpfer, Gründer
le projecteur	projector, spotlight	Projektor, Scheinwerfer
le contrôleur	ticket inspector	Kontrolleur, Schaffner
le rédacteur	editor, writer	Redakteur
le visiteur	visitor	Besucher
le secteur	sector	Sektor, Branche
le serveur	waiter, server	Kellner, Server
le vendeur	salesperson	Verkäufer
le chauffeur	driver	Fahrer, Chauffeur
l'animateur	host, presenter	Moderator

Feminine forms

• -teur → -trice: directrice, actrice, créatrice, rédactrice, productrice, animatrice
• -eur → -euse (when a verb is behind it): serveuse, vendeuse (from servir, vendre)
• + e (newer, now official): ingénieure, professeure, docteure

Traps

• le professeur (prof) is any teacher from secondary school up, not only a university professor.
• l'ordinateur = computer (from ordonner, to put in order).
• le facteur = the postman (and also factor).
• le contrôleur on a train checks tickets: Le contrôleur arrive !
• Gender trap: abstract -eur nouns are feminine: la couleur, la peur, l'erreur (error), la valeur (value), la chaleur (heat), l'odeur (smell). Exceptions: le bonheur, le malheur, l'honneur.

Almost free vocabulary

French adjectives in -able and -ible usually match English letter for letter. German often has them too, as -abel / -ibel (stabil, komfortabel, flexibel), or translates them with -bar or -lich.

French	English	German
possible	possible	möglich
impossible	impossible	unmöglich
probable	probable, likely	wahrscheinlich
capable	capable	fähig
responsable	responsible	verantwortlich
raisonnable	reasonable, sensible	vernünftig
indispensable	indispensable, essential	unverzichtbar
confortable	comfortable	komfortabel, bequem
considérable	considerable	beträchtlich
inévitable	inevitable	unvermeidlich
favorable	favourable	günstig
impeccable	impeccable	tadellos
vulnérable	vulnerable	verwundbar
stable	stable	stabil
inaccessible	inaccessible	unzugänglich
préférable	preferable	vorzuziehen
flexible	flexible	flexibel

Spelling traps

• responsable has -able, English responsible has -ible.
• confortable has an n, English comfortable an m.
• raisonnable has a double n, from raison.
• Pronunciation: the final -ble is one quick cluster /bl/ with no vowel after it: stable /stabl/.

False friends

• sensible = sensitive (German sensibel), not sensible. English sensible = raisonnable.
• disponible = available (verfügbar), not disposable.
• formidable = great, terrific, a compliment, not formidable.

Reading tip: when you meet an unknown -able/-ible word, strip the ending and look for the root: préférable from préférer, raisonnable from raison.

Put the s back, find the word

When a vowel carries a circumflex, try adding an s after it. English or German often still has it.

French	English	German
fête	feast, party	Fest
forêt	forest	Forst
hôpital	hospital	Hospital, Spital
intérêt	interest	Interesse
coûter	to cost	kosten
fenêtre	window	Fenster
île	isle, island	Insel
côte	coast	Küste
bête	beast; stupid	Biest
maître	master	Meister
pâte	paste, dough	Paste, Teig
arrêter	to arrest, to stop	arretieren, anhalten
rôtir	to roast	rösten
croûte	crust	Kruste
tempête	tempest, storm	Sturm
ancêtre	ancestor	Vorfahr
prêtre	priest	Priester
goût	taste (gusto)	Geschmack
août	August	August

Traps

• Not every circumflex hides an s. In âge (from aage) and sûr (from seür) it marks two merged vowels; in dû it only separates it from du.
• Meanings can drift: bête is a beast, but mostly used as an adjective, stupid (C'est bête ! = How silly!). La côte is also a rib (Kotelett!).
• The 1990 spelling reform allows dropping the hat on i and u in many words: you will see both coût and cout, paraître and paraitre. Both are correct.

Reading tip: the same trick works with é- at the start of words (lesson 15): école → escole → school.

Put back the s again

Like the circumflex (lesson 14), an é- at the start of a word often replaces an old es-. Old French escole became école. English and German kept the s and usually dropped the vowel: school, Schule.

The trick: replace é- with s- and look again.

French	English	German
école	school	Schule
étudiant	student	Student
étudier	to study	studieren
état	state	Staat
étrange	strange	seltsam
étranger	stranger, foreign	fremd
épice	spice	Gewürz (Spezerei)
éponge	sponge	Schwamm
épouse	spouse, wife	Ehefrau (Spouse)
étable	stable (for animals)	Stall
établir	to establish	etablieren
étape	stage, step	Etappe
écran	screen	Bildschirm
étoffe	stuff, fabric	Stoff
épinard	spinach	Spinat
écrire	to write (scribe)	schreiben
éponger	to sponge, to mop up	aufwischen

Traps

• Many words in é- have nothing to do with a lost s. They come straight from Latin or Greek e-/ex- and are ordinary cognates: élection, épisode, épidémie, économie, électronique, évolution, équilibre. If adding s gives nothing, just read the word as it is.
• étranger has two meanings: foreign and a stranger / foreigner. à l'étranger = abroad (im Ausland).
• état (with small é) is condition: en bon état = in good condition. l'État (capital) is the state, the government.

Reading tip: both tricks together decode some words fully: étoile → estoile, Latin stella, English star, German Stern.

One rule, dozens of adjectives

French -if (masculine) / -ive (feminine) = English -ive = German -iv. The feminine is simply the English spelling: active, positive.

French	English	German
actif, active	active	aktiv
positif	positive	positiv
négatif	negative	negativ
créatif	creative	kreativ
exclusif	exclusive	exklusiv
agressif	aggressive	aggressiv
décisif	decisive	entscheidend
administratif	administrative	Verwaltungs-, administrativ
objectif	objective	objektiv
intensif	intensive	intensiv
relatif	relative	relativ
collectif	collective	kollektiv
définitif	final, definitive	endgültig
attentif	attentive	aufmerksam
sportif	sporty, athletic	sportlich
compréhensif	understanding	verständnisvoll

Nouns in -if / -ive

Some words are nouns: l'objectif (goal; camera lens), l'initiative, l'offensive, l'apéritif (pre-dinner drink, Aperitif), le tarif (price, rate: Tarif).

Traps

• compréhensif = understanding, sympathetic, not comprehensive. Comprehensive = complet.
• l'effectif (noun) = workforce, headcount: un effectif de 200 personnes. And effectivement = indeed, that's right, not effectively.
• définitif = final: C'est ma réponse définitive. That's my final answer.
• Spelling: English aggressive has double g, French agressif has one.
• Pronunciation: -if has a clear /f/ (positif /pozitif/), -ive has /v/ (positive /pozitiv/).

The rule

French adjectives in -al and -el usually match English -al and German -al or -ell. They come from Latin -alis, so all three languages share them.

French	English	German
national	national	national
international	international	international
général	general	allgemein, generell
local	local	lokal, örtlich
médical	medical	medizinisch
mental	mental	mental, geistig
municipal	municipal	städtisch, kommunal
commercial	commercial	kommerziell, Handels-
légal	legal	legal, gesetzlich
illégal	illegal	illegal
original	original	originell, ursprünglich
normal	normal	normal
fondamental	fundamental	fundamental, grundlegend
naturel	natural	natürlich
réel	real	real, wirklich
culturel	cultural	kulturell
industriel	industrial	industriell
traditionnel	traditional	traditionell
universel	universal	universell
personnel	personal	persönlich

Tip: French -el often matches German -ell (culturel / kulturell, industriel / industriell, traditionnel / traditionell) while English says -al.

Forms and traps

• Feminine: -al → -ale (nationale), but -el → -elle with double l (naturelle, culturelle, réelle). -onnel keeps its double n: traditionnelle, personnelle.
• Plural: -al → -aux for masculine: un problème local, des problèmes locaux; un centre commercial, des centres commerciaux. Feminine is regular: des lois locales. -el is regular: des objets réels.
• le personnel as a noun = the staff (das Personal), not "personal".
• original often means unusual, quirky: une idée originale = an unconventional idea. La version originale (VO) = the original-language version of a film.
• commercial also means sales: le directeur commercial = sales director.
• un tunnel and le tribunal (court) are nouns with the same endings. Plural: des tribunaux.

The rule

The Franks spoke a Germanic language. When their words with w- entered Latin-speaking Gaul, speakers could not say w at the start and turned it into gu- (later often just g-). English borrowed many of these words from French and kept the old Germanic w-forms, so you sometimes get pairs: guard / ward, guarantee / warranty.

So: if a French gu-/ga- word looks mysterious, try replacing it with w and think English or German.

French	English	German
la guerre	war	(Wirren, verwirren)
garder	guard, ward	(be)wahren
la garde	guard	Wache
la garantie	warranty, guarantee	Garantie, Gewähr
Guillaume	William	Wilhelm
Gauthier	Walter	Walter
la guêpe	wasp	Wespe
la gaufre	waffle, wafer	Waffel
le guichet	wicket (counter window)	Schalter
la guise	guise, -wise	Weise (auf diese Weise)
guider, le guide	guide	weisen (den Weg weisen)
guetter	to watch for	wachen
le pays de Galles	Wales	Wales
gagner	gain, win	(Frankish waidanjan, cf. weiden)
la garenne	warren

Traps

• Not every gu-/g- word hides a w. Latin words keep their g: le goût (taste, gustus), la gorge (throat), le gouvernement, la guitare.
• gagner means both to win and to earn: gagner un match, gagner de l'argent (Geld verdienen).
• garder = to keep, not just to guard: Gardez la monnaie. = Keep the change.
• le guichet at a bank or station is the counter; le guichet automatique is an older word for the cash machine.

The rule

French -ain, -ien and -éen usually correspond to English -an, -ian and -ean. They mark nationalities, origins and professions. German often has -isch (adjective) or -er / -iker (person).

French	English	German
américain	American	amerikanisch
africain	African	afrikanisch
mexicain	Mexican	mexikanisch
romain	Roman	römisch
républicain	republican	republikanisch
italien	Italian	italienisch
canadien	Canadian	kanadisch
indien	Indian	indisch
parisien	Parisian	Pariser
chrétien	Christian	christlich
européen	European	europäisch
coréen	Korean	koreanisch
méditerranéen	Mediterranean	Mittelmeer-, mediterran
musicien	musician	Musiker
technicien	technician	Techniker
électricien	electrician	Elektriker
politicien	politician	Politiker
mathématicien	mathematician	Mathematiker

Forms and sounds

• -ain /ɛ̃/ → feminine -aine /ɛn/: américain, américaine. The nasal disappears and the n is heard.
• -ien /jɛ̃/ → -ienne /jɛn/ (double n): italien, italienne; musicien, musicienne.
• -éen /eɛ̃/ → -éenne: européen, européenne.

Traps

• Capital letters: only for people: *un Américain* (an American), but *une voiture américaine*, and the language *l'anglais*.
• contemporain = contemporary (not -an): l'art contemporain.
• ancien = old / former, no English -ian partner: mon ancien patron = my former boss.
• un politicien often sounds a bit negative (like politico); neutral is un homme / une femme politique.
• le pharmacien = the pharmacist (Apotheker), not pharmacian.
• Not every nationality follows: allemand (German), français, anglais, russe.

The rule

French nouns in -ure are almost always feminine and often identical to English -ure and German -ur. German speakers have the advantage here: Kultur, Natur, Struktur map one to one.

French	English	German
la culture	culture	Kultur
la nature	nature	Natur
la structure	structure	Struktur
la littérature	literature	Literatur
l'architecture	architecture	Architektur
la température	temperature	Temperatur
la procédure	procedure	Verfahren, Prozedur
la signature	signature	Unterschrift, Signatur
la fracture	fracture	Bruch, Fraktur
l'agriculture	agriculture	Landwirtschaft
l'aventure	adventure	Abenteuer
la sculpture	sculpture	Skulptur
la censure	censorship	Zensur
la mesure	measure	Maßnahme, Maß
la posture	posture	Haltung
l'ouverture	opening	Eröffnung, Öffnung

All are la (or l'), even where German says das Abenteuer.

False friends: watch out

French	Means	Not
la voiture	car	voiture
la lecture	reading	lecture (= le cours, la conférence)
la facture	invoice, bill	factory (= l'usine)
la figure	face (also: figure)
la nourriture	food	nurture
l'injure	insult	injury (= la blessure)
la culture	also: farming, crops
la fracture	also: divide (la fracture sociale)

In the news you will meet la fracture sociale / numérique (the social / digital divide) and une mesure (a measure, as in government measures) almost daily.

Greek science words come into French with -logie and -graphie, exactly where English has -logy / -graphy and German -logie / -grafie (-graphie). They are all feminine: la biologie. The person is -logue (le/la psychologue) or -graphe (le/la photographe), the adjective is -logique / -graphique.

French	English	German
la biologie	biology	die Biologie
la technologie	technology	die Technologie
la psychologie	psychology	die Psychologie
l'écologie	ecology	die Ökologie
la sociologie	sociology	die Soziologie
l'idéologie	ideology	die Ideologie
la méthodologie	methodology	die Methodologie
la chronologie	chronology	die Chronologie
la photographie	photography	die Fotografie
la géographie	geography	die Geografie
la biographie	biography	die Biografie
la bibliographie	bibliography	die Bibliografie
la démographie	demography	die Demografie
l'orthographe	spelling	die Rechtschreibung
le réalisme	realism	der Realismus
le / la journaliste	journalist	der Journalist

-isme / -iste review

-isme = -ism / -ismus (masculine): le tourisme, le capitalisme, l'optimisme. -iste = -ist / -ist(in), same form for both genders: un / une spécialiste, un / une optimiste.

Traps: l'orthographe (not orthographie) means spelling. La photographie is the art; a single picture is une photo. La technologie is the technology field; English technique is la technique. And logique is both logic (noun) and logical (adjective).

French writes the /k/ sound at the end of a word as -que. English uses -c, -k or -ck; German uses -k or -ck. Adjectives in -ique match English -ic / -ical and German -isch: an easy multiplier.

French	English	German
la banque	bank	die Bank
le risque	risk	das Risiko
la marque	brand, mark	die Marke
le chèque	cheque (check)	der Scheck
le kiosque	kiosk	der Kiosk
la musique	music	die Musik
la politique	politics, policy	die Politik
la tactique	tactic(s)	die Taktik
la caractéristique	characteristic	das Merkmal
automatique	automatic	automatisch
typique	typical	typisch
artistique	artistic	künstlerisch
diplomatique	diplomatic	diplomatisch
stratégique	strategic	strategisch
démocratique	democratic	demokratisch
psychologique	psychological	psychologisch
exotique	exotic	exotisch
téléphonique	telephone (adj.)	telefonisch
authentique	authentic	authentisch

Traps

• -ique adjectives have the same form in masculine and feminine: un prix typique, une cuisine typique.
• pittoresque = picturesque (here -esque = -esque, German malerisch).
• la critique = criticism / review; critique (adj.) = critical. la pratique = practice; pratique = practical, handy.
• la marque is mostly brand (une marque allemande), not a school mark (that's une note).
• un appel téléphonique = a phone call: French needs the adjective where German makes a compound (Telefonanruf).

French -et (masculine) and -ette (feminine) often survive unchanged in English and German. -ette was originally a diminutive (maison → maisonnette, a little house), like German -chen (Häuschen).

Pronunciation: -et = /ɛ/, final t silent (le budget /byd.ʒɛ/). -ette = /ɛt/, the t is heard (la cigarette /si.ga.ʁɛt/).

French	English	German
le projet	project	das Projekt
l'objet	object	das Objekt
le budget	budget	das Budget
le ticket	ticket, receipt	das Ticket, der Kassenbon
le cabinet	office, practice; cabinet	das Kabinett, die Praxis
le bouquet	bouquet	der Strauß
le ballet	ballet	das Ballett
le buffet	buffet	das Buffet
le sujet	subject	das Thema
la cigarette	cigarette	die Zigarette
la toilette	washing; outfit	die Toilette (Körperpflege)
la tablette	tablet; bar (chocolate)	das Tablet; die Tafel
la serviette	napkin; towel	die Serviette; das Handtuch
la recette	recipe; revenue	das Rezept; die Einnahme
la palette	palette; pallet	die Palette
la silhouette	silhouette	die Silhouette

Traps

• les toilettes (plural) = the toilet / restroom: Où sont les toilettes ?
• la recette in business = revenue, takings (les recettes de l'année), not only a recipe.
• le cabinet = a doctor's or lawyer's practice, or a consulting firm (un cabinet de conseil).
• le ticket is for metro, bus, cinema or a receipt (ticket de caisse); for a train or plane it is un billet.
• Not all -et words are cognates: le jouet = toy, le poulet = chicken, le bracelet = bracelet (yes, that one is).

Latin nouns in -sio give French -sion, English -sion, German -sion. They are all feminine: la décision, la version. Pronunciation: -ssion = /sjɔ̃/ (discussion), -sion after a vowel = /zjɔ̃/ (décision, télévision), after a consonant = /sjɔ̃/ (version, dimension).

French	English	German
la décision	decision	die Entscheidung
la discussion	discussion	die Diskussion
la mission	mission	die Mission
la télévision	television	das Fernsehen
la version	version	die Version
la dimension	dimension	die Dimension
la précision	precision; detail	die Präzision
la conclusion	conclusion	die Schlussfolgerung
la permission	permission	die Erlaubnis
la profession	profession	der Beruf
la pression	pressure	der Druck
l'explosion	explosion	die Explosion
l'invasion	invasion	die Invasion
la confusion	confusion; mix-up	die Verwechslung
la dépression	depression	die Depression
l'expression	expression	der Ausdruck
la commission	commission; committee	die Kommission

Traps

• l'occasion = opportunity or second-hand (une voiture d'occasion), rarely occasion.
• la pression = pressure, also a draught beer: une pression, s'il vous plaît.
• une précision often means a detail, a clarification: Une petite précision : ... = Just to clarify: ...
• la confusion is often a concrete mix-up (of names, files), not just a mental state.
• la permission for soldiers = leave (German Urlaub).
• l'agression = attack, mugging, stronger than English aggression.
• Spelling: French doubles the s where English does: mission, passion, discussion; English -ssion = French -ssion.

The rule

French nouns in -age often exist in English and German with the same spelling. Two things to remember:

1. They are almost all masculine: le voyage, le message, le garage.
2. The g is soft: /aʒ/, like the s in English pleasure, never the English /ɪdʒ/ of message.

French	English	German
le voyage	voyage, trip	die Reise
le message	message	die Nachricht
le garage	garage	die Garage
le passage	passage	die Passage, der Durchgang
l'avantage	advantage	der Vorteil
le bagage	baggage, piece of luggage	das Gepäckstück
le reportage	report, coverage	die Reportage
l'entourage	entourage, circle	das Umfeld
le stage	internship, course	das Praktikum
le courage	courage	der Mut
le village	village	das Dorf
le mariage	marriage, wedding	die Ehe, die Hochzeit
le massage	massage	die Massage
le sabotage	sabotage	die Sabotage
le décollage	takeoff	der Start, der Abflug
le nettoyage	cleaning	die Reinigung

The suffix also turns verbs into nouns, a bit like German -ung: décoller → le décollage (takeoff), nettoyer → le nettoyage (cleaning), gaspiller → le gaspillage (waste).

Traps

• Feminine exceptions: la page, la plage, l'image, la cage, la nage.
• German speakers beware: die Garage and die Etage are feminine in German, but le garage and l'étage are masculine in French.
• le stage is not a theatre stage (that is la scène): it is an internship, German Praktikum.
• les bagages is normally plural, while English luggage is uncountable: J'ai deux bagages = I have two pieces of luggage.
• l'âge is masculine too: le Moyen Âge (the Middle Ages).

The rule

Two families of endings map neatly onto English:

• -ier (masc.) / -ière (fem.) often = English -ary, -er or -ier.
• -oire / -oir often = English -ory / -or.

French	English	German
le calendrier	calendar	der Kalender
janvier	January	Januar
février	February	Februar
premier	first, premier	erster
le papier	paper	das Papier
le dossier	file, dossier	die Akte
le prisonnier	prisoner	der Gefangene
l'officier	officer	der Offizier
le banquier	banker	der Bankier
financier	financial	finanziell
le fermier	farmer	der Bauer
l'histoire	history, story	die Geschichte
la victoire	victory	der Sieg
la mémoire	memory	das Gedächtnis
le territoire	territory	das Territorium
le laboratoire	laboratory	das Labor
obligatoire	obligatory, mandatory	obligatorisch, Pflicht-
le miroir	mirror	der Spiegel

Pronunciation

-ier = /je/ with a silent r: calendrier /ka.lɑ̃.dʁi.je/. -ière = /jɛʁ/ with the r audible: première /pʁə.mjɛʁ/. -oire = /waʁ/: histoire /is.twaʁ/.

Traps

• -oire nouns are usually feminine (la victoire, la mémoire), -oir nouns masculine (le miroir, le couloir). But: le territoire, le laboratoire.
• le mémoire (masculine) = a thesis; la mémoire = memory.
• le couloir is a corridor, nothing to do with colour (la couleur).
• premier is the everyday word for first; the political premier is le Premier ministre.
• Not every -ier is a person or an -ary: le cahier (notebook), l'escalier (stairs), le quartier (district).

The rule

French -ifier = English -ify = German -ifizieren (when German has a cognate at all). The noun is -ification = -ification = -ifikation. All these verbs are regular -er verbs.

French	English	German
vérifier	to verify, to check	verifizieren, überprüfen
identifier	to identify	identifizieren
modifier	to modify	modifizieren, ändern
simplifier	to simplify	vereinfachen
justifier	to justify	rechtfertigen
qualifier	to qualify, to describe as	qualifizieren, bezeichnen
certifier	to certify	zertifizieren, bescheinigen
clarifier	to clarify	klären
classifier	to classify	klassifizieren
diversifier	to diversify	diversifizieren
intensifier	to intensify	intensivieren
notifier	to notify	benachrichtigen
unifier	to unify	vereinigen
falsifier	to falsify, to forge	fälschen
purifier	to purify	reinigen
signifier	to mean, to signify	bedeuten

Nouns: la vérification, l'identification, la modification, la simplification, la justification, la certification.

Traps

• signifier usually just means to mean: Qu'est-ce que ça signifie ? What does that mean?
• planifier = to plan (English has no planify); rectifier = to correct.
• qualifier de often means to describe as: On l'a qualifié de génie. He was described as a genius.
• Subjunctive alert: que nous vérifiions, que vous modifiiez have a double i (stem vérifi- + ending -ions). It looks odd, but it is correct.

The rule

French -ant and -ent usually stay -ant / -ent in English and German. For the feminine add -e: différent → différente, un étudiant → une étudiante.

French	English	German
important	important	wichtig
différent	different	verschieden, anders
le président	president	der Präsident
le client	client, customer	der Kunde
l'étudiant	student	der Student
intelligent	intelligent, smart	intelligent
urgent	urgent	dringend
permanent	permanent, constant	permanent, ständig
fréquent	frequent	häufig
indépendant	independent, self-employed	unabhängig, selbstständig
absent	absent, away	abwesend
apparent	visible, apparent	sichtbar, scheinbar
le continent	continent	der Kontinent
le patient	patient	der Patient
brillant	brilliant, shiny	brillant, glänzend
élégant	elegant	elegant
le restaurant	restaurant	das Restaurant
l'accident	accident	der Unfall

-ant often = English -ing

Many -ant words are present participles, so they match English -ing (German -end): charmant = charming, intéressant = interesting, amusant = amusing, impressionnant = impressive, brillant = shining.

Pronunciation

-ant and -ent sound the same, nasal /ɑ̃/: client /kli.jɑ̃/, important /ɛ̃.pɔʁ.tɑ̃/. In the feminine the t is heard: différente /di.fe.ʁɑ̃t/.

Adverbs: -amment / -emment

-ant → -amment, -ent → -emment, both pronounced /a.mɑ̃/: différemment /di.fe.ʁa.mɑ̃/, fréquemment, évidemment, constamment, brillamment. Exceptions: lentement, présentement keep -ment.

Traps

• The verb ending -ent (ils parlent) is silent: never nasalise it!
• le président /pʁe.zi.dɑ̃/ vs ils président /pʁe.zid/ (they preside): same spelling, different sound.
• le concurrent = competitor (German Konkurrent), not English concurrent.
• le correspondant = correspondent, pen pal, or the person on the other end of the line.
• l'étudiant is a university student; a school pupil is l'élève.

French nouns in -ude, mostly -tude, usually have an English twin in -ude. German often has a Latin loanword too (Attitüde, Altitude in aviation) or a native word. Big bonus: almost all of them are feminine: la solitude, une habitude.

French	English	German
l'attitude (f)	attitude	die Haltung, Einstellung
l'altitude (f)	altitude	die Höhe (über dem Meer)
la solitude	solitude, loneliness	die Einsamkeit
la gratitude	gratitude	die Dankbarkeit
l'habitude (f)	habit	die Gewohnheit
la latitude	latitude	der Breitengrad, Spielraum
la longitude	longitude	der Längengrad
la certitude	certainty	die Gewissheit
l'incertitude (f)	uncertainty	die Ungewissheit
l'inquiétude (f)	worry, concern	die Sorge
l'exactitude (f)	accuracy	die Genauigkeit
la multitude	multitude	die Vielzahl
l'aptitude (f)	aptitude, ability	die Fähigkeit
l'amplitude (f)	amplitude, range	die Amplitude, Spannweite
la lassitude	weariness	die Müdigkeit, Überdruss
l'étude (f)	study	die Studie, das Studium

Traps

• habitude = habit (Gewohnheit). The French word habit means an outfit or costume! D'habitude = usually.
• certitude and exactitude exist in English but are rare; think certainty, accuracy.
• inquiétude looks like inquiry but means worry (from inquiet).
• les études = (university) studies: Il fait des études de droit. He studies law.
• A few non-tude words are masculine: le prélude, le coude (elbow).

Many French nouns in -ée and -é match English words in -y or -ee. The German equivalent often ends in -ität (qualité = Qualität).

French	English	German
l'armée (f)	army	die Armee
la vallée	valley	das Tal
l'allée (f)	alley, path	die Allee
l'entrée (f)	entry, entrance	der Eingang
l'assemblée (f)	assembly	die Versammlung
l'idée (f)	idea	die Idee
le musée	museum	das Museum
la purée	purée, mash	das Püree
l'employé (m)	employee	der Angestellte
le réfugié	refugee	der Flüchtling
le comité	committee	das Komitee
la qualité	quality	die Qualität
la société	society, company	die Gesellschaft
la liberté	liberty, freedom	die Freiheit
l'université (f)	university	die Universität
la sécurité	security, safety	die Sicherheit

Traps

• la journée = the (whole) day, not journey (that's le voyage). Bonne journée ! Have a nice day!
• l'année = year (think annual), la soirée = evening, party.
• la fumée = smoke, l'arrivée = arrival: not every -ée has an English twin.
• Gender: -ée nouns are mostly feminine, but le musée, le lycée, le trophée are masculine. Nouns in -té (la qualité, la société) are feminine.

French nouns in -esse are feminine and come in two types.

Type 1: female persons and titles, like English -ess: princesse = princess.

Type 2: abstract qualities built from adjectives, like English -ness and German -heit/-keit: faible (weak) gives faiblesse (weakness, Schwäche), jeune gives jeunesse (youth, Jugend).

French	English	German
l'adresse (f)	address; skill	die Adresse; Geschick
la princesse	princess	die Prinzessin
l'hôtesse (f)	hostess	die Gastgeberin, Hostess
la déesse	goddess	die Göttin
la promesse	promise	das Versprechen
la faiblesse	weakness	die Schwäche
la richesse	wealth, richness	der Reichtum
la jeunesse	youth	die Jugend
la politesse	politeness	die Höflichkeit
la tristesse	sadness	die Traurigkeit
la sagesse	wisdom	die Weisheit
la gentillesse	kindness	die Freundlichkeit
la tendresse	tenderness	die Zärtlichkeit
la souplesse	flexibility	die Flexibilität
la forteresse	fortress	die Festung
la détresse	distress	die Not
la vitesse	speed	die Geschwindigkeit

Traps

• l'adresse also means skill, dexterity: avec adresse = skilfully.
• la vitesse (speed) has no English look-alike; think vite (fast).
• la maîtresse = (primary school) teacher, or mistress; la messe = (church) mass, not a mess!
• la promesse ends in -ise in English: promise.
• Spelling: always -esse with double s, never -ess alone.

The French endings -ier (masculine) and -ière (feminine) often correspond to English -er, -ier or -ar. Many name jobs and people (ouvrier = worker, banquier = banker), others are things and abstractions (frontière = frontier, border). German usually has a native word, or a loan ending in -ier (Bankier, Kavalier).

French	English	German
l'ouvrier, l'ouvrière	(factory) worker	der Arbeiter
le banquier	banker	der Bankier
le fermier	farmer	der Bauer, Landwirt
le prisonnier	prisoner	der Gefangene
l'infirmier, l'infirmière	nurse	der Krankenpfleger
le dossier	file, dossier	die Akte
le papier	paper	das Papier
le courrier	mail, post; courier	die Post
le cavalier	rider; cavalier	der Reiter
premier, première	first; premier	erster
la frontière	frontier, border	die Grenze
la carrière	career	die Karriere
la prière	prayer; request	das Gebet; die Bitte
la barrière	barrier	die Schranke
la manière	manner, way	die Art und Weise
la bannière	banner	das Banner
la rivière	river	der Fluss

Traps

• la carrière is also a quarry (Steinbruch).
• la prière = prayer, but on signs Prière de ne pas fumer = Please do not smoke.
• le métier = job, trade (German Beruf): Quel est votre métier ? What do you do for a living?
• le cimetière (cemetery) ends in -ière but is masculine.
• la rivière flows into another river; a big river that reaches the sea is le fleuve (Rhein, Seine).

The rule

French nouns in -ateur (masculine) and -atrice (feminine) usually match English -ator and German -ator / -er. They name a person (or a machine) that does the action of a verb in -er: organiser → organisateur (the one who organises).

French	English	German
organisateur / organisatrice	organiser	Organisator(in), Veranstalter
consommateur / consommatrice	consumer	Verbraucher(in), Konsument
spectateur / spectatrice	spectator	Zuschauer(in)
créateur / créatrice	creator, designer	Schöpfer(in), Gründer
administrateur / administratrice	administrator	Administrator(in), Verwalter
collaborateur / collaboratrice	colleague, employee	Mitarbeiter(in)
observateur / observatrice	observer	Beobachter(in)
explorateur / exploratrice	explorer	Entdecker(in)
éducateur / éducatrice	(social) educator	Erzieher(in)
présentateur / présentatrice	(TV) presenter	Moderator(in)
dictateur	dictator	Diktator
sénateur / sénatrice	senator	Senator(in)
opérateur / opératrice	operator	Betreiber, Operator
utilisateur / utilisatrice	user	Benutzer(in)
conservateur / conservatrice	conservative, curator	konservativ, Kurator
indicateur	indicator, informer	Indikator, Spitzel

Traps

• ordinateur = computer (not ordinator)
• navigateur = web browser as well as navigator: Ouvrez votre navigateur.
• animateur = host, entertainer, youth leader, not only animator
• réalisateur = film director (German Regisseur), not realiser
• calculatrice = calculator: for machines the feminine form is often the one used
• consommateur = consumer, never consummator
• collaborateur in a company is just a neutral word for employee; historically it can also mean collaborator with an occupying power

Tip: the feminine is almost always -atrice, not -ateuse. Une organisatrice, une spectatrice, une créatrice.

The rule

Many French words ending in -eau, -o or -ot (all pronounced /o/) have travelled into English and German almost unchanged. If you hear /o/ at the end of a noun, think of an international word.

• -eau is the typical French spelling: bureau, château, plateau. Plural in -eaux: des bureaux, des châteaux.
• -o words are often short forms or Italian loans: radio, vidéo, piano, photo. Plural with -s (silent).
• -ot has a silent t: robot /ʁɔ.bo/.

French	English	German
le bureau	office, desk (bureau)	Büro, Schreibtisch
le château	castle (château)	Schloss, Burg
le plateau	plateau, tray, TV set	Plateau, Tablett
le niveau	level	Niveau
le tableau	painting, board, table	Gemälde, Tafel, Tabelle
le bateau	boat	Boot, Schiff
le chapeau	hat	Hut
le cadeau	present, gift	Geschenk
le gâteau	cake	Kuchen
la radio	radio	Radio
la vidéo	video	Video
le piano	piano	Klavier, Piano
la photo	photo	Foto
le zoo	zoo	Zoo
le studio	studio, studio flat	Studio, Einzimmerwohnung
le métro	underground, subway	U-Bahn, Metro
le robot	robot	Roboter
le dépôt	depot, deposit	Depot, Lager

Traps

• le stylo = pen, not style.
• le lavabo = washbasin, not lavatory.
• la moto, la photo, la radio, la vidéo are feminine because they are short forms of feminine words (la motocyclette, la photographie, la radiodiffusion). L'auto is feminine too.
• -eau nouns are masculine, except l'eau (water) and la peau (skin).
• le complot = plot, conspiracy, not a garden plot. le pot = pot, jar, but also a drink: On prend un pot ?
• Words in -eau that look familiar may have shifted meaning: le bureau is also the board of an association, le tableau is a painting as well as a table of figures.

Rule 1: -ie / -ique / -iste

Many academic or economic fields form a family: -ie (the field, feminine) → -ique (the adjective) → -iste or -ien (the person). English: -y / -ic / -ist; German: -ie / -isch / -ist.

French	English	German
l'économie, économique, l'économiste	economy, economic, economist	Wirtschaft, wirtschaftlich, Ökonom
la technologie, technologique	technology, technological	Technologie, technologisch
la démographie, démographique	demography, demographic	Demografie, demografisch
la stratégie, stratégique	strategy, strategic	Strategie, strategisch
la biologie, biologique	biology, organic	Biologie, biologisch, bio
la géographie, géographique	geography, geographic	Geografie, geografisch
la chimie, chimique, le chimiste	chemistry, chemical, chemist	Chemie, chemisch, Chemiker

Rule 2: -ion → -ionnel

Nouns in -ion form adjectives in -ionnel (double n), English -ional, German -ionell:

French	English	German
la profession → professionnel	professional	professionell, beruflich
la tradition → traditionnel	traditional	traditionell
l'exception → exceptionnel	exceptional	außergewöhnlich
la fonction → fonctionnel	functional	funktionell
l'institution → institutionnel	institutional	institutionell
l'opération → opérationnel	operational	einsatzbereit
l'émotion → émotionnel	emotional	emotional
l'occasion → occasionnel	occasional	gelegentlich
la constitution → constitutionnel	constitutional	verfassungsmäßig
la proportion → proportionnel	proportional	proportional

Feminine: -ionnelle (une formation professionnelle).

Traps

• national, régional, international end in -al, not -ionnel: learn them as exceptions. (rationnel, by contrast, follows the rule.)
• industrie → industriel (not industrique), énergie → énergétique (la transition énergétique).
• biologique on food means organic (des produits bio), like German Bio.
• économique also means cheap, economical: une voiture économique (a fuel-efficient car).
• professionnel has two n's, English professional only one.

The rule

Abstract nouns in -eur that match English -or / -our (often from Latin -or) are mostly feminine in French, even though the same Latin words are masculine in other languages. Many describe a quality, feeling or measurement.

French	English	German
la couleur	colour	die Farbe
la valeur	value	der Wert
la chaleur	heat, warmth	die Wärme, Hitze
l'erreur (f)	error, mistake	der Fehler
l'horreur (f)	horror	der Horror, das Grauen
la terreur	terror	der Terror
la faveur	favour	die Gunst
la saveur	flavour	der Geschmack
l'odeur (f)	odour, smell	der Geruch
la rigueur	rigour	die Strenge
la vigueur	vigour	die Kraft
la splendeur	splendour	die Pracht
la douleur	pain	der Schmerz
la peur	fear	die Angst
la longueur	length	die Länge
la hauteur	height	die Höhe
la largeur	width	die Breite

• Quelle erreur ! What a mistake!
• Une valeur sûre. A safe bet.
• Par cette chaleur... In this heat...

Traps

• Some are masculine after all: l'honneur (honour), le bonheur (happiness), le malheur (misfortune), le labeur (toil). So: un grand honneur, quel bonheur !
• Nouns for people and machines in -eur are masculine: le directeur, le moteur, l'ordinateur, le vendeur. Their feminine is -trice or -euse: la directrice, la vendeuse.
• la faveur is used in fixed phrases: en faveur de (in favour of), à la faveur de (thanks to, under cover of).
• With a vowel, l' hides the gender: check the adjective. Une erreur grave, une odeur forte, un honneur immense.

Spoken French loves to chop off the end of long words, just like English lab, ad, fridge or German Uni, Kita, Abi. Usually you keep the first two syllables; often an -o is added (apéro, dico). The clipped word keeps the gender of the full word and takes a normal plural -s (des restos).

French	English	German
le resto (restaurant)	restaurant	das Restaurant
le ciné (cinéma)	cinema, movies	das Kino
l'appart (m, appartement)	flat, apartment	die Wohnung
le/la prof (professeur)	teacher	der Lehrer, Prof
d'acc (d'accord)	OK	okay, einverstanden
la fac (faculté)	uni	die Uni
l'apéro (m, apéritif)	drinks before dinner	der Aperitif
le petit déj (petit-déjeuner)	breakfast	das Frühstück
la télé (télévision)	TV, telly	der Fernseher
l'ordi (m, ordinateur)	computer	der Rechner
le frigo (réfrigérateur)	fridge	der Kühlschrank
le dico (dictionnaire)	dictionary	das Wörterbuch
la clim (climatisation)	air con	die Klimaanlage
la pub (publicité)	ad, advertising	die Werbung
la manif (manifestation)	demo, protest	die Demo
les infos (f, informations)	the news	die Nachrichten
sympa (sympathique)	nice	nett
perso (personnellement)	personally	persönlich
à plus (à plus tard)	see you	bis später

In chats: SMS French

You'll read these on WhatsApp: slt (salut), stp / svp (s'il te / vous plaît), bcp (beaucoup), dsl (désolé), jsp (je sais pas), pk (pourquoi), mdr (mort de rire = LOL), A+ (à plus).

Traps

• la pub is not a pub (that's un bar); it means advertising.
• le bac = the school-leaving exam (Abitur), from baccalauréat.
• Gender follows the full word: la météo (météorologie), la photo, la moto (motocyclette), even though they end in -o.
• sympa takes a plural -s: Ils sont sympas.

Take a verb, drop the infinitive ending, add -ement: you get the action noun. For -ir verbs of the finir type, the -iss- stem appears: -issement. English often has -ment, German usually -ung. These nouns are always masculine.

French	English	German
développement (développer)	development	die Entwicklung
investissement (investir)	investment	die Investition
établissement (établir)	establishment, institution	die Einrichtung
financement (financer)	financing, funding	die Finanzierung
paiement (payer)	payment	die Zahlung
renouvellement (renouveler)	renewal	die Verlängerung
remboursement (rembourser)	refund, repayment	die Rückerstattung
lancement (lancer)	launch	die Einführung, der Start
recrutement (recruter)	recruitment	die Personalgewinnung
enregistrement (enregistrer)	registration, recording, check-in	die Anmeldung, Aufnahme
agrandissement (agrandir)	extension, enlargement	die Erweiterung
ralentissement (ralentir)	slowdown	die Verlangsamung
vieillissement (vieillir)	ageing	die Alterung
remplacement (remplacer)	replacement	der Ersatz
classement (classer)	ranking, filing	die Rangliste
approvisionnement (approvisionner)	supply	die Versorgung
déménagement (déménager)	move (house)	der Umzug

Traps

• un engagement = a commitment, not a wedding engagement (les fiançailles).
• un licenciement = a dismissal (Kündigung, Entlassung), nothing to do with a licence.
• un avertissement = a warning, not an advertisement (une publicité).
• un établissement scolaire = a school, un établissement can also be a bank branch or a hotel.
• Don't confuse with the adverb -ement (lesson 5), formed from the feminine adjective: facilement, franchement, nécessairement (easily, frankly, necessarily). Noun = from a verb, adverb = from an adjective.
• Spelling: renouveler doubles the l: renouvellement; payer gives paiement (the variant payement is rare).

The rule here is an anti-rule: when a word looks too easy and the sentence suddenly makes no sense, suspect a faux ami. The ones below appear constantly in news, business and travel.

French	English (real meaning)	German
actuel ≠ actual	current, present	aktuell
éventuel ≠ eventual	possible, potential	eventuell
sensible ≠ sensible	sensitive	sensibel, empfindlich
la librairie ≠ library	bookshop	die Buchhandlung
assister à ≠ assist	to attend, to witness	teilnehmen, beiwohnen
la location ≠ location	rental, renting	die Miete, Vermietung
le coin ≠ coin	corner	die Ecke
le raisin ≠ raisin	grape(s)	die Weintraube
prétendre ≠ pretend	to claim	behaupten
l'addition (f)	bill (restaurant)	die Rechnung
la monnaie	change, currency	das Kleingeld, die Währung
le délai	deadline, lead time	die Frist
la prime	bonus, premium	die Prämie, der Bonus
le collège	secondary school (11–15)	die Mittelstufe
l'issue (f)	exit, outcome	der Ausgang
l'éditeur (m)	publisher	der Verlag
susceptible	touchy; likely to	empfindlich; geeignet
la manifestation	protest, demo; event	die Demo; Veranstaltung
reporter	to postpone	verschieben
effectivement	indeed, that's right	tatsächlich

More traps

• raisin sec = raisin (Rosine); un coin for money is une pièce.
• effectivement usually means indeed / that's right in conversation (C'est cher ! Effectivement.), not effectively (= efficacement).
• conséquent means substantial in everyday French: une somme conséquente = a hefty sum.
• le bénéfice = profit in business (Gewinn), not primarily benefit (= l'avantage).
• la commande = an order (Bestellung), not a command (= un ordre).

Each line is a key that unlocks hundreds of words. Read the French ending, think of the English or German equivalent, and check whether the meaning fits the context.

French	English	German
-tion (nation, information)	-tion (nation)	-tion (Nation)
-ité / -té (qualité, société)	-ity (quality)	-ität (Qualität)
-ique (politique, public)	-ic / -ics (politics)	-isch / -ik (politisch, Politik)
-eux / -euse (dangereux, sérieux)	-ous (dangerous)	-ös (nervös)
-ment adverb (rapidement)	-ly (rapidly)	-weise / -lich
-ment noun (document, moment)	-ment (document)	-ment (Dokument)
-aire / -oire (nécessaire, histoire)	-ary / -ory (necessary, history)	-är / -orie (populär, Kategorie)
-ie (économie, énergie)	-y (economy, energy)	-ie (Ökonomie, Energie)
-er / -iser verbs (organiser, confirmer)	-ize / -e (organize, confirm)	-ieren (organisieren)
-é (organisé, compliqué)	-ed / -ated (complicated)	-iert (kompliziert)
-ence / -ance (différence, distance)	-ence / -ance	-enz / -anz (Differenz, Distanz)
-iste / -isme (touriste, tourisme)	-ist / -ism	-ist / -ismus
-eur (directeur, moteur)	-or / -er (director)	-or / -eur (Direktor, Ingenieur)
-ible / -able (possible, capable)	-ible / -able	-ibel / -abel (flexibel, akzeptabel)
ê, ô, â, î, û (forêt, hôpital, coûter)	+ s (forest, hospital, cost)	+ s / st (Forst, Fenster)
é- at the start (école, état, étrange)	s- (school, state, strange)	s- / sch- (Schule, Staat)
-if / -ive (actif, positif)	-ive (active)	-iv (aktiv)
-al / -el (national, naturel)	-al (national, natural)	-al / -ell (national, kulturell)
gu- / g- (guerre, garder, Guillaume)	w- (war, guard/ward, William)	w- (Wehr, wahren, Wilhelm)
-ain / -ien / -éen (américain, italien, européen)	-an / -ian / -ean	-aner / -ener / -äer (Europäer)
-ure (culture, nature)	-ure (culture)	-ur (Kultur, Natur)
-logie / -graphie (biologie, photographie)	-logy / -graphy	-logie / -grafie
-que (banque, risque, marque)	-k / -c (bank, risk, mark)	-k (Bank, Marke)
-et / -ette (projet, cigarette)	-et / -ette (budget)	-et / -ette (Budget, Zigarette)
-sion (décision, discussion)	-sion (decision)	-sion (Diskussion)
-age (voyage, message, garage)	-age (message)	-age (Garage, Passage)
-ier (calendrier, papier, janvier)	-er / -ary (paper, January)	-er / -ar (Papier, Januar)
-ifier (vérifier, identifier)	-ify (verify)	-ifizieren (identifizieren)
-ant / -ent (important, client)	-ant / -ent	-ant / -ent (Präsident, Student)
-ude / -tude (attitude, habitude)	-ude (attitude, habit)	-üde / -ude (Attitüde)
-ée (armée, idée, musée)	-y / -ea / -eum (army, idea, museum)	-ee / -eum (Armee, Idee, Museum)
-esse (adresse, richesse)	-ess / -ness (address, richness)	-esse (Adresse)
-ier / -ière (dossier, frontière, carrière)	-er / -ier (frontier, career)	-ier / -iere (Dossier, Karriere)
-ateur / -atrice (organisateur, créateur)	-ator / -er (creator, organizer)	-ator (Organisator, Moderator)
-eau / -o (bureau, château, radio)	-eau / -o (bureau, radio)	-o (Büro, Radio)
-ionnel (professionnel, traditionnel)	-ional (professional)	-ionell (professionell)
-eur feminine (couleur, valeur, erreur)	-our / -or (colour, value, error)	trap: la couleur, la valeur
clipped words (resto, ciné, appart, prof)	lab, ad, fridge	Uni, Kita, Abi
-ement / -issement (développement, investissement)	-ment (development, investment)	-ung (Entwicklung, Investition)

And the safety rule

The patterns work about nine times out of ten. The tenth time is a faux ami (lesson 39): actuel (current), éventuel (possible), sensible (sensitive), la librairie (bookshop), la location (rental), le coin (corner), le raisin (grape), prétendre (to claim). When the guessed meaning clashes with the context, trust the context.