Level A1-A2 (Beginner, upper beginner)
The French Word of the Day is monnaie — a tricky false cognate that means “change” or “currency,” not just “money.”
Meaning
Pronunciation
Example sentences
Related words
Meaning
Monnaie is a false cognate that doesn’t mean “money” in general. It refers to “change” (coins) or “currency.” For example, “Je n’ai pas de monnaie.” (I don’t have any change.)
Pronunciation
Example sentences
The most common usage of monnaie is for “change”, as in the coins you get back when paying with cash.
Gardez la monnaie ! C’est pour vous, monsieur !
Keep the change! It’s for you, sir!
This sentence uses the pronoun on, which has a wide range of usages can be used for a passive voice.
L’euro est la monnaie qu’on utilise en Europe depuis plus de vingt ans.
The Euro is the the currency that’s been used in Europe for more than twenty years.
The French word for money is l’argent, which translates literally to “silver”.
Je suis riche ! Je ne sais pas ce que je vais faire avec tout mon argent !
I’m rich! I don’t know what I’m going to do with all my money!
Related words and lessons
- l’argent – money
- la pièce – coin
- le billet – bill, banknote
- le portefeuille – wallet
- le distributeur automatique – ATM
- la devise – foreign currency
- la caisse – cash register
- le paiement en espèces – cash payment
- le change – currency exchange
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