In today’s lesson we will examine the French word projet. This word can cause some confusion as its meanings include both “project” and “plan”. Let’t jump right into the lesson!
le project
project / plan
Projet – plan, project
Word origine
The French word projet comes from Latin and can be seperated into two parts. Pro means “in advance”. Jet comes from the Latin verb jacere, which translates to jeter (to throw) in Modern French. Hence, le projet is literally what one “throws in advance”; a plan or idea which one puts into action in the future.
Example sentences with projet
In our first two example sentences, projet means “plan”, as in plans for the future. Note that when the French speak English, they’re likely to make the mistake of saying “I have projects this weekend” when they should be saying “I have plan this weekend”.
Quels sont vos projets pour ce week-end ?
What are your plans this weekend?
La famille a beaucoup de projets pour l’avenir.
The family has a lot of plans for the future.
In our second two example sentences, you’ll see that projet means “project”, as in “projects around the house”.
J’ai beaucoup de projects à faire dans la maison et je ne sais pas où commencer.
I have a lot of projects to do around the house and I don’t know where to start.
Quels sont tes projets autour de la masion cet été ?
What are your projects around the house this summer?
Useful associated verbs
There are a few verbs associated with the noun projet. In French, projeter means to plan. For example:
- Nous projetons d’aller à Londres demain. We’re planning on going to London tomorrow.
The verb planifier means to plan or organize. Here’s an example:
- En ce moment nous planifions les vacances de cet hiver. We are currently planning winter vacation.
Note that the verb planer means to daydream or “have your head in the clouds”. For example:
- Tu veux prendre la retraite à l’âge de 50 ans ? Tu planes ! You want to retire at 50? You’re dreaming!
Conclusion
Et voilà ! Now you know how to use the French word projet (plan, project). Now have a look at our post covering the French noun boîte. This noun can also cause a bit of confusion as it has several meanings including “box”, “can” and even “nightclub”!
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