Money In French: Essential and Practical Vocabulary List

If you decide to travel to a French speaking country to spend your vacation, to study or to work, mastering the vocabulary about money is a must. You will need it to carry out every single important transaction in everyday life: buying food, paying the rent, getting public services like transport or paying for healthcare, and getting access to different ways of entertainment. Getting familiar with key vocabulary to talk about money will definitely make you feel more confident and we can assure you that handling certain concepts will take a burden off you! Throughout this article, you are going to learn key vocabulary to talk about:

jobs and salary
banks
payment methods
idiomatic expressions related to money

So, do you accept the challenge to master all this vocabulary? Then, get on board!

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Getting paid at work

There are people who consider tacky and nosy asking others how much money they earn at work. In fact, talking about salaries, especially with coworkers, can be a taboo for many people. What is important is not to keep salary details hush-hush but to feel that you are paid what you are worth!

Work And Salary – Emploi et salaire

pay	la paie
actual wage	salaire réel
annual salary	salaire annuel
a fee / fees	des honoraires
a rise/ a wage increase	une augmentation, une augmentation de salaire
a payslip	un bulletin de paie
a bonus	une prime
to work overtime	faire des heures supplémentaires
travelling / hotel expenses	les frais de déplacement
paid leave	les congés payés
to refund	rembourser
unemployment benefit	l’allocation de chômage
compensation for something	des indemnités pour quelque chose
a maternity allowance	une allocation de maternité
housing benefit	l’allocation de logement
tax	l’impôt
a tax payer	un, une contribuable
income tax	l’impôt sur le revenu
to be liable for tax	être imposable
a tax form	une feuille d’impôts
to do one’s tax return	remplir sa déclaration d’impôts
a tax allowance	un abattement fiscal
tax exemption	l’exonération fiscale

Bank Transactions

Now let’s return to the present in order to learn some vocabulary about this topic.

Bank transactions – Opérations bancaires

a bank account	un compte bancaire
a current account	un compte courant
a savings account	un compte sur livret
to open an account with a bank	ouvrir un compte dans une banque
to close an account	fermer un compte bancaire
to cash a check	toucher un chèque
to make a deposit	faire un versement
to deposit 500 euros in one’s account	verser 500 euros sur son compte
to make a bank transfer	faire un virement
to withdraw money from	retirer de l’argent de...
an ATM, a cash machine	un guichet automatique, un distributeur
to draw money from one’s account	retirer de l’argent sur son compte
a bank statement	un relevé bancaire
a loan	un prêt
interest	l’intérêt, les intérêts

Payment Methods

How do you usually prefer to pay when you go shopping? Do you prefer debit or credit cards? Credit cards offer tempting advantages such as rewards on purchases or health assurance when you travel abroad. Let’s see these and other payment methods!

a credit card	une carte de crédit
a debit card	une carte bleue, une carte bancaire
a cheque, a check	un chèque
a cheque/ check book	un chéquier
to write a cheque / check	faire un chèque
to make a cheque out to sb	libeller un chèque à l’ordre de qqn
to cross a cheque	barrer un chèque
money	de l’argent, des sous
to pay for something in cash	payer en liquide; en espèces
to pay by cheque	payer en chèque
to pay by credit card	payer par carte de crédit / bancaire
a note/ a bill	un billet
a coin	une pièce
change	la monnaie
give change	rendre la monnaie
to change a 50 euros note	changer un billet de 50 euros
to get change	faire de la monnaie
small change	de la petite monnaie
small / large notes	des petites / des grosses coupures / billets

Some Idioms Related to Money

Idiom / Expression idiomatique en Français	Explanation and example:
Payer en monnaie de singe	This expression dates from a 13th century practice: At the time, people had to pay a tax to cross the bridge between Paris and the Ile de la Cité, but stallholders who owned a monkey could pay by making the monkeys perform an act. Meaning: Monopoly money, not to be really paid or to be scammed. Example: Je n’ai pas accepté de faire ce travail, ils allaient me payer en monnaie de singe! (I didn’t accept that job, they were going to pay me with peanuts)
C’est monnaie courante	Meaning: it’s commonplace, it happens all the time! Example: Il a encore oublié où il est garé. C’est monnaie courante. (He forgot where he parked his car. It happens all the time.)
Jeter l’argent par les fenêtres	Meaning: pouring money down the drain. Example: Acheter une robe à plus de 1,000 euros pour une fête me semble jeter l’argent par les fenêtres. (I think buying a 1000 euros dress for a party is like pouring money down the drain.)
Un sou est un sou	Meaning: We must not waste money, even if the amounts involved are minimal. Example: Je vais m’acheter le livre dans une librairie d'occasion. Il est 10 euros plus bon marché et un sou est un sou! (I’m going to buy the book at a second-hand bookstore. It costs 10 euros less and a penny saved is a penny earned).
Ne pas avoir un sou vaillant	Meaning: not to have a penny left Example: Je viens d’arriver de mes vacances et je n’ai pas un sou vaillant! (I’ve just arrived from vacation and I don’t have a penny left!)

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