French has a plethora of words that if you translated literally into English could cause a fair bit of confusion and hilarity for language learners. We’ve picked out some of the best. Let us know of any more.

×

❮ ❯

More galleries

IN VIDEOS: France’s raunchiest TV commercials

‘Every Sunday’ – Extraordinary images of ordinary life in the poor Paris suburbs

In pictures: French sports hunks bare (almost) all

IN PICTURES: The liberation of Paris from the Nazis, August 1944

French text message lingo: 15 essential terms decoded

Buying a house in France? Ten things you need to think about

Top 12 English words reinvented by the French

Surprising facts about the French: Can you spot the real ones from the fake?

Test yourself: Bizarre French laws

Ten bizarre French expressions you’ll need explaining

10 things you either love or loathe about France

Top 12 French expressions they don’t teach you at school

Learning to sail in Brittany