Below we present a dictionary/glossary of French terms to help you expand your French vocabulary and explain some of the terms and text you will find in property contracts.
Glossary
A
Abonnement: Subscription
Accès Internet: Internet access
Accessoires: Additional expenses
Accident (corporel/Matériel): Accident (property or people)
Achat: Purchase
Acompte: Deposit, sum paid in advance (usually a percentage of the purchase price)
Acte authentique de vente: Legal deed of conveyance. This is the document signed by the buyer and vendor, in the presence and office of a notaire, to make the real-estate sale official and binding.
Acte sous seing privé: Private agreement in writing with no witnesses (a pre-sale agreement)
Action: Share
Adhésion: Membership
ADI (Assurance décès Invalidité): Old age insurance
Adresse de correspondence: Mailing address
Adresse fiscale des titulaires: Tax address
Agence immobilier: Estate agent
Agent immobilier (or immobiliere): Real-estate agent working in accordance to a bill passed by the French parliament in January 1970.
Annuel: Yearly
Annuité: Annual payment
Antécédents: Past history
Appartement: Flat
Approvisionner: To credit your account
Argent liquide: Cash
Arrhes: Sum paid in advance by the purchaser, forfeited if purchaser withdraws or double the amount refunded if the vendor withdraws
Assurance décès: Life insurance
Assurance multi-risque habitation: Building and contents insurance policy
Assuré: Policy holder
Attestation d'acquisition: A notarial certificate that the property purchase has been complete
Attestation de propriété: Certificate of ownership
Attestation fiscale: Tax certificate
Autorisation de découvert: Authorised overdraft
Avenant: Modification of contract
Avis à tiers détenteur: Notice to third party holder
Avis d’imposition: Tax notice
B
Bail: Lease to tennant
Banque de consignation: The bank where the notaire places the deposits, with no interest accruing to either party or the notaire
Baunderie: Laundry/Utility room
Bénéficiaire: Beneficiary
Bois: Wood
Bourgogne: Burgundy
Bretagne: Brittany
Bulletin de salaire: Pay slip
C
Canaux d’accès: Banking channels
Capital (restant dû): Capital (due)
Capitalisation: Capitalisation
Carte bancaire: Bank card
Carte de credit: Credit card
Carte de résident: Residence permit
Carte grise: Car registration
Carte verte: Car registration/green card (insurance form)
Caution: Security
Cave: Cellar
Célibataire: Single
Certificat d'Urbanisme: Permission given by the local authority to create a dwelling (outline planning permission)
Chambre: Bedroom
Champ: Field
Charge annuelle: Annual expense
Chauffage: Heating
Chèque: Cheque
Chèque de banque: Banker's draft
Chèque sans provision: Bad cheque
Chéquier: Cheque book
Clôturer: To close out
Code confidential: PIN number
Collier de serrage: Jubilee clip
Commission de rapatriement: Commission levied upon receipt of an international transfer
Compromis de vente: Provisional sales agreement, used for the acquisition of real-estate or building land
Compte (courant): Current account
Compte débiteur: Debit account
Compte individual: Individual account
Compte joint: Joint account
Concubinage: Living martially
Conditions générales: General conditions
Conditions particulières: Special terms
Conjoint: Spouse
Constat amiable: Accident report
Construction: Construction
Contrat de reservation: Reservation agreement, the contract used when purchasing a property off-plan
Cotisation: Contribution
Co-titulaire: Joint holder
Contracter: To contract
Contrat: Contract
Crédit: Credit
Crédit (amortissable/IN FINE): Loan (with amortisation or a bullet loan)
Crédit hypothécaire: Mortgage loan
CU: see Certificat d'Urbanisme
Cuisine: Kitchen
D
DAB (Distributeur Automatique de billets): DAB (cashpoint)
Date: Date
Date de naissance: Date of birth
Date d’expiration: Expiry date
Débit: Debit
Déclaration d’accident: Claim
Déclaration de sincérité: Compulsory formula providing that the purchase price has not been increased by a counterdeed
Découvert: Overdraft
Dépendances: Outbuildings
Déposer (de l’argent): To deposit (money)
Dépôt: Deposit
Devis: Estimate
Devise: Currency
Distribution: Distribution
Dividende: Dividend
Divorcé(e): Divorced
Dommage: Damage
Droit de préemption: Preemptive right to acquire the property instead of purchaser
Droit de succession/donation: Inheritance/gift tax
E
Echéance: Due date
Emetteur: Drawer
Employeur: Employer
Endosser: To endorse
Epargne: Savings
Espèces: Cash
Exonération: Exemption
F
Facturation: Invoicing
Factures: Invoices
Fenêtre: Window
Fête: Celebration, party, feast
Fil Vert: Telephone information line
Fiscalité: Tax system, taxation
Formule: Option
Frais (de dossier): Administrative expenses
Frais de garantie: Guarantee fee
Franchise: Deductible
G
Garantie: Guarantee/cover
Gestion de trésorerie: Cash flow management
Goupille: Split pin
Grange: Barn
Gratuité: Exemption from payment
Grenier: Loft/Attic
H
Hors taxe (HT): excluding sales tax (VAT not included)
Hypothèque: Mortgage
I
Impôt: Tax burden
Indemnisation: Compensation
Indemnité: Indemnity
Indice: Index
Interdiction bancaire: Barred from issuing cheques
Intérêts: Interest
J
Jardin: Garden
K
Kermesse: Fair/fête
Kérosène: Kerosene/parafin
Kinésithérapeute: Physiotherapist
Klaxon: Horn (motor car)
L
Lac: Lake
Lait: Milk
Langue: Language
Litige: Dispute
Livret: Passbook
LMP (Loueur en Meublé Professionnel): Professional Furnished Rental Property - A furnished rental property that constitutes a commercial activity and thus the revenues procured are taxed in the catagory of industrial and commercial, not (private) property revenues. This investment is therefore only relevant to French tax payers. Regardless, qualified legal advice is recommended before considering this type of investment.
Locataire: Tenant
M
Maison: House
Maître: Master/teacher (general term of address for a barister/notaire)
Maître d’œuvre: Project manager, the person charged with the responsibility of supervising the execution of construction work
Mandat: A legal document authorising power of attorney. In the case of the real-estate agent, the vendor grants he or she the power allowing the agent to advertise and sell their property under agreed conditions.
Marié(e): Married
Mensualité: Monthly payment
Monnaie: Currency
Moyens de paiement: Means of payment
N
Nantissement: Collateral
Nationalité: Nationality
Nom: Surname
Nom de jeune fille: Maiden name
Notaire: French public notary (similar to an English solicitor/lawyer). A public and legal officer (on oath) responsible for legalising the various judicial documents passing through his hands, and for giving private individual advice related to their investments. A notaire is the only (public) official empowered to witness the Acte Authentique de Vente.
Numéro de telephone: Telephone number
O
Opposition: To stop payment
Options: Options
P
Panne: Breakdown
Part sociale: Share
Passeport: Passport
Patrimoine: Assets
Pays: Country
Pension alimentaire: Alimony
Permis de conduire: Driving licence
Permis de construire: Building permit
Pièce d’identité: Proof of identity
Pièce principale: Main room
Pierre: Stone
Placement: Investment
Placements/titres: Securities
Plans (architecte): Plans (architectural)
Poutre: Beam
Prélèvement automatique: Direct debit
Prendre rendez-vous: To make an appointment
Prénom: First name
Prêt: Loan
Prêt garanti: Secured loan
Prime d’assurance: Insurance premium
Prise en charge: Agreement to pay
Prix: Price
Procédure: Procedure
Procuration: Power of attorney
Profession: Occupation
Propriétaire: Owner
Puit: Well
Purge de frein: Bleed nipples (motor car brakes)
Q
Quittance: Receipt
R
Régime (situation) matrimoniale: Type of marriage contract
Régulariser: To clear overdraft
Relevé de compte: Bank statement
Relevé d’identité bancaire (RIB): RIB (bank account identity form/slip)
Relevé d’information: Data sheet
Remboursement (anticipé): Repayment (anticipated)
Rentabilité: Profitability
Résidence locative: Rental residence
Résidence principale: Primary residence
Résidence secondaire: Holiday residence
Responsabilité (civile): (Civil) liability
Retirer (de l’argent): To withdraw (money)
Revenu annuel: Annual income
Revenus sociaux: Social income
Rez-de-chaussée: Ground floor
RIB: see Relevé d’Identité Bancaire
S
SAFER (Société d'Aménagement Foncier et d'Etablissement Rural): Local government organisation supposed to ensure the proper use of agricultural land, sometimes they will excercise preemptive rights to buy land.
Saisie attribution: Seizure of funds
Salle a manger: Dining room
Salle de bain: Bathroom
Salle d'eau: Washroom
Salon: Living room/lounge
Securité social: French national health system
Sejour: Living room/lounge
Séparé(e): Separated
Service assistance: Assistance service
Sinistre: Accident
Société: Legally registered company
Solde: Balance
Souscripteur: Policy purchaser
Souscrire: To take out
Sous seing privé: see Acte Sous seing privé
Sous sol: Basement
Surface: Surface area
T
Tableau d’amortissement: Amortisation table
Tantiéme: Proportion of the common parts of a co-propriété owned jointly with other appartment owners
Taux: Rate
Taux de change: Exchange rate
Taux Effectif Global: Overall effective rate
Taux fixe: Fixed rate
Taux preferential: Preferred rate
Taux revisable: Variable rate
Taxe: Tax
Taxe d'habitation: Rate levied on the occupation of property
Taxe foncière: Land tax (local tax levied on the ownership of a property)
Taxe sur la Valeur Ajoutée: Value added tax (VAT)
Terrain: Land
Testament: A will
Tiers: Third party
Timbres fiscal: Revenue stamp carried by some official documents (e.g. applications for the carte de sejour)
Titulaire: Holder
Titre Interbancaire de Paiement (TIP): Interbank payment order
Tontine: Joint ownership
Toutes Taxes Comprise (TTC): Including sales tax (VAT inclusive)
Transfert: Transfer
Travaux: Work
Trimestriel: Quarterly
Troisiéme age: Senior citizens (old age pensioners)
TTC: see Toutes Taxes Comprise
TVA: see Taxe sur la Valeur Ajoutée
U
Union libre: Cohabiting
V
Valeur A Dire d’Expert: Officially appraised value
Valeur A Neuf: Replacement value
Valeur d’Achat: Purchase price
Validité: Validity
Vandalisme: Vandalism
Versement: Payment
Vétusté: Poor, outdated state
Veuf(ve): Widowed
Ville: Town or City
Virement: Transfer
Vol: Theft
Volet: Shutter
W
X
Y
Z
Zéro: Zero, nought
Zinc: Zinc
Zone: Zone, area