A

abattre - to chop down

acceuillir - to welcome

à l'étranger - overseas / abroad

alpinisme (m) - mountain climbing

ananas (m) - pineapple

(dans les) années trente (vingt, etc) - in the 30's (20's etc)

arroser - to hose

aterrir - to land

avocat (m) - avocado

au bord de - beside, next to

autoroute (f) - motorway

B

bagnard (m) - convict

bagne (m) - gaol, penal settlement

balade à pied (f) - a walk

balader - to go for a walk

baleines (m.pl) - whales

banlieue (f) - suburb

banlieue proche (f) - inner suburb

barrage (m) - dam

bas/basse - low

basse marée - low tide

bâtiment (m) - building

belvédère (m) - look out

BCBG = bon chic bon genre - "trendy"

bois - wood

C

caliner - to cuddle

canicule (f) - heatwave

chaleur (f) - heat

chaque - each

chaud - warm

chic - smart, elegant.

chute (f) -waterfall

chute libre (f) - sky diving

ciel (m) cieux (pl) - sky, skies

colon (m) - colonist

colonette (f) - fine column

connu = well known

cosmopolite - cosmopolitan / great variety of different people from different backgrounds

cotière - coastal

coucher de soleil (m) - sunset

crevettes (f. pl) - prawns

croisière (f) - cruise

D

dans les années trente (vingt, etc) - in the 30's (20's etc)

dauphin (m) - dolphin

de bonne heure  - early

de part et d'autre - on either side/on both sides

décontracté - laid back, cool, relaxed

divertissements (m.pl) - entertainment

donner à manger - to feed

doré/e - golden

doux / douce - mild

d'un côté ... de l'autre côté - on the one hand ... on the other hand

E

eau (f) - water

en plein air - outdoors/ in the fresh air

ensoleillement (m) - sunshine

entouré de - surrounded with

environ - around / about

été (m) - Summer

étendue (f) - large stretch / expanse of land

étoile (f) - star

être né - to be born

F

faim (f) - hunger

faire de la planche de surf - go surf boarding

faire partie de - form part of

fer forgé - wrought iron

feu de brousse (m) - bushfire

flâner- to stroll/to wander

fois - times

forêt tropicale (f) - rainforest

frontons ciselés  (m.pl) - carved fascias

G

gratte-ciel (m) - sky scraper

(de) grand standing - prestige/prestigious

gratuit/e - free

H

haute-couture (f) - designer clothes

hiver (m) - Winter

huîtres (f. pl) - oysters

M    N   O  P  R    

S    T   U V    

 

I

ici - here

il pleut - it rains, it is raining

incendie (f) - fire

inversé - opposite

L

langoustines (f. Pl) - crayfish

littoral (m) - coast line

lumière (f) - light

M

maillot (m) - jersey

maître-nageur (m) a life saver

mangue (f) - mango

manguier (m) - mango tree

marin (m)- sailor

matin (m) - morning

meurent (3rd pers.pl) part of verb MOURIR - to die

mode (f) - fashion

moyen/ne - average

 

les musiciens ambulants (m pl) - buskers

N

né/e - born (part of naître = to be born)

nourriture (f) - food

nuage (m) - cloud

O

oeuvre (m) - work of art / masterpiece

P

par rapport à- compared with

pavillon (m) - house on one level

pays (m) - country

paysage (m) - countryside

pelouse (f) - lawn

perdre - to lose

permis (m) - licence, permit

pilotis (m.pl) - stumps

plat/e = flat

pluie (f) - rain

plupart (f) - the majority

plusieurs - several

prendre un verre - to have a drink

près de - near

presque - nearly

printemps (m) - Spring

profond/e - deep

propriétaire (m) - owner

R

raie (m) - stingray

recoltes (f.pl) - crops/harvests

réflichissant - reflecting

requin (m) - shark

rouler - to travel by car

S

sable (m) - sand

sauf - except

sec / sèche - dry

sécheresse (f) - drought

Seconde Geurre Mondiale - Second World War

siècle (f) - century

se lever - to get up

se trouver - to be located

soif (f) - thirst

sommet (m) - summit/top of mountain

souterrain - underwater

station balnéaire (f) - seaside town

superficie (f) - area

T

tiers (m) - a third

toit (m) - roof

tôle ondulée - corrugated iron (ie. "tin")

tortue (f) - turtle

trajet (m) - journey, trip

tuile (f) - tile

Tu l'as déjà vu/e - Look familiar?

U

urbanisé/e = urbanised / town living

V

vacancier / ère (adj) - holiday

vertige (m) - dizziness, fear of heights

se vider - to be empty

vitre (f) - window

vivre - to live

4 X 4 - four wheel drive