81 French Acronyms and Abbreviations
Knowing French acronyms is a great way to not only shorten things up in your writing and speech, but to fit in with the natives. Acronyms and abbreviations are mostly only used in casual situations, but if you use them correctly, your French friends are sure to be impressed with your knowledge.
This post will give you 80+ French acronyms and abbreviations to help you out in any casual conversation.
Contents
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Greetings
| Abbreviation/Acronym | French Definition | English Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Bjr | Bonjour | Good Afternoon |
| Bsr | Bonsoir | Good Evening |
| Cc | Cous-cous | Hi |
| Ccv | Comment ça va? | How are you? |
| Slt | Salut | Hi |
| QDN | Quoi de neuf? | What's up? |
Common French Words
| Abbreviation/Acronym | French Definition | English Definition |
|---|---|---|
| SVP | Bonjour | Good Afternoon |
| STP | Bonsoir | Good Evening |
| Pk | Cous-cous | Hi |
| Dsl | Comment ça va? | How are you? |
| Vrm | Salut | Hi |
| Mci | Quoi de neuf? | What's up? |
| Dac | D'accord | Okay |
| Bcp | Beaucoup | A lot |
| QQC | Quelque chose | Something |
| QQ1 | Quelqu'on | Someone |
| Je c | Je sais | I know |
| Tt | Tout | All |
Time-Related
| Abbreviation/Acronym | French Definition | English Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Jms | Jamais | Never |
| Ajh | Aujourd'hui | Today |
| Tjs | Toujours | Always |
| h | Heure | Hour |
| Aprèm | Après-midi | Afternoon |
Titles
| Abbreviation/Acronym | French Definition | English Definition |
|---|---|---|
| M. | Monsieur | Mr. |
| Mme. | Madame | Mrs. |
| Mlle. | Madamoiselle | Miss |
| Dr. | Docteur | Doctor |
| Pr. | Professeur | Professor |
| Me. | Maître | Lawyer |
Travel
| Abbreviation/Acronym | French Definition | English Definition |
|---|---|---|
| AR | Aller Retour | Round trip |
| DOMTOM | Départements d'Outre-Mer et Territoires d'Outre-Mer | French overseas departments and territories |
| RATP | Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens | Autonomous Operator of Parisian Transports |
| RER | Réseau Express Régional | Regional Express Network |
| SNCF | Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français | National Society of French Railways |
| TGV | Train à Grande Vitesse | High-speed train |
| É.-U. | États-Unis | United States |
Health
| Abbreviation/Acronym | French Definition | English Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Psy | Psychologue | Psychologist |
| SAMU | Service d'Aide Médicale Urgente | Emergency medical services |
| IVG | Interruption volontaire de grossesse | Abortion |
| SIDA | Syndrome Immunodéficitaire Acquis | AIDS |
| ADN | Acide Désoxyribonucléique | DNA |
Housing
| Abbreviation/Acronym | French Definition | English Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Bât. | Bâtiment | Building |
| Al | A louer | For rent |
| Appt. | Appartement | Apartment |
| Asc. | Ascenseur | Elevator |
| Ch. | Chambre | Room |
| Disp. | Disponible | Available |
| Et. | Étage | Floor |
| SDB | Salle de bains | Bathroom |
| SDF | Sans domicile fixe | Homeless |
| HLM | Habitation à loyer moderé | Social housing |
Work, Law and Money
| Abbreviation/Acronym | French Definition | English Definition |
|---|---|---|
| CV | Curriculum Vitae | Resume |
| TTC | Toutes taxes comprises | Including all taxes |
| HT | Hors taxes | Excluding taxes |
| FDP | Frais de port | Shipping costs |
| CB | Carte bancaire | Credit card |
| CDI | Contrat à durée indéterminée | Permanent contract |
| SMIC | Salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance | Minimum wage |
| RIB | Relevé d'identité bancaire | Bank account details |
| PME | Petites et moyennes entreprises | Small and medium sized businesses |
| PV | Procès-verbal | Summary report of events |
| TIG | Travaux d'intérêt général | Community service |
| ONG | Organisation non-gouvernementale | Non-governmental organization |
| ONU | Organisation des Nations Unies | United Nations |
| UE | Union Européenne | European Union |
More Useful Abbreviations and Acronyms
| Abbreviation/Acronym | French Definition | English Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Hist. | Histoire | History |
| Ki | Qui | Who |
| C.À.D | C'est à dire | In other words |
| RDV | Rendez-vous | Appointment, meeting |
| HS | Hors service | Out of service |
| NRV | Énervé | Nervous |
| BG | Beau Gosse | Good looking guy |
| Vazi | Vas-y | Go ahead |
| MDR | Mort de rire | Dying of laughter, LOL |
| C ca | C'est ça | That's right |
| Je re | Je reviens | I'll be back |
| JTM | Je t'aime | I love you |
| RSVP | Répondez s'il vous plaît | Respond, please |
| Perso | Personellement | Personally |
| Le bac | Le baccalauréat | Big exam taken at the end of high school |
| Apéro | Apéritif | Pre-dinner snack/drinks |
The best way to pick up on these abbreviations is to see them used in context. This will happen most often when texting but you may also see them be used in emails, presentations or even in speech! You might even see them in videos.
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Sure you’re not going to be using these abbreviations and acronyms all the time, but the important thing here is to at least have an idea of what they mean when you really need them, you never know when they can come in handy!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And one more thing...
If you like learning French on your own time and from the comfort of your smart device, then I'd be remiss to not tell you about FluentU.
FluentU has a wide variety of great content, like interviews, documentary excerpts and web series, as you can see here:
FluentU brings native French videos with reach. With interactive captions, you can tap on any word to see an image, definition and useful examples.
For example, if you tap on the word "crois," you'll see this:
Practice and reinforce all the vocabulary you've learned in a given video with learn mode. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning, and play the mini-games found in our dynamic flashcards, like "fill in the blank."
All throughout, FluentU tracks the vocabulary that you’re learning and uses this information to give you a totally personalized experience. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned.
Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
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