There’s a reason translators get paid the big bucks, even nowadays when you can toss a sentence into Google Translate and get a quick fix for whatever word you’re looking for.
Not every word that exists in English (or other languages, for that matter) has a precise French translation. There may be ones that are used in the same way or have the same general implications, but a literal translation with the exact same connotations might not always be available.
So check out this handy list of 10 English words and phrases that do not exist in French, so that the next time you get stumped, you’ll have a little help. One important thing to remember is that because of the way French is structured, to use certain English adjectives you might need to format them into verbs. For example, to say something is “cringe-worthy,” you might have have to phrase it like, “It makes me cringe.” But don’t worry, once you understand the format, the rest is easy!
