Currency words in French: common terms for money, coins, bills, and banking across various French-speaking regions.
Currency vocabulary covers terms for money in general, specific names for coins and bills, common expressions using money words, and banking-related terms. This guide reflects standard French used in France and other Francophone areas.
Common Currency Terms
These are the basic words for money and currency that appear in everyday conversation.
| French Term | English Term | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| argent (m.) | money | J'ai besoin d'argent pour acheter du pain. | I need money to buy some bread. |
| monnaie (f.) | change / coins | Tu as de la monnaie pour le bus ? | Do you have change for the bus? |
| billet (m.) | bill / banknote | Ce billet de 20 euros est faux. | This 20 euro bill is fake. |
| pièce (f.) | coin | J'ai trouvé une pièce de 1 euro. | I found a 1 euro coin. |
| prix (m.) | price | Quel est le prix de ce livre ? | What is the price of this book? |
| coût (m.) | cost | Le coût de la livraison est élevé. | The delivery cost is high. |
| valeur (f.) | value | La valeur de ce tableau est incalculable. | The value of this painting is priceless. |
| portefeuille (m.) | wallet | J'ai perdu mon portefeuille hier. | I lost my wallet yesterday. |
| compte (m.) | account | J'ai ouvert un compte en banque. | I opened a bank account. |
| carte (f.) | card | Je paye avec ma carte bancaire. | I pay with my bank card. |
Je paye avec ma ___ bancaire.
I pay with my ___ card.
carte
The word for card is 'carte'. 'Portefeuille' is wallet, 'compte' is account, and 'billet' is a bill.
Tu as de la ___ pour le bus ?
Do you have ___ for the bus?
monnaie
'Monnaie' means change or coins, which is what you need for small payments like a bus fare. 'Argent' is money in general, 'billet' is a banknote, and 'pièce' is a coin.
Coins and Bills
French currency includes euro coins and bills, plus older terms for francs that still appear.
| French Term | English Term | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| centime (m.) | cent | Il coûte 50 centimes. | It costs 50 cents. |
| euro (m.) | euro | Un café coûte un euro. | A coffee costs one euro. |
| billet de 5/10/20/50/100 euros (m.) | /10/20/50/100 euro bill | J'ai un billet de 50 euros. | I have a 50 euro bill. |
| pièce de 1/2/5/10/20/50 centimes (f.) | /2/5/10/20/50 cent coin | J'ai une pièce de 20 centimes. | I have a 20-cent coin. |
| pièce de 1 et 2 euros (f.) | and 2 euro coin | La pièce de 2 euros est rare. | The 2-euro coin is rare. |
| franc (m.) | franc (old currency) | Mon grand-père parlait des francs. | My grandfather talked about francs. |
| billet de 100/500 francs (m.) | /500 franc bill | Elle a encore un billet de 500 francs. | She still has a 500 franc bill. |
| porte-monnaie (m./f.) | coin purse | J'ai un petit porte-monnaie rouge. | I have a small red coin purse. |
| rouleau de pièces (m.) | roll of coins | Il a un rouleau de pièces dans sa poche. | He has a roll of coins in his pocket. |
| billet de banque (m.) | banknote | Ce billet de banque est très ancien. | This banknote is very old. |
Common Money Expressions
These expressions use currency words to describe everyday financial situations.
| French Expression | English Equivalent | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| payer en espèces | pay in cash | Je préfère payer en espèces. | I prefer to pay in cash. |
| coûter les yeux de la tête | cost an arm and a leg | Ce sac coûte les yeux de la tête ! | This bag costs an arm and a leg! |
| être sans le sou | be penniless | Après les vacances, je suis sans le sou. | After vacation, I'm penniless. |
| faire des économies | save money | Il fait des économies pour acheter une voiture. | He's saving money to buy a car. |
| rendre la monnaie | give change | Le vendeur m'a rendu la monnaie. | The clerk gave me the change. |
| avoir de l'argent sur soi | have money on you | J'ai toujours un peu d'argent sur moi. | I always have some money on me. |
| compter chaque centime | count every cent | Elle compte chaque centime qu'elle dépense. | She counts every cent she spends. |
| être fortuné(e) | be wealthy | Il est fortuné grâce à ses investissements. | He is wealthy thanks to his investments. |
| tourner la monnaie | make change | Peux-tu tourner la monnaie pour un billet de 20 ? | Can you make change for a 20 bill? |
| gagner sa vie | earn a living | Elle gagne sa vie comme enseignante. | She earns her living as a teacher. |
Banking Vocabulary
These terms appear in banking, ATMs, and financial transactions.
| French Term | English Term | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| guichet (m.) | teller window | Je fais un retrait au guichet. | I’m making a withdrawal at the teller. |
| distributeur automatique (m.) | ATM | J’ai retiré 50 euros au distributeur. | I withdrew 50 euros from the ATM. |
| retrait (m.) | withdrawal | Le retrait maximal est de 300 euros. | The maximum withdrawal is 300 euros. |
| dépôt (m.) | deposit | J’ai fait un dépôt sur mon compte. | I made a deposit into my account. |
| virement (m.) | transfer | Le virement sera effectué demain. | The transfer will be made tomorrow. |
| relevé de compte (m.) | account statement | J’ai reçu mon relevé de compte par email. | I received my account statement by email. |
| crédit (m.) | credit | Mon compte a été crédité de 500 euros. | My account was credited with 500 euros. |
| débit (m.) | debit | Un paiement a été débité hier. | A payment was debited yesterday. |
| code PIN (m.) | PIN code | Saisis ton code PIN pour retirer de l'argent. | Enter your PIN code to withdraw money. |
| plafond (m.) | limit | Le plafond de retrait est à 1000 euros. | The withdrawal limit is 1000 euros. |
International Currency Terms
These terms help when talking about foreign money or exchange.
| French Term | English Term | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| devises (f. pl.) | foreign currencies | Je change des devises avant de partir. | I’m exchanging currency before leaving. |
| taux de change (m.) | exchange rate | Le taux de change est favorable aujourd’hui. | The exchange rate is favorable today. |
| bureau de change (m.) | currency exchange office | J’ai changé des dollars au bureau de change. | I exchanged dollars at the currency exchange office. |
| changer de l'argent | exchange money | Où puis-je changer de l'argent ? | Where can I exchange money? |
| carte bancaire internationale (f.) | international bank card | Cette carte bancaire fonctionne à l'étranger. | This bank card works abroad. |
| espèces étrangères (f.) | foreign cash | J’ai retiré des espèces étrangères. | I withdrew foreign cash. |
| commission (f.) | fee / commission | La banque prend une commission sur le change. | The bank takes a commission on the exchange. |
| chèque de voyage (m.) | traveler's cheque | Elle a acheté des chèques de voyage. | She bought traveler’s cheques. |
| paiement sans contact | contactless payment | Le paiement sans contact est très rapide. | Contactless payment is very fast. |
| code SWIFT (m.) | SWIFT code | Donne-moi le code SWIFT de ta banque. | Give me your bank’s SWIFT code. |
This completes the currency vocabulary overview, covering all essential terms for talking about money in French.
Flashcards (1 of 50)
- English Term: money
- English Example: I need money to buy some bread.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
