Money matters Pièce vs monnaie

Ever been stuck fumbling for the right word when talking about money in French? 

Whether you're paying en espèces, asking for la monnaie, or counting les sous, this video will give you all the vocabulary you need to master money talk like a pro. Tune in and never be caught off guard again!

In this mini-lesson, you will learn:

• Everyday Money Talk 
• Avoid Awkward Misunderstandings  
• Sound French  

Do French people talk about money?

Generally speaking, French people don’t talk about money, especially about personal matters. They would rarely ask you about your salary, for instance…Like many, they may also hesitate to talk about the cost of their new car or house.

However, they talk about broader financial topics like taxes, the economy, and the cost of living.

Whenever there is a price rise, they naturally complain and demand to know the reason to justify it.

Be sure to be diplomatic if you want to talk about money with French people.

How do you translate money into French?

The common term for money is argent. By the way, argent also means silver because coins used to be in silver.

Here’s an example with the word:

• J’ai besoin d’argent pour acheter une nouvelle veste. >>> I need money to buy a new jacket.

Other forms of money in French.

Whenever you refer to cash, you have 2 options in French 

• les espèces / le liquide  >>> cash

Like the following:

• Pourriez-vous payer en espèces / en liquide, s’il vous plait ? >>> Could you pay in cash, please?

The next word usually describes a small amount of money.

• les sous  >>> bucks

An illustration in a real conversation:

• Il me reste quelques sous pour le café. >>> I have a few bucks for the coffee.

This word sounds like in English:

• la monnaie  >>> change

Since it’s a false friend, be careful:

• As-tu de la monnaie pour le parking ? >>> Do you have any change for the parking meter?

The physical forms of money in French (coins and banknotes).

We still use physical objects for transactions: coins and banknotes.

• une pièce  >>> a coin

A concrete example would be like this:

• Je viens de trouver une pièce de 2 euros part terre. >>> I just found a 2 euro coin on the ground. 

The paper version is this one:

• un billet (de banque)  >>> a (bank)note

Like in this sentence:

• Au marché, on n’aime pas trop les billets de 50 euros. >>> At the market, they don’t really like 50 euro notes.

Learn 6 every day words related to money.

First, let’s see the vocabulary of where you can keep your money.

• un portefeuille  >>> a wallet

I have an example for you:

• Mon portefeuille est en cuir. >>> My wallet is made of leather.

Note that feuille means sheet and refers to a banknote.

For your coins, you would have a purse:

• un porte-monnaie  >>> a purse

An illustration for you:

• Mon porte-monnaie est pratique pour les courses. >>> My purse is practical for my shopping.

Let’s have a look at the vocabulary you need when you go to the bank.

• un distributeur (de billets)  >>> a cash machine

For instance:

• Le distributeur est au bout de la rue. >>> The cash machine is at the end of the street.

Note that some people say gabier or ATM as synonyms.

Usually, if you go to a bank, you may have your own bank account:

• un compte bancaire  >>> a bank account

For instance:

• J’ai un compte bancaire dans cette banque. >>> I have a bank account in this bank.

Apart from your coins and banknotes, what do you use to pay? In France, people use a lot of cheque books for the rent and other services:

• un chéquier / un carnet de chèques  >>> a chque book

You could say:

• Je paie mon loyer avec mon chéquier. >>> I pay the rent with my cheque book.

More and more, we use cards.

• une carte bancaire / une carte bleue  >>> a bank card / a credit card

For instance:

• J’utilise ma carte bancaire très souvent. >>> I use my bank card very often.

3 French idiomatic expressions about money.

The first one is an every day one:

• faire la monnaie  >>> to break money

Here’s a way to say it:

• Pouvez-vous faire la monnaie de 20 euros ? >>> Can you crack a 20 euro note?

The following one refers to being successful, economically speaking:

• gagner sa vie  >>> to make a good living

A real example for you:

• Il gagne bien sa vie. >>> He makes a good living.

This one is when you don't have money:

• être à court d'argent / être fauché >>> To be broke

You could say:

• Je suis complètement à court d'argent ce mois-ci. >>> I'm completely broke this month.

This expression means that you waste your money:

• jeter l’argent par les fenêtres >>> To throw money down the drain

Here’s a way to put it:

• Elle jette l’argent par les fenêtres avec des achats inutiles. >>> She wastes money on unnecessary purchases.

What is the vocabulary of money in French?

In this lesson, you have seen that argent means money. Then, you have some synonyms like sous, liquide and espèces for cash. However, the word monnaie refers to change.

For your physical transitions, you either have some pièces (coins) that you keep in your porte-monnaie, billets (notes) inside your porte-feuilles or your chéquier (cheques book).

For your digital transactions, you need a compte bancaire (bank account), a carte bancaire (bank card). You withdraw money in a distributeur.

And look at these, these words are really colloquial words meaning money:

• le fric
• l’oseille
• la maille
• la tune
• le blé

Here are some other lessons to help with your French in every day situations:

How DO you speak French every day even though you’re not in France?

Computer parts and troubleshooting in French

Do you feel ready to use money in a French-speaking country? Any other words related to money you may need?