french
french — adjective
1. relating to the European country of France: the people who live there, the langu
relating to the European country of France: the people who live there, the language they speak, or the things that come from there
Élise loves French bread and buys it fresh every morning.
French + noun (bread, wine, cheese etc.)
Lara's French aunt lives in a small town near Lyon.
French + family-related noun
The French flag has three colours: blue, white, and red.
Noa bought a French dictionary for her language class.
文法句型
French + noun
be + French
常見錯誤
french — noun
1. the language spoken in France and also in parts of Belgium, Switzerland, Canada,
the language spoken in France and also in parts of Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, and many other countries around the world
Jude has been learning French for three years at school.
learning + French
Trang wrote the letter in French because her pen pal lives in Paris.
in French
Yumi speaks French, English, and Japanese at home with her family.
Ada is reading a French novel to practise the language she studied in class.
文法句型
speak/learn/read/write + French
in French
French is + adjective
用法筆記
When referring to the language, 'French' is uncountable and is not preceded by 'the' unless followed by the word 'language' (e.g., 'the French language').
常見錯誤
2. the people who come from France, considered together as a group
the people who come from France, considered together as a group
The French are known for their love of good food and wine.
the French + are + adjective/known for
Rachid noticed that the French often greet each other with a kiss on both cheeks.
Shirin read that the French drink more coffee than tea every day.
The French have a strong tradition of street markets and local food shops.
文法句型
the French
the French + plural verb
用法筆記
Always use 'the' before 'French' when referring to the people as a group. The verb that follows is always plural. To refer to one person, say 'a French person' or 'a Frenchman'/'a Frenchwoman'.
常見錯誤
french — verb
1. to cut away the meat and fat from the end of a bone-in cut of meat, such as a ch
to cut away the meat and fat from the end of a bone-in cut of meat, such as a chop or rib, so that part of the bone is clean and visible for a neat presentation on a plate
Zola watched the chef french the lamb rack before roasting it in the oven.
french + specific meat cut (lamb rack, chop)
The pork chops were frenched and tied with string for an elegant dinner.
passive: were frenched
For the party, Jude frenched each rib bone and wrapped the ends in foil.
Gita learned how to french a rack of lamb in her weekend cooking class.
- trim
a more general term for cutting away extra parts; 'french' is a specific trimming technique for bone-in meat
- clean (the bone)
describes the result of frenched meat, but less technical
文法句型
french + bone-in meat (e.g., rack of lamb, chop)
用法筆記
This sense is used almost exclusively in professional cooking contexts. The past participle 'frenched' is more common than the base form. Not to be confused with the verb 'French' meaning to kiss.
常見錯誤
2. to kiss someone with your mouths open and touching each other's tongue, as a way
to kiss someone with your mouths open and touching each other's tongue, as a way of showing romantic or sexual attraction
Trang and Noa were caught frenching behind the gym at the school dance.
frenching (continuous/present participle form)
Lara had never frenched anyone before her date with Daniel last weekend.
In parts of Europe, it is common to see couples frenching in public parks.
Rachid saw a couple frenching on a bench near the lake in the park.
- French kiss
the more common noun/verb phrase for this action
- make out
broader in meaning; can include French kissing but also other forms of kissing and touching
文法句型
french + someone
french with + someone
用法筆記
The full phrase 'French kiss' is more common than using 'french' alone as a verb. This verb is informal and considered somewhat old-fashioned by younger speakers, who more often say 'make out'.