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At first glance, it seems like English could pass for a Romance language—after all, it’s packed with French words, right? But hold your baguette! Things aren’t quite that simple.

Yes, English borrowed thousands of French words (thanks, Normans!), but here’s the twist: the words Brits  actually use every day—those sturdy little workhorses—are almost all Germanic. Their  core vocabulary still comes from Old English.

Take a look at the 100 most frequently used words in English. Guess how many are from French? Just one—the word “people.” And the French have cheekily taken it back! Now they use people to talk about their celebrities. Ah, the boomerang effect of linguistics!

French Words Returning Home

Here’s where it gets even funnier. French is now re-borrowing words it once donated to English!

Professor Cerquiglini points this out: many anglicisms in French today were originally French.

Take “tennis”—it comes from Old French tenez! (“Take this!”)—shouted when serving the ball.

So yes, the French gave  words, Brits Anglicized them, and now they’re taking them back, slightly annoyed, like:

“Non, non, you were supposed to look after it, not ruin the pronunciation!”

Cerquiglini is proud of this exchange. He even says:

“United Nations”? Three French words.
“United States”? Two French words.

International English, he argues, is basically French in disguise. Be proud, mes amis!

The Curious Case of the S-Dropping

Words like state, stage, stranger all have French cousins: État, étage, étranger.

Back in Old French, they began with est-. English chopped off the E, while French lost the S. Voilà! Both languages went on a diet, but in different ways.

French Grammar Sneaks In

Vocabulary wasn’t the only gift from France. Grammar also got a makeover.

Possession: Old English would simply stick a few letters at the end (the king sword’s).

French introduced the fancy “of” construction: the sword of the king. Très chic!

Adjectives After Nouns: Normally we say new pastures, but suddenly, Middle English said, “Move to pastures new.” Sounds poetic, doesn’t it? That’s the French influence. Titles like Attorney General, Notary Public, Heir Apparent—all follow this French-style order.

H-Dropping: When ‘Hotel’ Lost Its H

Ah, the mysterious vanishing H. During the Middle English period, Hs began to disappear—like they were fleeing across the Channel. Words like Lord and Lady originally started with an H. Dropping your Hs wasn’t sloppy back then; it was posh!

To sound French was to sound fancy. That’s why they  still hear relics like “an hotel” or “an historic moment”—as if the H isn’t there.

Meanwhile, in Scotland, people still fiercely pronounce their Hs, saying hwat and hwhere.  Take that, Normans!

Poetry Learns to Rhyme

Old English poetry didn’t rhyme; it was all about alliteration. Then the French waltzed in with their rhyming couplets, and English poets went:

“Ooh la la, that sounds lovely!”

Geoffrey Chaucer, the superstar of Middle English, embraced French rhymes with gusto. Working in London customs, he was surrounded by French, and his Canterbury Tales ends every line with sweet, satisfying rhymes. Merci, France!

Conclusion

From vocabulary to grammar, poetry, and even the way Brits drop their Hs, French influence is everywhere in English. So yes, the French can proudly say they helped shape the world’s most spoken language.

Colonialism, Hollywood, and the internet may have spread English far and wide, but deep down, 1.5 billion English speakers are—at least some of the time—just speaking badly pronounced French.

Et voilà. Old English is gone, French left its lipstick on English’s collar, and here we are.