A Cajun French-English Glossary
Un glossaire cadien-anglais (last updated on 08/11/05)
Under the Direction of Amanda LaFleur with the assistance of Benjamin Forkner.
Questions/Comments: lafleur@lsu.edu
Introduction
A number of resources exist for those looking for Cajun French vocabulary, but all of them pose problems for LSU students in Cajun French because they are either too regional in scope, too inconsistent in spelling, or too theoretical in approach for beginning students. Therefore, in response to our students' expressed need for a basic vocabulary resource, we are in the process of building a glossary based upon the units covered in Cajun French 1201, 1202, 2201, 2202, 2254 and 3280 at LSU. We have tried to make the entries and explanations as clear and straightforward as possible.
We'll be adding entries on a regular basis as we need them for courses, so please check with us again. Also, if you are a native speaker of Cajun French and have entries to suggest or comments about the entries already here, feel free to contact us at alafleu@lsu.edu. It is especially useful to us to hear about regional differences, which abound in Louisiana French.
Quelque chose de neuf!!!!! We are adding links to entries which will allow you to hear how words are pronounced by a Louisiana French speaker. When you see a term, you may be able to click on it to hear the word. Pronunciation in Louisiana French is highly variable by region, but the pronunciation you hear is nonetheless representative of a "typical speaker."
Voice talent provided by: Earlene Broussard, Mick Abed, Ariana Giambrone & Amanda
LaFleur.
Technical assistance provided by: Claire Dawkins, Benjamin Forkner and the staff of
the LSU Foreign Language Lab.
!Attention: The site uses .WAV files.
Pronunciation
A note about pronunciation:The upper-case letters in brackets at the beginning of some entries are meant to serve as a rough guide to the pronunciation of words using an English-based spelling system. We are using an English-based system since most of our students are native English speakers, but you should keep in mind that French pronunciation has traits that make such a comparison only approximative. Also, keep in mind that regional variants in pronunciation abound in CF (Cajun French). The pronunciation given here will be typical but not necessarily the "only way" the term is pronounced in Louisiana.
| Letter(s) | Sound |
|---|---|
| A | sounds like the “a” in “fat.” |
| AH | sounds like the “o&rdtopquo; in “pot.” |
| An | sounds like the nasal vowel in "taunt" and “want.” |
| AW | sounds something like the “a” in “father.” |
| CH | sounds like "ch" in "cheer." |
| E | sounds like the “e” in “set” |
| EH | sounds like the “a” in baby, only it’s not as long or dipthonguized. |
| EE | sounds like the vowel sound in “feet.” |
| En | sounds like the nasal vowel sound in "can't" and “pant.” |
| EUH | sounds something like the vowel sound in "put." |
| J | sounds like the initial consonant sound in "just" |
| OH | sounds like the vowel sound in "coat." |
| On | sounds something like the nasal vowel in "dawn." |
| OO | sounds like the vowel sound in “tool.” |
| SH | sounds like the initial consonant sound in "sugar." |
| U | sounds something like the vowel sound in "purée". |
| UH | sounds like the vowel sound in "up." |
| Y | sounds like the “y” in “yes” |
Cajun French-English
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
à (prep.) 1. to 2. at. 3. in. 4. belonging to. Ça c'est le chien à Esta. (That's Esta's dog.)
acmoder (v.t.) of a fresh fish, to gut, scale and prepare for cooking. (LaFourche). (From SF accomoder.)
acheter (v.) to buy.
acre (n.m.) acre.
adonner (s'~) (v.r.) 1. to get along. Marie et Jacques s'adonnent bien avec leurs voisins. (Marie and Jacques get along well with their neighbors.)2. to so happen; to occur. Ça s'adonnait que moi et Philippe était dans la même classe. (It so happened that Philippe and I were in the same class.)
aéropléne (n.m.) airplane.
aider (v.) to help.
aigrette (n.f.) egret.
ail (n.m.) [AHY] garlic.
aile (n.f.) [EL] wing.
aimer (v.t.) [EnMEH] to like; to love. Ils aimont pas le garçon que leur fille sort avec. (They don't like the boy their daughter is going out with.)
aisé (adj.) [EHZEH] 1. easy; not difficult. 2. comfortably well off financially.
alentour de around. aux alentours in the environs.
alle (subj. pron.) she (when used as a subject pronoun in front of a word beginning with a vowel sound. Writers who use alle typically write a or a' in front of consonant-initiated words. These two forms more accurately represent the pronunciation of the pronoun in context, but many Louisiana French writers prefer to use the SF elle in general to represent the subject pronoun.) A voulait pas te parler parce qu'alle était bien fâchée. (She didn't want to talk to you because she was really angry.)(SF elle)
aller (v.i) to go. See also: été. s'en aller to go away; to leave.
alliance (n.f.) [AHLYAnS] wedding band; wedding ring. garçon en alliance stepson. -----en alliance by marriage; step relative.
allons (v.i.) Form of aller (to go). 1. Let's go. Allons au festival! (Let's go to the festival!) 2. allons+ infinitive Let's (do something). Allons danser! Let's dance! 3. allons dire (que)Suppose (that); let's say (that).... Allons dire que t'es dans un accident. (Let's suppose you're in an accident.)
allumer (v.t.) to ignite; to light; to turn on (a light).
allumette (n.f.) match (for making fire).
almanach (n.f.) 1. calendar. 2. almanach. Variant spelling: almanaque. (SF calendrier)
almanaque (n.f.) 1. calendar. 2. almanach. Variant spelling: almanach. (SF calendrier)
amarrer (v.t.) [AH MAH REH, An MAH REH] 1. to tie up. 2. to attach. 3. to settle the terms (of a race or game, usually in a race between two horses, but it may also be between people) amarrer ses souliers to tie one's shoelaces. (SF attacher)
âme (n.f.) soul.
ami (n.m.) friend.
amener (v.) to take (s.t. to another place).
amoureux (adj.) 1. in love. Il écoute pas personne parce qu'il est amoureux. (He doesn't listen to anyone because he's in love.) 2. womanizing. Cet homme est beaucoup amoureux. (That man is a womanizer.)
amygdale (n.f.) [AH MEE DAHL] tonsil.
ananas (n.m.) pineapple.
ange (n.m.) angel.
appeler (v.t.) [AHPLEH] to call.
appareil (n.m.) instrument.
appartenir (v.i.) [AHPAHRTNEER] to belong. La boutique appartenait à Gilbert Trahan. (The store belonged to Gilbert Trahan.)
après (prep.) [AHPREH] 1. after. Après le bal, on a été manger chez Cécile. (After the dance, we went to eat at Cecile's house.)2. être après+ infinitive to be in the process or act of. On était après dormir équand il a appelé. (We were sleeping when he called.)
arabe (adj./n.m.) Arab.
araignée (n.f.) [AHREnYEH; AHREEnYEH] spider.
arbre (n.m.) [AHRB] tree.
arcotchin (n.m.) [AHRKOCHEn] cockleburr.
argent (n.m.) 1. silver. 2. money.
arranger (v.t.) 1. to arrange. 2. to fix; to repair.
arrêter (v.t.) to stop.
arroser(v.t.) 1. to water; 2. to spray; to sprinkle.
assayer (v.t. ) [AHSEHYEH] to try. See also: essayer.
asseoir (v.r.) [ASWAHR] to sit; to sit down. Variant: assir.
assez (adv.) enough; sufficiently.
assir (v.r.) to sit; to sit down. Variant: asseoir.
asteur (adv.) now. Descends de là droite asteur! (Get down from there right now!) [From SF à cette heure.]
attacher (v.) to attach, to tie.
atteler (v.t.) [AHTLEH] to harness; to rig up (of a horse and wagon).
attendre (v.t.) [AHTAnN] 1. to hear. Parle plus fort! Je peux pas t'attendre. (Speak louder. I can't hear you.)2. to wait. [not commonly used in this SF sense].
attiner (v.t.) to tease; to pick at. See also: picocher.
attraper (v.t.) [AH TRAH PEH] 1. to catch. J'ai été à la pêche hier matin, mais j'ai pas attrapé rien d'autre qu'un rhume. (I went fishing yesterday morning, but I didn't catch anything but a cold.)2. to fetch; to get. Attrape la gazette sus le comptoir. Je veux voir qui c'est qu'a gagné la course. (Grab the newspaper on the counter. I want to see who won the race.)
attraper du mal to get hurt. especially as a result of an accident.
aucun (adj.) [OH Ken] not any; no. J'ai aucune idée comment je vas payer l'enterrement de mon mari. (I have no idée how I'm going to pay for my husband's funeral.)
au ras au ras (adv.) [ORAH ORAH] 1. at the same level. 2. neck and neck. Les deux bougres étiont après courir au ras au ras jusqu' à la fin de la course. (The two guys were running neck and neck up until the end of the race.)
au ras de 1. next to; on the side of. On va déménager au ras de chez mon beau-père. (We're going to move next to my father-in-law's place.)2. approximately; about. On va se revoir au ras de cinq heures. (We'll see each other again around 5 o'clock.)
aussi (adv.) [OHSEE] also, too. Variant to reflect pronunciation: aussitte. see also: itou.
autre (adj.) other. Quoi d'autre? What else?
autrement que (conj.) unless. Variant to reflect pronunciation: entrement que.
avalasse (n.f.) [AH VAH LAHS] downpour.
avant (prep.) before. Avant le souper, on a besoin de se laver. (Before supper, we have to wash up.)
avec (prep.) with. acheter avec to buy from. Il a acheté son char avec Howard Fontenot. (He bought his car from Howard Fontenot.)
avenant (adj.) [AHVNAn] nice; likeable.
avocat (n.m.) [AHVOHKAH]1. lawyer. 2. [figurative] arrogant person; know-it-all. 3. avocado.
avoine (n.f.) [AHVWEnN] oats.
avoir (v.t.) [AH WAHR] to have. avoir pour + infinitive to have to; to be obliged to. avoir faim to be hungry. avoir soif to be thirsty. avoir....ans to be....years old. avoir honte to be ashamed. avoir de misère à to have trouble [doing something]. avoir peur de to be afraid of.
B
babiller (v.t.) [BAH-BEE-YEH] to scold [usually a child].
bal (n.m.) [BAHL] dance [event]. Tu veux aller au bal avec moi à soir? (Do you want to go to the dance with me tonight?)
badgeuler (v.t.) [BAH JEUH LEH] to harass; to nag. (v.i.) to nag. Variant spelling: badjeuler.
badjeuler (v.t.) [BAH JEUH LEH] to harass; to nag. (v.i.) to nag. Variant spelling: badgeuler.
balai (n.m.) broom.
banane (n.f.) banana.
bananier (n.m.) banana tree.
banque (n.f.) bank (financial institution).
baptiser (v.t.) [BAH TEE ZEH] 1. to baptise. 2.[Figurative] to use for the first time.
barbe (n.f.) beard. (loc.)la barbe du bon Dieu a very good and decent person.
barboter (v.i.) to waste time; to piddle around.
barbue (n.f.) catfish.
baril (n.m.) [BAHREE, BAHREEY] barrel.
barré (adj./p.p.) 1. striped. 2. locked. un candi barré candy cane.
barrer (v.t.) to lock.
bas (n.m.) stocking.
bas (adj.) low. (Feminine: basse)
basané (adj.) [BAH ZAH NEH] freckled.
basse-cour (n.f.) poultry flock, poultry yard.
basset (adj.) short. (Feminine: bassette)
bâteau (n.m.) boat.
bâtir (v.t.) to build.
bâtisse (n.f.) building.
bâton (n.m.) stick.
battre (v.) to beat.
beau (n.m.) boyfriend. Moi et mon beau, on est ensemble ça fait deux ans. (My boyfriend and I have been together for two years.)
beau (adj.) beautiful; pretty. Garde voir le beau petit bébé! (Look at the beautiful baby!) (Feminine: belle)
beau-frère (n.m.) 1. step-brother. 2. brother-in-law. See also: alliance.
beau-père (n.m.) 1. step-father. 2. father-in-law. See also: alliance.
beauté (n.f.) [BOH TEH] beauty.
bébé (n.m.) 1. baby. loc. un bébé de...something remarkably large. Ça c'est un bébé de melon, ça! (That's quite a big melon!) Variant: bibi.
bec (n.m.) 1. beak (of a bird). 2. kiss. Donne-moi un petit bec doux, cher! (Give me a sweet little kiss, dear!)
bélier (n.m.) ram, male sheep.
bele (n.f.) 1. girlfriend; sweetheart. (adj. fem.) beautiful; pretty. [Masculine: beau]
belle-fille (n.f.) 1. step-daughter. 2. daughter-in-law. See also: alliance, bru.
belle-mère (n.f.) 1. step-mother. 2. mother-in-law. See also: alliance.
belle-soeur (n.f.) 1. step-sister. 2. sister-in-law. See also: alliance.
bercer (v.t.) [BA R SEH] to rock [gently, as a baby].
berceuse (n.f.) 1. rocking chair. 2. lullaby.
besoin (n.m.) need. avoir besoin de to have need of; to need.
besson (n.m.) male twin. See also: jumeau.
bessonne (n.f.) female twin. See also: jumelle.
bête (n.f.) [BET] 1. animal. 2. cow, cattle. (adj.) 1. dumb, stupid. 2. silly.
bête puante (n.f.) [BET PYAnT] skunk.
bête rouge (n.f.) [BET ROOZH] red bug; chigger.
bête à Bon Dieu (n.f.) ladybug.
betterave (n.f.) beet.
beurre (n.m.) butter.
bible (n.f.) [BEEB] bible.
bien (adv.) well.
bien-élevé (adj.) 1. well-raised; 2. xhibiting signs of being properly raised; well behaved; polite.
bière (n.f.) beer.
bine (n.m.) bean.
biscuit (n.m.) [BEESKWEE] biscuit.
blanc (n.m./adj.) white. (Feminine: blanche.)
blé (n.m.) wheat.
blesser (v.) to wound.
blessure (n.f.) wound
bleu (adj.) blue. gros bleu. navy blue.
blouse (de nuit) (n.f.) nightgown. See also: camisole.
boeuf (n.m.) ox.
boire (v.t.) to drink.
boghei (n.m.) buggy.
bol (n.f.) [BAW L] bowl [In SF and some places in Louisiana, bol is a masculine noun.]
botte (n.f.) boot. tomber en botte to fall into ruin; to fall apart.
boucaner (v.t.) [BOO KAH NEH] smoke (meats, etc.)
boucané (past part.) [BOO KAH NEH] smoked. T'aimes mieux la saucisse fraîche ou boucanée? (Do you prefer fresh or smoked sausage?)
boucher (v.t.) 1. to stop up. 2. to plug. (n.m.) butcher.
boucherie (n.f.) [BOOSHREE] butchering.
Bouki (n.m.) a canine character in Creole folktales, typically the dimwitted victim of Lapin's trickery. [bouki is a Wolof word meaning "hyena"]
bouillie (n.f.) [BOOYEE] 1. custard. 2. a type of soup made of organ meats [Evangeline].
bougre (n.m.) [rhymes with first syllable of "sugar" or in some areas is pronounced BOH-G] 1. man; guy. 2. [in direct address] buddy; pal. Quoi ça dit, bougre? (What's happening, buddy?; What do you say, man?)
boulette (n.f.) [BOOLET] 1. meatball. 2. small ball of a substance, typically rolled by hand. boulette de genou knee-cap.
bourdon (n.m.) bumble bee.
bourriquet (n.m.) donkey.
bourgeon (n.m.) bud of a plant. Quand tu vois des bourgeons sus les pacaniers, c'est un signe qu'on aura p'us de gelées.(When you see buds on the pecan trees, it's a sign that there will be no more freezes.)
bourgeonner (v.i.) to bud.
bourrer (v.t.) to stuff. chaise bourrée upholstered chair.
bouton (n.m.) 1. button. 2. blemish; pimple.
braillard (adj.) whiney; suseptible to crying. (n.m.) one who cries a lot.
brailler (v.i.) [BRAH YEH] to cry.
branche (n.f.) branche.
bras (n.m.) arm.
brasser (v.t.) to stir.
brebis (n.f.) ewe; female sheep. Variant: Moutonne.
brème (n.m.) eggplant. In Standard French: aubergine.
bretelle (n.f.) suspender. Variant pronunciation: bertelle.
brin (n.m.) [BREn] a very small quantity; a bit. Il a mis un petit brin de piment dans la sauce. (He put a little bit of pepper in the gravy.) (adv.)a little bit; a little.
brise (n.f.) breeze.
briser (v.t.) to break.
broguin (n.m.) 1. workboot. 2. any type of heavy, lace-up boot.
brouillard (n.m.) fog.
bru (n.f.) daughter-in-law. See also: alliance, belle-fille.
brûler (v.) to burn.
brun (adj.) brown.
brunante (n.f.) dusk.
bu past participle of boire.
bûcher (v.t.) to beat; to hit; to beat up.
butin (n.m.) household goods and possessions.
butte (n.f.) hill.
buveur (n.m.) drinker. buveur de lait tee-totaler, one who does not drink alcohol.
C
ça (pro.) 1. that. ça c'est that is. Ça c'est la maison de cour. (That's the courthouse.) 2. they [when previously referred to or impersonal form] Ça boit et ça fume et ça couche au serein. (They drink and they smoke and they stay out all night.) (adj.) 3.that [for emphasis] Cet homme-ça a jamais travaillé un jour de sa vie. (That man (there) never worked a day in his life!)
cabaler (v.t.) 1. to solicit favors from; to coax. 2. to campaign politically.
câble (n.m.) [KAHB] rope; cable.
cabri (n.m.) [KAHBREE] 1. goat. [In SF, this word refers to a baby goat or kid. The CF usage cited here is also common in the Antilles.]
cacher (v.t.) to hide.
cacher-faite (n.m.) [KAH SHEH FET] hide and go seek game. [A preferred spelling has not been established. Variant spellings include: cachez-fête, caché -faite, cache-et-fête, etc.] Variant form: fête à cacher (LaFourche/Terrebonne).
cadien (adj./.n.) [KAH JEn] Cajun. Variant spelling: cadjin.
café (n.m.) 1. coffee. 2. café.
cage (n.f.) cage.
cagou (adj.) 1. appearing to be sick. 2. feeling ill.
caille (adj.) [KAHY] 1. mottled. 2 of fabric, characterized by patterns or designs such as paisley.
caïman (n.m.) [KAHY MAn] alligator. (Terrebonne/LaFourche). See also: cocodri.
calebasse (n.f.) gourd; type of gourd squash.
caleçon (n.m.) underpants. Variant: caneçon.
caltron (n.m.) cardboard. Variant: carton.
camisole (n.f.) [KAH MEE ZAWL] nightgown. See also: blouse (de nuit)
camper (v.) huddle.
canaille (adj.) [KAH NAHY] 1. mischievous [of children]. 2. sneaky, wily. [This word does not have the strong pejorative connotation it has in standard French.]
canaillerie (n.f.) [KAH NAH YREE] mischief trickery.
canard (n.m.) duck.
canard français (n.m.) mallard.
candi barré (n.m.) 1. peppermint candy cane; 2. a dandy or effeminate male.
caneçon (n.m.) underpants. Variant: caleçon.
canique (n.f.) [KAH NEEK] 1. marble (child's toy). 2. testicle.
canne (n.f.) 1. sugar cane. 2. walking cane. 3. drinking straw. canne (n.f.) à sucre sugar cane.
capot (n.m.) [KAPO] coat, jacket. capot ciré (n.m.) raincoat.
capoter (v.i/t) to turn over; to turn upside down.
caracoler (v.i.) to swagger; to sway.
cardinau (n.m.) cardinal.
carencro (n.m.) vulture; buzzard.
caresse (n.f.) 1. caress. 2. hug.
carotte (n.f.) carrot.
carrément (adv.) [KAH REH MAn] 1. directly; immediately. 2. abruptly.
carte (n.f.) 1. map. 2. card.
carton (n.m.) cardboard. Variants: caltron, calton.
casser (v.t.) 1.to break. 2. to break up (a party or dance) by provoking a fight. 3. of corn, to pick or harvest. casser la paille to break off relations, of a couple or of friends.
catin (n.f.) 1. doll. 2. term of endearment for a female.
cause (n.f.) cause; reason. à cause de because of. See also: par rapport à.
causer (v.i.) to converse; to talk. (v.t.) to cause; to be the cause of .
ceinture (n.f.) 1. belt. 2. medical condition known as shingles.
céleri (n.m.) celery.
cercueil (n.m.) coffin.
cerise (n.f.) cherry.
chaboulure (n.f.) prickly heat. Variant: chouboulure. [Often used in the plural.] Proverb: Si c'est pas les maringouins, c'est les chaboulures. (There'salways something wrong. If it's not one thing, it's another.)
chacun (n.m.) each one.
chadègue (n.) grapefruit [in the Lafourche area] (SF pamplemousse).
chaise (n.f.) chair. chaise bourrée upholstered chair.
chambre (n.f.) room. chambre à bain bathroom. chambre à coucher bedroom.
chameau (n.m.) camel.
champ (n.m.) field (agricultural) [in Lafourche Parish] See also: clos.
champignon (n.m.) mushroom.
chance (n.f.) 1. luck. 2. chance.
chandelle (n.f.) candle. chandelle de glace icicle. See also: dent de glace.
chanson (n.f.) song.
chanter (v.t./i) to sing.
chaoui (n.m.) [SHAH WEE] raccoon.
chapeau (n.m.) hat.
chapelet (n.m.) [SHAH PLEH] rosary.
chaque (adj.) each.
char (n.m.) car. [SF voiture; automobile] Il a acheté son char avec Howard Fontenot(he bought his car from Howard Fontenot.)
charrer (v.i.) to chat; to talk.
charrue (n.f.) plow.
chasse (n.f.) 1. hunting. 2. hunt.
chasser (v.t.) to hunt.
chassis (n.m.) window. [Originally, the chassis referred to glass-paned windows with a sash (SF chassis) which lifted and lowered, while a fenêtre was a rectangular opening in a wall , usually with a shutter hinged at the top, which was propped open by a stick. In plantation-style homes, the shutters opened sideways.]
chaste-femme (n.f.) [SHAHS FAM] [SHAHS FAnM] 1. midwife. Variant to reflect pronunciation: chasse-femme. [Compare to SF sage-femme].
chat (n.m.) cat.
chatte (n.f.) female cat.
chat tigre (n.m.) bobcat.
chaud (adj.) 1. hot. 2. excited. 3. angry.
chaudière (n.f.) cooking pot. chaudière noire black cast iron pot. [SF chaudron]
chaudin (n.m.) pig stomach stuffed with sausage meat and seasoning. Variant: panse bourrée.
chauffer (v.t.) 1. to heat. 2. to drive (a vehicle).
chaussette (n.f.) (woman or child's) sock.
chausson (n.m.) 1. slipper. 2. (man's) sock.
chaux (n.f.) [SHO] lime (mineral).
chemise (n.f.) shirt.
chenille (n.f.) caterpillar
chercher (v.) to look for; to search.
chesser (v.i./t) to dry. Variant: sécher.
chesseresse (n.f.) [SHESRES] drought; dry spell. Variant: sécheresse.
cheval(n.m.) horse. chevel de course race horse. cheval (du) diable praying mantis. cheval nain pony.
chevrette (n.f.) shrimp. [The SF crevette was originally a dialectal variant of chevrette in France.]
chevreuil (n.m.) deer.
chèvrefeuille (n.m.) honeysuckle.
cheveu (n.m.) hair [plural: cheveux]
chicot (n.m.) stump. chicot de canne cane stubble.
chien (n.m.) dog.
chienne (n.f.) female dog.
chignon (n.m.) 1. nape of the neck. 2. lower back of the head.
choix (n.m.) choice.
choquer (v.t.) to anger; to make angry.
chou (n.m.) cabbage.
chouboulure (n.f.) prickly heat. Variant: chaboulure.
choucroute (n.f.) 1. sauerkraut. 2. cole slaw.
chouette (n.f.) screech owl.
choufleur (n.m.) cauliflower.
cicatrice (n.f.) scar.
ciel (n.m.) 1. sky. 2. heaven.
cigale (n.m.) 1. cicada. 2. mosquito hawk; dragonfly. [In areas where cigale is used to mean "mosquito hawk," the term for cicada is cigale de bois. In Lafourche Parish, the term for "cicada" is cigale de nuit.] 3. ultralight airplane (Lafourche).
cigale de bois (n.f.) cicada [in areas where cigale means "mosquito hawk."]
cigale de nuit (n.f.) cicada [Lafourche Parish: In Lafourche, cigale is a mosquito hawk].
cimetière (n.m.) cemetery. Variant to reflect common pronunciation: cimitière.
cinq (adj numér.) five.
cipre (n.m.) cypress tree; cypress wood. Variant spelling: cypre.
ciprière (n.f.) 1. cypress grove or forest; stand of cypress. 2. cypress swamp. Variant spelling: cyprière.
cloche (n.f.) bell.
clos (n.m.) field [agricultural]. clos d'huile oil patch, oil field. Mon frère a travaillé douze ans dans lesclos d'huile. (My brother worked for twelve years in the oil fields.) See also the Lafourche Parish variant: champ.
closette (n.f.) closet.
clou (n.m.) nail.
coco (n.m.) 1. egg. 2. (figurative) odd character. Monsieur Aldus Hébert? Tu parles d'un drole de coco! (Mr. Aldus Hebert? You talk about a strange bird!)
cochon (n.m.) pig.
cocodinde (n.?.) freckle. [SF tache de roussure]
cocodri (n.m.) alligator. Variant spellings: cocodril, cocodrie.
cogner (v.t.) to knock. Quelqu'un est après cogner à la porte. (Someone is knocking at the door.)
collation (n.f.) 1. between-meal snack; 2. (wedding) reception. See also: dessert.
coller (v.) to glue.
collège (n.m.) college.
compter (v.t.) to count.
commit (n.m.) salesclerk.
concombre (n.m.) cucumber. Variant spelling to reflect pronunciation: cocombre.
confiture (n.f.) jam, preserves.
congo(n.m.) water mocassin.
content (adj.) happy; contented.
contenter (v.r.) to be contented; to be satisfied.
conter (v.t.) to recount, as a story. See also: raconter.
corne (n.f.) horn (of an animal).
corneille (n.f.) crow.
corsage (n.m.) 1. woman's blouse. 2. bodice (of a dress).
corus (n.m.) rooster. Variant spelling: corusse. See also: guime; guème.
coton (n.m.) cotton.
coton de maïs (n.m.) corn cob.
cou (n.m.) neck.
coude (n.m.) elbow.
coudre (v.t.) to sew.
couillon (n.m.) [KOO YOn] 1. imbecile; fool. 2. crazy person. 3. funny person. (adj.) 1. foolish. 2. crazy. 3. funny.
couler (v.i.) to flow. se couler to pass (as in time); to flow.
coupable (adj.) guilty. Elle se sent coupable parce qu'elle a pas voulu donner de l'argent à son frère. (She feels guilty because she didn't want to give money to her brother.)
couper (v.t.) 1. to cut. 2. to harvest [of sugar cane, beans and certain other crops]
cour (n.f.) yard.
courir (v.t.) to run. [Past participle: couri].
couronne (n.f.) 1. crown. 2. wreath of flowers traditionally worn by a bride. By extension, the wreath and veil ensemble worn by a bride.
cours (n.m.) a course, a class.
course (n.f.) race.
court (adj.) short.
courtiser (v.t.) to court romantically; to woo.
cousin (n.m.) 1. male cousin. 2. mosquito (regional)
cousine (n.m.) female cousin.
courtiser (v.t.) to court.
coushaw (n.m.) coushaw; type of gourd.
couteau (n.m.) knife.
couvert (adj./past participle) covered. Le temps est couvert. (The weather is overcast.)
couverte (n.f.) blanket. (SF couverture)
couverture (n.f.) 1. roof. une couverture de zinc tin roof. 2. cover. (SF toit. In LaFourche area, toit usually refers to the roof of a lean-to or other primitive shelter)
couvrir/couvère/couvert (v.) to cover.
cracher (v.t) to spit.
crampe (n.f.) cramp.
crapaud (n.m.) 1. toad. 2. muscle cramp [of the extremities]. 3. crusty nasal excretion.
craquer (v.t.) to crack.
craquette (n.f.) cracker. Mon père peut pas manger son gombo sans craquettes. (My father cannot eat gumbo without crackers.) (SF biscuit)
craqueur d'os (n.m.) chiropractor.
crasse (n.f.) 1. crud; filth; sticky dirt. 2. (Figurative) low class person or people. Tu vas pas te marier avec lui! C'est de la crasse pure! (You're not going to marry him! He's pure trash!)
crasseux (adj.) filthy; encrusted with filth or dirt. C'est tout crasseux derrière la glacière. (It's filthy behind the refrigerator.)
crayon (n.m.) pencil.
crème (n.f.) 1. cream. 2. ice cream. (Sometimes referred to as crème glacée to distinguish it from cream.)
crevaison (n.f.) flat tire.
crin (n.m.) mane.
crise cardiaque (n.f.) heart attack. Variant: attaque de coeur.
criquet (n.m.) criket.
croche (adj.) crooked.
croire (v.t.) to believe. Comment tu crois? (expr.)(How do you like that? What do you think of that?)
croupillon (n.m.) 1. tailbone of fowl. 2. (Figurative) rear end of a person.
crotte (n.f.) [KRAWT] 1. turd. 2. (Figurative) disagreable, nasty person.
croûte (n.f.) [KROOT] crust.
cuillère (n.f.) spoon. cuillère à lait ladle.
cuire (v.t.) to cook. (Past participle: cuit)
cuisse (n.f.) thigh [Sometimes pronounced CHWEES]
cyprès (n.m.) 1. cedar tree; cedar wood. Variant spelling: ciprès.
cyprière (n.f.) 1. cypress grove or forest; stand of cypress. 2. cypress swamp. Variant spelling: ciprière.
cul (n.m.) [CHU] ass; anus. Variant to reflect pronunciation: tchu.
culotte (n.f.) pants. fond de culotte seat of one's pants.
D
danger (n.m.) danger.
dangereux (adj.) dangerous.
dans (prep.) in; inside.
danser (v.t.) to dance.
date (n.f.) [pron. DAHT] date. Quoi c'est la date aujourd'hui? (What's the date today?) See also: quantième
daube (n.f.) 1. roast (cut of meat).
de nos jours (expr.) in our time.
déchirer (v.t.) to tear up into shreds or pieces.
décider de (v.i.) to decide to.
declarer (v.t.) to declare. (v.i.) of a couple, to announce or make official one's engagement.
défunt (adj.) deceased. [Used in front of names of deceased to indicated respect, much as Cajuns use "poor old" or "poor little" in front of names of deceased when referring to them. Somewhat similar to the English term of respect for the dead "the late....."] C'est là é-oùdéfunt Nonc Pierre travaillait avant la guerre.(That's where poor old Uncle Pierre worked before the war.)
délivrer (v.t.) 1. to save; to deliver (as from a curse or spell); 2. to deliver (as a package).
demain (adj.) tomorrow.
déménager (v.t./i/) 1. to move (from one household to another).
dent (n.f.) tooth. dent de glaceicicle. See also: chandelle de glace.
dentelle (n.f.) lace.
dentiste (n.m./f.) dentist.
dérangement (n.m.) diarrhea. [Many Cajuns are now familiar with the SF term le Grand Dérangement to refer to the 18th century deportation and dispersal of Acadians from Nova Scotia.]
dernier (adj.) last. [Feminine: dernière]
derrière (prep.) behind. (n.m.) buttocks.
dessert (n.m.) 1. dessert. 2. wedding reception. See also: collation.
dételer (v.t.) [DEH TLEH] to unharness.
deux (adj numér.) two.
devant (prep.) in front of. (n.m.) front.
devenir (v.t.) 1.to come from E-où (est-)ce que tu deviens? (Where are you from?) 2. to become. See also: venir.
diable (n.m.) devil. Alternate spelling to reflect pronunciation: djable.
dieu (n.m.) god. Bon Dieu God; the Good Lord.
dimanche (n.m.) Sunday.
dinde (n.f.) turkey.
dîner (v.) to have the noon meal, to eat lunch.
dire (v.t.) to say; to tell. on dirait it seems as if; it ressembles Regarde la petite fille à Henry! On dirait une femme de vingt-cinq ans! (Look at Henry's daughter! She looks like a 25 year old woman!)
dix (adj numér.) ten.
dix-huit (adj numér.) eighteen.
dix-neuf (adj numér.) nineteen.
dix-sept (adj numér.) seventeen.
doigt (n.m.) [pron. DWAH] finger.
docteur (n.m.) doctor.
dompter (v.t.) [DOnTEH] to tame.
donner (v.t.) [DOn NEH] to give.
dos (n.m.) [pron. sounds like "doe"] back [part of the body]
douce (adj. fem.) [DOOS] sweet; gentle. eau douce fresh, non-ocean water.
doucement (adv.) 1. slowly. 2. softly. (adj. invariable) not very bright; slow to learn. Jacques apprend bien à l'école mais son petit frère est manièredoucement. (Jacques learns well at school, but his brother is rather slow.)
douceur (n.f.) sweets. Elle mange p'us dedouceur depuis qu'elle a la maladie de sucre.(She doesn't eat sweets anymore since she has diabetes.)
doux (adj.) [DOO] 1. gentle. 2. sweet [with sugar]. Feminine: douce.
douze (adj numér.) twelve.
drap (n.m.) [DRAH] bedsheet.
drapeau (n.m.) 1. flag. 2. diaper.
drigaille (n.f.) 1. rubbish; trash. 2. shiftless or reprehensible people. Il faut pas que t'ailles là-bas! C'est rien que de la drigaille qui fréquente cette place! (You mustn't go there! Nothing but trashy people hang out in that place.)
droite (n.f.) right. Tourne à la droite après l'église. (Turn (to the) right after the church.) (adv.) directly; just; right. Je l'ai trouvé droite devant la maison. (I found it just in front of the house.) Variant pronunciations:[DRWAHT][DRWET] [DRET]. Variant spelling to reflect pronunciation variants: drète.
drole (adj.) [DRAWL] 1. strange; bizarre; wierd. [Compare to SF drôle, meaning "humorous". The Cajun drole is rather pejorative.] C'est pas drole que... No wonder; it's not surpising that.
dur (adj) 1. hard. 2. difficult.
duvet (n.m.) fuzz.
E
eau (n.f.) water. eau douce fresh, non-ocean water. eau salée salt water; ocean water.
échapper (v.t.) to drop. Il a échappé sa boisson par terre. (He dropped his drink on the ground.)
eclair (n.m.) lightning. Variant: éloize.
écouter (v.t.) to listen; to listen to.
écraser (v.t.) to crush; to mash down.
écrevisse (n.f.) crawfish.
écureuil (n.m.) squirrel.
ein/eine a, an, one. [This spelling is used to reflect the common pronunciation of un/une.]
éléphant (n.m.) elephant.
elle (pron.) she. Variant to reflect pronunciation: alle [used in front of words beginning with vowel sounds]. (obj. of prep.) her. Il est parti avec elle. (He left with her.) (pron. disj.) C'est elle qui m'a dit ça. (It's she who told me that.)
éloize (n.f.) lightning bolt. Variant: éclair.Variant pronunciation: élouèze.
embêter (v.t.) 1. to aggravate; to irritate. 2. to trick.
embracer (v.) to kiss.
enfant (n.m./f.) child.
engager (v.t.) 1. to hire. 2. to commit to; to take on the responsibility of. Marie s'a engagée à nous trouver une place pour rester. (Marie took on the responsibility of finding us a place to stay.)
engraisser (v.i.) to gain weight. (v.t.) 1. to fatten up. 2. to fertilize [agricultural].
ennuyer (v.r.) 1. to be lonesome, bored, sad. s'ennuyer de to miss. La petite fille s'ennuie de ses parents. (The little girl misses her parents.)
ensemble (adj.) together.
enterrement (n.m) 1. burial. 2. (by extension) funeral.
enterrer (v.t.) to bury.
entêté (adj.) stubborn; pigheaded.
entourer (v.t.) to surround; to encircle.
entre (adj.) between.
entrer (v.) to enter.
envaler (v.t.) to swallow. (SF avaler)
envelopper (v.t.) to wrap. J'ai proche fini d'envelopper les présents. (I've almost finished wrapping the presents.)
envie (n.f.) desire; want; inclination.
envoler (s'~) (v.r.) to fly off. s'envoler to fly away. Les oiseaux s'envolent dans le sud en hiver. (Birds fly south in the winter.)
envoyer (v.t.) to send.
épailler (v.t.) 1. to spread out. 2. to scatter.
épais (adj.) thick. Feminine: épaisse.
épaule (n.f.) shoulder.
épinard (n.m.) spinach.
epouser (v.) to marry.
es (v.i.) [More or less rhymes with last syllable of "café"-don't pronounce the "s"] Form of être (to be) are (2nd person sing.) T'es paré? (Are you ready?).
escalin (n.m.) twelve and a half cents; a bit. [Used today only in the expression six escalins, seventy-five cents.]
escouer (v.t.) to shake. [Compare to SF secouer].
espeler (v.t) [ESPLEH] to spell.
espérer (v.t.) to wait (for). Les enfants espèrent le transfert devant la boutique. (The children wait for the bus in front of the store.)
espoir (n.m.) hope. expr. avoir espoir de+ infinitive to hope to (do something)
esquelette (n.m.) skeleton.
esprit (n.m.) [EHSPREE] intelligence; common sense.
essayer (v.t.) to try. Variant to reflect alternate pronunciation: assayer.
est (v.i.) [more or less rhymes with last syllable of "café"-don't pronounce the "st"] Form of être (to be) is, are. Oscar est dehors. (Oscar is outside.) On est parent avec Monsieur Babineaux. (We are related to Mr. Babineaux.)
est (n.m.) [pron. EST] East.
estomac (n.m.) [EHSTOMA] 1. stomach. 2. chest. estomac de poule chicken breast.
estropié past. part (adj.) crippled.
état (n.m.) state.
étalon (n.m.) stallion.
été (n.m.) summer.
été (past. part) 1. been [p.p. of être]. 2. went [This form is used much more commonly in the passé composé than forms of aller to express "went"]. J'ai été au bal hier au soir. (I went to the dance last night.)
éteindre (v.t.) (of a fire or light) to extinguish; to put out.
étoffe (n.f.) fabric; cloth.
étoile (n.f.) star.
étonnement (n.m.) astonishment.
étonner (v.r.) to be astonished.
étouffée (n.f.) style of cooking in which the food is "smothered" by being cooked while covered. étouffée d'écrevisse crawfish étouffee or smothered crawfish.
étouffer (v.t.) to smother.
étrangler (v.t.) to strangle.
être (v.i.) to be [infinitive] J'aime pas (d')être en retard. (I don't like to be late.)
étudiant (n.m.) student.
étudiante (n.f.) student.
eux-autres (pron. obj. of preposition) them. Pierre a travaillé vingt ans avec eux-autres. (Pierre worked with them for 20 years.). they (subj) Eux-autres peut/pouvont pas comprendre le français. (They can't understand French.) [The verb form used with pronouns ending in -autres is variable. Both the 3rd person singular and 3rd person plural forms are heard.]
eusse (pron. obj. of preposition) them. (pron. subject) they. [This form is more commonly used in the southeast parishes of Terrebonne and Lafourche.]
éventer (v.t.) to sniff; smell. J'ai éventé l'oeuf pour voir s'il était pourri. (I smelled the egg to see if it was rotten.)
F
fâcher (v.t.) to anger. (v.r.) to get angry.
faim (n.f.) hunger.
faire (v.t.) 1. to make. 2. to do. Il fait, ça fait + weather term.The weather is-----. Ça fait chaud. (The weather is hot.) Il fait beau. (The weather is nice.) Ça fait (du) soleil. (It's sunny.)
faire attention (expr.) 1. to pay attention. 2. to be careful.
faire drôle (expr.) to appear strange; to act weird.
faire maigre to fast; to not eat meat, usually as part of a religious observance. Dans le vieux temps le monde avait l'habitude de faire maigre tous les vendredis.
faire mieux (de) (expr.) to do better (to); to be better off (doing something).
faire récolte (expr.) 1. to farm. 2. to harvest.
fais (v.t.) 1st and 2nd person singular form of faire in the present tense.
fait (v.t.) 3rd person singular form of faire in the present tense.
falcon (n.m.) falcon.
famille (n.f.) family. en famille pregnant.
fanner (v.i/t.) to wilt.
far (n.m.) stuffing.
faraud (adj.) dressed up; well-dressed.
farce (adj.) funny; comical. (n.f.) joke; practical joke.
farine (n.f.) flour. farine française white flour. farine de maïs corn meal.
farouche (adj.) wild; feral.
fatras (n.m.) [FAH TRAH] 1. trash; garbage. 2. no-account person.
faucheuse (n.f.) lawn mower. See also: machine à z'herbes .
femme (n.f.) 1. woman. 2. wife.
fer (n.m.) iron.
fertilizer (v.)
fesse (n.f.) buttock.
fête (n.f.) 1. birthday. 2. party; feast; celebration.
feu (n.m.) fire.
feuille (n.f.) leaf.
fève (n.f.) bean. fève plate butter bean. fève au coeur noir black-eyed pea. Variant: fève à coeur noir.
figue (n.f.) fig.
fille (n.f.) [FEEY] 1. girl. 2. daughter. 3. as yet unmarried (of a young woman).
fiancer (v.r.) to become betrothed (engaged). Je crois qu'ils vont se fiancer pour Noël. (I think they're going to get engaged at Christmas.)
fiancé (adj.) engaged.Ovide et Eugénie sont fiancés. (Ovide and Eugénie are engaged.) (n.m.) man to whom one is betrothed.
fiancée (n.f.) woman to whom one is betrothed.
fiel (n.m.) gall bladder.
fier (adj.) [FYER] 1. proud. 2 happy.
fièvre (n.f.) fever.
figure (n.f.) face.
fille (n.f.) 1. girl. 2. unmarried young woman. jeune fille girl. petite fille little girl [Usually pronounced: TEET FEEY].
fin-fond (n.m.) the boondocks; a remote place. Variants: fin-fi-fond; fin-si-fond. [Fin-fin-fond is often used in the plural.]
flaman (n.m.) flamingo.
fleur (n.f.) flower.
fleurir (v.i.) 1. to bloom. 2. to pop (of popcorn).
fluxion (n.f.) pneumonia.
fois (n.f.) time; incident. Il est/a tombé trois fois de son cheval, mais à chaque fois il a remonté. (He fell three times from his horse, but each time he got on again.)
fond (n.m.) bottom. fond de culotte seat of one's pants.
fondre (v.) to melt
font (v. t.) 3rd person plural form of faire in the present tense. Variant: faisont.
fort (adj.) 1. strong. 2. of the age of reason, about six or seven years old. J' étais déjà fort quand ma mère a mouri. (I was already out of babyhood, of the age of reason, when my mother died.) Comment fort il était?How old was he [in speaking of a young child]?
fou (adj.) crazy [Feminine: folle].
fouille-merde (n.f.) dung beetle.
fouiller (v.t.) [FOOYEH] 1. to dig. (v.i.) 2. to dig around; to search aimlessly (as in a drawer or closet). [Often said of children caught in places where they aren't supposed to be.] fouiller des patates to harvest potatoes.
fouine (n.f.) mink.
fourchette (n.f.) fork (eating utensil).
fourmi (n.f.) See: fromi.
fourre-nez (n.m.) busybody. (adj. invariable) meddlesome.
frais (adj.) cool. (Feminine: fraîche)
fraise (n.f.) strawberry.
frapper (v.) to hit.
fréquenter (v.t.) [FREH KAnTEH] 1. to be a regular visitor to (a place or person); to socialize regularly with (of people).
frère (n.m.) brother.
frisson (n.m.) chill; goosebump. Les contes de loup-garou me donnent des frissons. (Werewolf tales give me the chills.)
frit (adj.) fried.
fromi (n.f.) ant. Variant spelling: fromille. Variant: fourmi. [SF fourmi] avoir des fromis to have numbness or "pins and needles" in an extremity.
fromille (n.f.) ant. Variant spelling: fromi. Variant: fourmi. [SF fourmi] avoir des fromilles to have numbness or "pins and needles" in an extremity.
front (n.m.) forehead.
frotter (v.t.) to rub.
frottoir (n.m.) 1. rubboard; washboard. 2. musical rubboard, a corrogated metal rhythm instrument usually worn over the chest and scratched with a spoon or other metal implement.
fumer (v.t.) smoke (cigarettes, pipes, etc.) See also: boucaner.
fumier (n.m.) fertilizer; manure.
G
gager (v.) to bet.
gagnant (n.m.) winner. gagner son pain make a living.
galerie (n.f.) porch; veranda. prendre la galerie. (to go out on the porch.)
galeux (adj.) 1. mangy. 2. lazy.
galoper (v.) 1.to run. 2. to gallop.
gant (n.m.) glove.
garçon (n.m.) 1. boy. 2. son. Mon garçon reste pas loin d'ici. (My son lives not far from here.) vieux garçon bachelor; man who has never married.
garde-manger (n.m.) pie safe; cabinet where food is kept.
garder (v.t.) 1. to keep. 2. to watch (derived from regarder).
garrocher (v.t.) to throw. Variant spelling: garocher.
gaspillage (n.m.) waste.
gaspiller (v.t.) [GAH SPEE YEH] to waste.
gâter (v.t.) to spoil. gâté pourri spoiled rotten [often said of a child]
gâteau (n.m.) cake. petit gâteau cookie.
gazette (n.f.) newspaper.
geai bleu (n.m.) blue jay.
gendre (n.m.) [ZHAnN] son-in-law. See also: alliance.
gens (n.m.) young man.
gêné (adj.) shy; easily embarrassed.
giraumon (n.m.) pumpkin.
gelée (n.f.) freeze.
geler (v.t.) to freeze.
généreux (adj.) generous [feminine: généreuse]
genou (n.m.) knee. [plural: genoux]
glace (n.f.) ice.
glacer (v.i.) to ice; to freeze.
gland (n.m.) acorn.
glissant (adj.) slippery.
glisser (v.i./t.) to slip; to slide.
glorieux (adj.) vain; seeking glory [feminine: glorieuse]
gobelet (n.m.) 1. goblet. 2. glass.
gombo févi (n.m.) okra.
gonfler (v.t.) 1. to swell up; 2. to inflate.
gorge (n.f.) throat.
gourlot (n.m.) jingle bell. [SF grelot]
gourmand (n.m.) a greedy eater. (adj.) gluttonous.
goût (n.m.) taste. Proverb: A chacun son goût. To each his own.
goûter (v.t.) to taste.
goutte (n.f.) drop. Ils se ressemblent comme deux gouttes d'eau. (They resemble each other like two drops of water.)
graine (n.f.) seed.
grand (adj.) 1. big. 2. tall.
grand-mère (n.f.) grandmother.
grand-père (n.m.) grandfather.
grappe (n.f.) cluster, as of grapes.
gratin (n.m.) in cooked foods, the crust formed by browning in contact with the pot or cooking container. Le gratin dans la chaudière à riz est la meilleure partie. (The crust in the rice pot is the best part.)
gratte-à-bombe (n.f.) scouring pad. (LaFourche)
gratter (v.t.) to scratch.
gratton (n.m.) cracklin.
grègue (n.f.) coffeepot.
grémille (n.f.) crumb.
grenier (n.m.) attic; ceiling.
grenouille (n.f.) frog.
grimacer (v.i.) to mist; to rain very lightly.
grippe (n.f.) flu.
gris (adj.) grey.
grisgris (n.m.) curse.
grive (n.f.) American robin.
gros (adj.) 1. fat. 2. big. gros bleu navy blue. gros + color dark. Ils ont peinturé son wagon gros vert. (They painted his wagon dark green.) je t'aime gros I love you very much. [feminine: grosse]
grouiller (v.t.) [GROOYEH] to move.
gru (n.m.) grits. On a mangé du gru au déjeuner ce matin. (We ate grits for breakfast this morning.)
guème (n.m.) rooster. See also: corusse; guime.
guêpe (n.f.) wasp.
guerre (n.f.) war. la première grande guerre World War I. la deuxième grande guerre World War II.
guetter (v.t.) 1. to watch. Alle a mesuré eine cuillerée de vanille et j'ai guetté les ronds de vanille bruns disparaître. (She measured a spoonful of vanilla and I watched the brown circles of vanilla disappear.) -Earlene Broussard, "Le Tablier." 2. to be on the lookout for.
guime (n.m.) rooster. See also: guème; corusse.
H
habillement (n.m.) [AH BEEY MAn] 1. clothing. 2. outfit.
habiller (v.t.) [AH BEE YEH] to dress. s'habiller to get dressed; to dress oneself.
habitant (n.m.) farmer; farmworker; rural dweller.
habitation (n.f.) 1. farm. 2. farmstead. 3. plantation.
hacher (v.t.) [HAH SHEH] to chop up. viande hachée ground meat. See also: mouler.
haïr (v.t.) [pron. HAH EER] to hate.
haïssable (adj.) [pron. HAH-EE-SAHB] hateful; despicable.
haler (v.t) [HAHLEH] to pull; to haul.
halle (n.f.) [HAHL] meat market.
hameçon (n.m.) [AHM SOn] fish hook.
hanche (n.f.) [HAnSH] hip.
haria (n.m.) [HAH RYAH] 1. troublemaker. 2. no-account person.
haricot (n.m.) bean.
hélas (n.m.) [EHLAH] sigh. faire des grands hélas [GRAnZEHLAH] to exclaim.
herbe (n.f.) grass. l'herbe à la puce poison ivy. les grandes herbes tall grass. L'herbe coquine cockleburr. See also: arcotchin.
héron (n.m.) heron.
hibou (n.m.) [EEBOO] owl.
histoire (n.f.) 1. story. 2. history.
hiver (n.m.) winter.
honnête (adj.) honest.
honneur (n.f.) honor.
honte (n.f.) shame; embarrassment. avoir honte to be embarrassed.
honteux (adj.) 1. embarrassing; scandalous. 2. easily embarrassed (of a person); timid.
hormis que (conj.) [AWRMEE KEUH] unless.
hôtel (n.m.) hotel.
hourra (n.m.) 1. a large quantity. 2. a hubbub.
huile (n.f.) 1. oil. 2. petroleum.
huit (adj numér.) eight.
I
ici (adv.) here. Variant: icitte.
icitte (adv.) here. Variant: ici.
idée (n.f.) 1. idea. 2. mind. faire son idée to make up one's mind.
il (subj. pron.) he; it.
île (n.f.) island. la Grand'Ile Grand Isle.
ils (subj. pron.) they. [The feminine form elles is very rare. Ils is typically used to refer to both masculine and feminine groups.]
imbécile (n.m.) imbecile.
important (adj.) important.
importer (v.t.) to import.
impossible (adj.) impossible.
innocent (adj.) innocent.
intelligent (adj.) intelligent. See also: smatte.
itou (adv.) also; too. Moi itou, je veux partir. ( I want to leave, too.) Variant: aussi.
J
jalousie (n.f.) jealousy.
jamais (adv.) 1. never. 2. ever.
jaube (n.f.) mumps.
jaune (adj.) yellow. la fièvre jaune yellow fever; malaria.
jaunice (n.f.) jaundice.
je (pron. pers.) I.
jeter (v.t.) to throw away; to throw out.
jeudi (n.m.) Thursday.
jeune (adj.) young.
joli (adj.) pretty; beautiful.
joliment (adv.) very; pretty much. Ça va joliment bien aujourd'hui. (It's going pretty well today.)
jongler (v.i.) 1. to think. 2. to reflect thoughtfully.
jouer (v.i./t.) to play. jouer à la pelote to play ball. Viens jouer avec moi! (Come play with me!)
jour (n.m.) day.
journée (n.f.) day [emphazing the duration].
juge (n.m./f.) judge.
juger (v.t.) to judge.
jumeau (n.m.) twin. See also: besson.
jumelle (n.f.) twin. See also: bessonne.
jument (n.f.) mare.
jurer (v.i.) to swear.
jus (n.m.) juice. jus de chique spittle from tobacco chewing.
justice (n.f.) justice.
K
L
labourer (v.t.) to work (the land); to till. Variant: rabourer.
lâcher (v.t.) 1. to drop. 2. to let go of 3. to stop; to get off [of work or school.] On lâche l'école à trois heures et quinze. (We get off of school at 3:15.)
lafourchais (adj.) from Lafourche.
lagniappe (n.) something extra given at no cost. [From the Spanish " la ñapa" meaning "something extra," which was originally borrowed from Quechuan.]
laid(e) (adj.) ugly. laid comme un coin de banquette(ugly as the corner of a sidewalk.)
lait (n.m.) milk. buveur de lait tee-totaler; one who does not drink alcohol.
laitue (n.f.) lettuce.
lamenter (v.r.) [LAH MAnTEH] 1. to complain. Edouard se lamente tout le temps qu'il a pas assez d'argent. (Edouard complains all the time that he doesn't have enough money.)
lampe (n.f.) lamp.
lapin (n.m.) rabbit.
largue (adj.) [LAHRG] tired. See also: las, fatigué.
larguer (v.t.) to tire.
las (adj.) [LAHS] tired. See also: largue, fatigué. [Fem. lasse]
lavabo (n.m.) 1. piece of furniture on which a washbowl, pitcher and towel were usually placed for personal hygiene. 2. bathroom sink; lavatory.
laver (v.t.) to wash.
lavette (n.f.) washcloth.
lèche (n.f.) fishing worm.
lendemain (n.m.) next day; day after.
lever (v.t.) to raise; to lift. lever (v.r.) to get up. Lève-toi, on a l'école aujourd'hui! (Get up, we have school today!)
liane (n.f.) vine.
licher (v.t.) to lick. Variant: lécher.
limon (n.m.) lemon.
limonade (n.f.) lemonade.
lion (n.m.) lion.
linge (n.m.) 1. clothing. Catherine voulait rester à la veille ce soir chez sa memère, mais elle a oublié son linge. (Catherine wanted to spend the night tonight at her grandmother's, but she forgot her clothes.)2. cloth; rag. une boutique de linge clothing store.
lire (v.t) read. [Past participle: li, lu]
lit (n.m.) bed. [lit is also the 3rd p. sing. form of lire in the present tense.]
livre (n.m.) 1. book. 2. grade (level in school) Mon père a quitté l'école après le quatrième livre. (My father quit school after the fourth grade.)
livre (n.f.) pound.
loup (n.m.) wolf.
loupgarou (n.m.) werewolf. Variant: rougarou. [Local legend includes other enchanted forms that humans took. For example, one could be a cheval-garou (enchanted horse). The loupgarou and other garou phenomena were legends known in the southeastern part of Louisiana and typically unfamiliar to inhabitants of the western prairies.]
lourd (adj.) heavy.
loutre (n.f.) river otter.
lumière (n.f.) light.
lundi (n.m.) Monday.
lune (n.f.) moon.
lunettes (n.f. pl.) eyeglasses.
lutte (n.f.) wrestling.
lutter (v.i.) 1. to wrestle. 2. to struggle.
M
macaque (n.m.) monkey.
macaquerie (n.f.) foulishness, monkey shines.
machine à z'herbes (n.f.) lawn mower. See also: faucheuse.maigre (adj.) 1. thin; skinny. 2. jour maigre day of fasting (in the liturgical calendar).
main (n.m.) hand.
mais(conj.) but
maïs (n.m.) [pron. MAH-EE] corn. maïs tendre tender corn (for human consumption).
maison (n.f.) house. maison de cour courthouse.
maîtresse (d'école) (n.f.) female school teacher.
maître d'école (n.m.) male school teacher.
mal (n.m.) 1. hurt; injury; pain. Ca me fait du mal quand je marche. (It hurts when I walk.)2. evil. (adj) badly.
malade (adj.) sick. (n.m./f.) sick person.
malédiction (n.f.) curse.
mal-élevé (adj.) impolite; having poor manners.
malheureux (adj.) unhappy; unfortunate.
mal-pris (loc.adj.) in a bad situation.
mangeaille (n.f.) food.
manger (v.t.) to eat. (n.m.) food.
manier (v.t.) to handle.
manière (f.) [MAn YA-R] way. J'aime pas la manière qu'il me regarde. (I don't like the way he looks at me.)(adv.) kind of; sort of. Mon beau-frère est manière paresseux. (My brother-in-law is kind of lazy.)
manquer (v.t.) 1. to miss. Il a tiré trop vite et il a manqué le canard. (He shot too fast and he missed the duck.)[Typically s'ennuyer is the verb used for the sentiment of missing a person emotionally.] manquer de + infinitive to just miss or almost (do something). J'ai manqué de me casser une jambe quand j'ai tombé. (I almost broke a leg when I fell.)
marché (n.m.) market.
mardi (n.m.) Tuesday
mari (n.m.) husband.
mariage (n.m.) marriage.
marié (n.m.) bridegroom. les mariés bridal couple. (adj.) married.
mariée (n.f.) bride.
marier (v.t./v.r.) to marry.
maringouin (n.m.) mosquito. Les maringouins ont tout mangé ma belle, ils ont laissé que les grands orteils. (Chanson traditionelle: "La valse de Holly Beach") The mousquitos at up my sweetheart; they left only her big toes. (traditional song: The Holly Beach Waltz). See also: moustique.
marraine (n.f.) godmother.
marteau (n.m.) hammer.
masquer (v.r.) to put on a mask. [By extension,] to put on a disguise or costume in which one's identity is hidden. Tu vas te masquer pour le Mardi Gras cette année? (Are you going to mask for Mardi Gras this year?)
massacrer (v.t.) 1. to beat up. 2. to damage. 3.to destroy. 4. to beat badly (as in a sports competition). LSU a massacré Tulane hier soir. (LSU beat Tulane badly last night.)
maton (n.m.) chin. Variant: menton.
matou (n.m.) tomcat.
maudire (v.t.) [MODEER] to curse.
maudit (past. part.) cursed; damned.
mauvais (adj.) bad. mauvais bétail (n.m.) insect pest. mauvaise herbe weed.
melon (n.m.) melon. melon d'eau watermelon [SF pastèque]. melon de France canteloupe. Variant: melon français.
mentau (pr.n.f.) [MEnTAHW] Mermentau. J'ai été élevé à la Mentau. (I was raised in Mermentau.) Variant: Mentav. [MEnTAHV]
mentir (v.i.) to lie; to tell an untruth.
menterie (n.f.) lie; falsehood.
mépriser (v.t.) to disdain; to show disdain for; to criticize with disdain.
même (adj.) even.
mer (n.f.) sea.
mercredi (n.m.) Wednesday.
mère (n.f.) mother.
merise (n.f.) wild cherry.
mettre (v.t.) 1. to put. 2. to put on [as of clothing]. mettre la table to set the table.
mieux (adv.) better. le mieux the better; the best. Je fais le mieux que je peux. ( I do the best that I can.)
mine (n.f.) appearance.
mirliton (n.m.) vegetable pear.
misère (n.f.) misery; trouble. faire de la misère à quelqu'un. to cause someone trouble.
mitaine (n.f.) fingerless gloves [often used protect hands and arms while picking cotton, berries, etc.]
modiste (n.f.) seamstress.
moi (pron.) me.
mois (n.m.) month.
moiselle (n.f.) firefly.
moitié (n.f.) [MO CHEH, MWAHCHEH] half. Variants to reflect spelling: motché, môtché.
monde (n.m.) 1. world. Il y a pas rien dans le monde que tu peux faire pour l'aider. (There's nothing in the world you can do to help him.)2. people; family. Mon monde devient de Scott. (My people come from Scott.)
monter (v.) to climb; to ride.
moque (n.f.) 1. mug; large cup. 2. cup [measure].
moqueur (n.m.) mockingbird.
morceau (n.m.) piece.
mordre (v.) to bite.
mort (adj.) dead. [While in SF il est mort can denote either"he is dead" or "he died," many CF speakers distinguish between the adjectival il est mort (he is dead) and the CF verbal form il a mouri (he died).]
mortalité (n.f.) 1. death (an incident); casualty. 2. mortality. Il y a eu deux mortalités dans l'accident hier au soir. (There were two deaths in last night's accident.)
mouche (n.f.) fly [insect].
mouche à feu (n.f.) firefly. [SF luciole].
mouche à miel (n.f.) honey bee. [SF abeille]
mouchoir (n.m.) handkerchief.
moudre (v.t.) to grind. Elle a moudu le café. (She ground the coffee.) Variant: mouler.
mouiller (v.i.) to rain. (The SF pleuvoir is used more rarely.)
mouler (v.t.) to grind. La viande moulée.Ground meat. Je moule mon café moi-même. (I grind my coffee myself.) Variant: moudre.
mouri past participle of mourir. See also: mort.
mourir (v.i.) to die.
moustique (n.m.) mosquito. See also: maringouin.
moutarde (n.f) 1. mustard greens. 2. mustard.
mouton (n.m.) sheep.
moutonne (n.f.) ewe; female sheep.
mulet (n.m.) mule.
mur (n.m.) wall.
mûr (adj.) ripe.
mûre (n.f.) blackberry.
N
naissance (n.f.) birth.
narine (n.f.) nostril.
navet (n.m.) turnip.
naviguer (v.t) 1. to navigate 2. to drive.
né (past. part.) born. Variant: éné.
neige (n.f.) snow.
neiger (v.t.) to snow.
netteyer (v.t.) to clean. Variant: nettoyer. See also: propter.
nettoyer (v.t.) to clean. Variant: netteyer. See also: propter.
neuf (adj numér.) nine.
neuf (adj.) new; brand new. quoi de neuf? what's new?
nic (n.m.) nest. Variant spellings: nyc, nique.
noir (adj.) black.
nom (n.m.) 1. name 2. noun. petit nom, ti-nom nickname.
non (adv.) no.
nonc (n.m.) uncle. See also: oncle.
nord (n.m.) north.
nourriture (n.f.) 1. nourishment. 2. food. See also: manger.
nous-autres (pron.) us (obj. of preposition) Nonc Octave veut aller en Ville avec nous-autres. (Uncle Octave wants to go to New Orleans with us.)
nouveau (adj.) new.
nu (adj.) nude; naked.
nuage (n.m.) cloud. See also: nuée.
nuée (n.f.) cloud. See also: nuage.
nulle part (loc. adv.) no where.
O
obstiner (v.r.) 1. to argue; to haggle. Je voulais pas m'obstiner avec ma mère. (I didn't want to argue with my mother.) Variant spelling: ostiner (the "b" sound is typically not pronounced in this word in CF).
oeuf (n.m.) egg.
oignon (n.m.) onion.
on (pron.) [sounds like a foghorn; only pronounce the "n" in front of a word beginning with a vowel sound] we; one (people in general).
oncle (n.m.) uncle (often pronouced nonc, particularly in direct address to an uncle. Nonc Adam m'a donné ce cheval. (Uncle Adam gave me this horse.))
oppression (n.f.) asthma.
orange (n.f.) orange (as is the fruit). (adj.) orange in color.
or (n.m.) gold.
oreille (n.f.) ear.
oreiller (n.m.) pillow.
orphelin (n.m.) orphan.
orphelinat (n.m.) orphanage.
orteil (n.m.) toe.
ostiner (v.r.) See: obstiner.
osseux/ osseuse (adj) bony.
ôter (v.t.) 1. to take off. 2. to take out. Il a ôté ses souliers avant d'entrer dans la maison. (He took off his shoes before entering the house.)
ouaouaron (n.m.) bullfrog.
oublier (v.t.) to forget. Variant spelling [to reflect pronunciation]: oblier.
ouest (n.m.) west.
ouragan (n.m.) hurricane. Variant spelling [to reflect pronunciation]: oragan.
ours (n.m.) bear.
outil (n.m.) [OO TEEY] tool.
ouvrage (n.m.) work.
P
pacane (n.f.) 1. pecan. 2. nothing (figurative).
pacanier (n.m.) pecan tree.
pacanière (n.f.) pecan grove; a stand of pecan trees.
padna (n.m.) 1. male friend. 2. partner.
pagaille (n.f.) paddle.
pagailler (v.t.) to paddle; to row (a boat). Variant spelling: pagayer.
pagayer (v.t.) to paddle; to row (a boat). Variant spelling: pagailler.
paillasse (n.f.) 1. straw or corn husk mattress. 2. scarecrow. 3. clown.
paille (n.f.) 1.straw [of grain]. 2. drinking straw. See also: canne. casser la paille to break off a relationship.
pain (n.m.) bread. pain de froment homemade white bread. pain de maïs cornbread. pain perdu French toast.
pantalon (n.m.) pants.
paon (n.m.) peacock.
papier (n.m.) paper.
papillon (n.m.) butterfly.
pâquer (v.t./i.) to hit Easter eggs together in a competition to see which egg breaks the other. [The winner traditionally takes the losing egg. This tradition is well known in Evangeline, Avoyelles, and Acadia Parishes and some other areas in southwest Acadiana.] On va pâquer avec Memère après la messe. (We're going to "pock" with Memère after Mass.) Variant: faire pâque-pâque.
Pâques (n.f.) Easter.
paquet (n.m.) package.
par rapport (conj.) because. par rapport à because of. par rapport que because + subordinate clause. See also: parce que; à cause de.
parc (n.m.) 1. park. parc de... animal yard of some kind. parc de cochons pigpen.
parce que (conj.) because.
paré (adj.) [PAH REH, ending rhymes with "café"] ready.
pareil (adj.) [pron. PAH RAY] the same; alike. feminine: pareilles. Ces deux robes sont exactement pareilles.(These two dresses are exactly alike.)
pareillement (adv.) 1. in the same way. 2. same here (formulaic response indicating agreement).
parier (v.i.) to bet.
parler (v.t.) to speak.
paroisse (n.f.) parish.
parrain (n.m.) godfather.
partager (v.t.) to share.
partir (v.t.) to start (a motor or engine). Je peux pas partir mon char. (I can't start my car.)
partir (de) (v.i.) to depart from; to leave (a place).
pas (neg.) not. Il est pas trop vaillant. (He's not very nice.)
passer (v.) to pass.
patassa (n.m.) sunfish; bream.
patate (n.f.) potato. patate anglaise Irish potato. patate douce sweet potato; yam.
pataterie(n.f.) potato shed.
pâte (n.f.) dough; batter.
patin (n.m.) skate.
patte (n.f.) paw; foot (of an animal).
pauvre (adj. ) poor.
peau (n.f.) skin.
peau-morte (n.f.) dandruff. Variant to reflect pronunciation: peaumotte.
pêche (n.f.) peach.
pêche (n.f.) fishing. On est parti à la pêche. (We're going fishing.)
péché (n.m.) sin. un péché mortel a mortal sin.
pêcher (n.m.) peach tree.
pécher (v.i.) to sin.
peine (n.f.) pain. Ça me fait de la peine. (I am sorry; That hurts me.) Ça vaut la peine (It's worth it.)
pélican (n.m.) pelican.
pelote (n.f.) [PLAWT] ball. jouer à la pelote to play ball.
pensée (n.f.) 1. pansy. 2. thought.
penser (v.i.) to think.
percer (v.) to pierce; to puncture.
perdre (v.t.) to lose.
perdrix (n.f.) quail.
perdu (past. part. of perdre) lost. pain perdu French toast.
père (n.m.) father.
persil (n.m.) parsley.
personne (adv. neg.) nobody; no one. (n.f.) person.
pétale (n.f.) petal.
petit (adj.) small; little; short. [When used as an adjective before a noun, the first syllable is often dropped. Thus, a listener will hear "une 'tite maison" or "un 'tit chien."] (n.m.) child.
petit-enfant (n.m./f.) grandchild.
petit-garçon (n.m.) grandson. Also: petit-fils.
petite-fille (n.f.) granddaughter.
peu (n.m.) a small quantity; a little bit. (Typically used in the expression un petit peu.) Il a mis un petit peu de piment dans la sauce. (He put a little pepper in the sauce.) (adv.) a little; a little bit. Tu parles anglais? Un petit peu. (Do you speak English? A little.) See also: brin.
peur (n.f.) fear. avoir peur de to be afraid of. faire peur à to scare.
piastre (n.f.) [pron. PYAS] dollar. On a payé quatre piastres et demie la livre (pour) ces chevrettes. (We paid $4.50 a pound for those shrimp.)
picbois/piquebois (n.m.) woodpecker.
picocher (v.t./i.) to tease.
picotte (n.f.) chicken pox.Variant spelling: picote.
pied (n.m.) foot. pied de tomate tomato plant. pied de... _____plant.
pigeon (n.m.) pigeon.
piment (n.m.) pepper. piment doux bell pepper.
pin-pi-po (n.m.) a rhyme game similar to "eeny meey miney mo".
piquebois (n.m.) woodpecker.
pistache (n.f.) [PEE STAH SH] peanut (abbreviated form of pistache de terre).
plancher (n.m.) floor.
planter (v.t.) to plant.
plaque (n.f.) record disk [precursor of the CD, for you youngsters!]
plaquemine (n.f.) [PLAHKMEEN] persimmon.
plat (adj.) flat.
plein (adj.) full. plein de a lot of; many. pleine lune (expr.) full moon.
ployer (v.t.) to fold. [SF plier].
plume (n.f.) 1. pen (ball point or ink). 2. feather.
plumer (v.t.) to pluck. ça se plume! (expr.) Things are going well. [literally: It plucks!]
plus (adv.) see: p'us.
poil (n.m.) body hair. pubic hair.
poire (n.f.) pear.
pois (petits) (n.m.pl) sweat peas.
poison (n.f.) [PWAH ZOn] poison.
poisson (n.m.) [PWAH SOn] fish.
politicien (n.m.) politician.
pomme (n.f.) apple.
pomme de terre (n.f.) potato. See also: patate anglaise.
pommier (n.f.) apple tree.
pondre (v.) to lay (an egg).
pont (n.m.) bridge.
Pont Breaux (n.m.) Breaux Bridge. Chaque année en mai, il y a un gros festival au Pont Breaux. (Every year in May, there's a big festival in Breaux Bridge.)
populaire (adj.) 1. popular. 2. populous.
portrait (n.m.) 1. picture; painting; image. 2. photo. 3. portrait. 4. movie.
pouce (n.m.) 1. thumb. 2. inch.
poulailler (n.m.) [POO LAH YEH] chicken coop.
poulain (n.m.) colt.
poule (n.f.) hen.
poulet (n.m.) chicken.
pouliche (n.f.) filly.
pour (prep.) 1. for. 2. for the purpose of. avoir pour + infinitive to have to (do something), to be obliged to. On a pour propter la maison avant que la compagnie arrive. (We have to clean the house before the company arrives.) pour que + subjunctive subordinate clause.in order that Mon mari travaille des longues heures pour que je peuve rester à la maison avec les enfants. (My husband works long hours so that I can stay home with the children.)
pourrir (v.t.) to rot.
pourquoi (pron.) why. Pourquoi défunt Nonc Justilien est pas enterré à côté de sa femme? (Why isn't Uncle Justilien buried next to his wife?)
pousser (v.t.) 1. to push. 2. (of plants, hair, teeth) to grow or sprout.
poussière (n.f.) dust.
pouvoir (v.t.) to be able to. (n.m.) power.
prendre (v.t.) 1. to take. 2. to have (of food and drink) On va prendre notre café dessus la galerie. (We'll have our coffee on the porch.)
prendre à + infinitive to begin to; to start. Il a pris à boire un tas après la mort de son garçon. (He started drinking a lot after the death of his son.)
prendre feu to catch fire.
préparer (v.t.) to prepare.
présent (n.m.) 1. gift. 2. present (time).
prétendu (n.m.) 1. suitor. 2. boyfriend.
prétendue (n.f.) girlfriend.
prêtre (n.m.) priest.
prier (v.i.) 1. to pray. 2. beg or supplicate.
prière (n.f.) prayer.
printemps (n.m.) springtime; spring.
pris (past participle of prendre) 1. took; taken. 2. stuck; immobile. mal pris in a bad situation.
prochain (adj.) next.
proche (adv.) almost. Quand on a trouvé Henry, il était proche à la crêve de faim. (When we found Henry, he was almost dead from hunger.)
procurer (v.) to procure.
profiter (v.i.) to grow. Le bébé a profité un tas depuis la dernière fois que je l'ai vu. (The baby has grown a lot since the last time I saw him.) propre (adj.) 1. clean. Elle a une chambre bien propre. (She has a very clean room.) 2. own. J'aimerais avoir ma propre chambre. (I would like to have my own room.)
propter (v.t.) to clean.
prouver (v.t.) to prove.
prune (n.f) plum.
pruneau (n.m.) prune.
puce (n.f.) flea. (Loc.) mettre la puce à l'oreille à to "put the bug one's ear;" to make someone privy to a piece of information; to hint around to someone.
puer (v.i.) to stink; to smell bad.
puits (n.m.) well. puits d'huile oil well.
punaise (n.f.) 1. stinkbug. 2. bedbug.
punir (v.t.) to punish.
punition (n.f.) punishment.
p'us (adv.) no longer; no more. [In much the same way that SF tends to use the pronunciation of the final "s" to distinguish plus [plys] meaning "more" from plus [ply] meaning "no more," in CF, the pronunciation of the "l" sound [ply] denotes "more" while the lack of it in [py] indicates "no more." Still, many Cajun writers use the same spelling, plus, for both.]
pur (adj.) pure.
purement (adv.) 1. purely. 2. solely.
purge (n.f.) 1. purge; 2. purgative laxative.
purger (v.t.) to purge.
putain (n.f.) prostitute; bitch. fils de putain son of a bitch.
Q
qualité (n.f.) [KAH LEE TEH] 1. kind. Quelle qualité de crème tu veux? (What kind of ice cream to do you want?) 2. quality. Je veux une étoffe de bonne qualité. (I want a good quality cloth.)
quand-même (adv.) anyway. J'aime pas danser, mais je vais aller au bal quand-même. (I don't like to dance, but I'll go the dance anyway.)
quantième (n.m.) date. Je connais pas quel quantième on est parce que j'ai pas d'almanaque. (I don't know what the date is because I don't have a calendar.)
quarante (adj numér.) forty.
quarantine (n.f.) quarantine.
quatre (adj numér.) four.
quatre-vingts (adj numér.) eighty.
quatre-vingt-dix (adj numér.) ninety.
quelqu'un (pron.) someone.
quelque chose (loc. nom.) something.
quelque parte (loc. adv.) somewhere.
quereller (v.i./v.r.) [KRE LEH] to argue; to quarrel. (v.t.) to fuss at; to scold.
queue (n.f.) tail. queue d'oignon onion top. Variant spelling (to reflect variant pronunciation): tcheu.
qui (pron.) [pron. KEE] 1. who; whom. Qui veut aller à la pêche avec moi? (Who wants to go fishing with me?).2. what (regional: Evangeline, Avoyelles, Lafourche, Terrebonne and others). Qui t'as fait avec tes outils? (What did you do with your tools?)
quitter (v.t.) [KEE TEH] 1. to leave; to depart from. 2. to let; to permit; to allow. Variant: laisseris also used in the sense of "to permit; to allow."
quoi (pron.) what. See also: qui.
quoi faire why. Quoi faire t'as pas venu veiller hier au soir? (Why didn't you come visiting last night?) Variant spellings to reflect pronunciation: kofaire; quo'faire. See also: pourquoi.
R
rabourer (v.t.) to work the land; to till. Variant: labourer.
racine (n.f.) [RAH SEEN] root.
raconter (v.t.) to recount; to tell [a story or a narrative]; to tell about. Raconte-moi de tes nouvelles. (Tell me your news.)
radis (n.m.) radish.
radotage (n.m.) incessant chatter.
radoter (v.i.) to chatter; to talk incessantly.
raisin (n.m.) grape.
raison (n.f.) reason; correct thinking. T'as raison! (You're right!)
ramasser (v.t.) 1. to gather; to pick up. 2. to harvest; to pick [cotton, for example].
rang (n.m.) row. faire des rangs to make the rows.
ranger (v.) to store; to put in rows.
rappeler (v.r.) [RAH PLEH] to recall; to remember. Tu te rappelles du petit cheval nain que Théophile avait qu'on restait à la campagne? (Do you remember the little pony Théophile had when we lived in the country?) (v.i.) to recall; to call to mind; to remind one of. Ca me rappelle une chanson que Mame avait l'habitude de chanter pour bercer les bébés. (That reminds me of a song that Mom used to sing to rock the babies.)
rapport (n.m.) See: par rapport.
rat (n.m.) rat.
rat de bois (n.m.) [RAHD BWAH] oppossum.
rat musqué (n.m.) muskrat.
ravert (n.m.) roach. Variant: ravet.
ravet (n.m.) roach. Variant: ravert.
recevoir (v.) 1. to receive. 2. to welcome visitors.
réchauffer (v.t.) 1. to warm up. 2. to reheat. se réchauffer to warm oneself up.
récolte (n.f.) 1. harvest; crop. faire récolte to farm. rentrer sa récolte to take in one's crop; to harvest
récolter (v.t.) to harvest.
récolteur (n.m.) farmer. Variant: récoltier.
récoltier (n.m.) farmer. Variant: récolteur.
regarder (v.) to look at; to watch.
regretter (v.t.) 1. to regret. 2. to be nostalgic about or miss [something lost or in the past]. Je regrette assez mon chien Fido qu'a mouri le printemps passé. (I really miss my dog Fido who died last spring.)
rejeter (v.t.) to vomit.
rejoindre (v.t.) to join up with; to meet.
renard (n.m.) fox.
rencontrer (v.t.) to meet; to encounter.
repasser (v.t.) to iron.
répondre (à) (v.i.) to answer. T'as pas répondu à ma question! (You didn't answer my question!)
réponse (n.f.) answer; response.
resérve (n.f.) stock; store.
ressembler (à) (v.i.) to resemble; to look like. Il ressemble à son père. ( He looks like his father.)
rester (v.) 1. to stay; to remain 2. to inhabit.
retenir/retiendre (v.) to hold back; to retain
réussir (v.) to succed.
réveiller (v.t.) to awaken. se réveiller to wake up.
revenant (n.m.) ghost.
riche (adj.) rich.
rien (pron.) nothing. Variant: arien. [Often used with the negative particle pas.] Il y a pas rien qu'on peut faire pour lui. (There's nothing we can do for him.)
rincer (v.t.) to rinse.
rire (v.i.) to laugh.
riz (n.m.) [REE] rice.
robe (n.f.) [RAWB] dress.
rôder (v.i.) to roam; to "run the roads."
ronger (v.) to gnaw.
rose (n.f.) [RAWZ] rose. (adj.) pink.
rougarou (n.m.) werewolf. Variant: loupgarou.
rouge (adj./n.m.) red.
rougir (v.) to turn red; to blush.
rouler (v.i/t.) to roll.
Royville (n.p.) [RWAH VEEL] Youngsville.
rue (n.f.) street.
russien (adj.) Russian. Feminine: russienne.
S
saint (n.m.) saint. (adj.) holy; sacred. le Vendredi Saint Good Friday. le Jeudi Saint Holy Thursday. la Semaine Sainte Holy Week.
saison (n.f.) season.
saler (v.t.) to salt.
Saline (n.f.) Avery Island. Mon grand-père a été élevé à la Saline. (My grandfather was raised on Avery Island.)
salir (v.t.) to dirty; to soil.
samedi (n.m.) Saturday.
sangsue (n.f.) leech.
sans (prep.) without.
saoul (adj.) [SOO] drunk. Also spelled: soûl.
saouler (v.t) to make drunk; to inebriate. (v.r.) to become inebriated; to get drunk.Il s'a saoulé hier au soir. (He got drunk last night.) Also spelled: soûler.
sauce (n.f.) 1. sauce. 2. gravy.
saucisse (n.f.) sausage.
saute crapaud (n.m.) leapfrog (game).
saut (n.m.) 1. leap. 2. jump.
sauter (v.i./t.) 1.to jump. 2. to skip.
sauver (v.t.) to save.
sauterelle (n.f.) grasshopper.
savanne (n.f.) pasture.
savon (n.m.) soap.
sec/ sèche (adj.) dry.
sécher (v.i./t.) to dry. Variant: chesser.
sécheresse (n.f.) drought; dry spell. Variant: chesseresse.
sel (n.m.) salt.
selle (n.f.) saddle.
semence (n.f.) 1. the sowing of seed. 2. sowed seeds.
semer (v.t.) to sow or plant [seeds].
sentir (v.t.) 1. to smell; to smell like. Ca sent le café ici dans. T'en as fait? (It smells like coffee in here. Did you make some?)2. to feel. Tu peux sentir ça quand je touche tes orteils? (Quand you feel that when I touch your toes?) (v.r.) to feel (one's personal well-being) Je me sens pas bien ce matin. Je crois que j'ai attrapé une grippe. (I don't feel well this morning. I think I've caught a flu.)
sept (adj numér.) seven.
serment (n.m.) oath. faire serment to swear; to take an oath.
serpent (n.f./m) snake. serpent congo water mocassin.
serré (adj./adv.) tight; tightly. Tiens-moi serré. (Hold me tight.)
serrer (v.t.) to squeeze; to hold tightly.
si (conj.) if.
siblème (n.f.) scalloped quash.
siffler (v.i./v.t.) to whistle.
siffleur (n.m.) whistler.
six (adj numér.) six.
soco (n.m.) muscadine.
soeur (n.f.) 1. sister. bonne soeur nun.
soif (n.f.) thirst. avoir soif to be thirsty.
soigner (v.t) to care for; to take care of.
soirée (n.f.) an evening party.
soldat (n.m.) [SOL DAH] soldier.
soleil (n.m.) sun.
sommeil (n.m.) sleep; sleepiness. Ca dérange mon sommeil. (That disturbs my sleep.) avoir sommeil to be sleepy. Il avait pas sommeil. (He wasn't sleepy.)
sonner (v.i./t.) to sound; to ring.
sont (v.i.) Present tense form of être (to be). are (3rd person plural). Ils sont contents. (They are happy.)
sorcière (n.f.) witch.
sortir (v.i) to go out. (v.t.) to take out. sortir de + infinitive to have just (done something). Je sors de parler avec ma belle-mère. (I just spoke with my mother-in-law.)
sou (n.m.) [SOO] cent. cinq sous.five cents. E-quand j'étais jeune, on payait cinq sous le gallon notre gasoline. (When I was young we paid five cents a gallon for gas.)
souffler (v.t.) to blow.
soûl (adj.) [SOO] drunk; inebriated. Also spelled: saoul.
soûler (v.t., v.r.) See: saouler.
soupe (n.f.) [SOOP] soup.
souper (n.m.) [SOOPEH] supper; the evening meal.
sourd (adj.) [SOOR] deaf.
souris (n.f.) mouse.
souris chaude (n.f.) bat (mammal) (SF chauve-souris).
sous (prep.) under; underneath.
souvent (adv.) often. (expr.) souvent des fois oftentimes. souventes fois oftentimes.
suce-fleur (n.m.) hummingbird [SF colibri; oiseau-mouche.]
sud (n.m.) south.
suer (v.i./t.) to sweat. suer des carvelles(figurative)to be in a difficult situation; to be stressed because of one's difficulties.
suire (v.t.) to follow. Variant: suivre.
suit (v.t.) followed; past participle of suire/suivre.
suivre (v.t.) to follow. Variant: suire.
sur (prep.) on; upon. Variant: sus.
surveiller (v.t.) to oversee; to chaperone.
sus (prep) on; upon. Variant: sur.
T
table (n.f.) [TAHB] table.
tablier (n.m.) apron.
tchac , tchoc (n.m.) blackbird.
tactac (n.m.) popcorn. boule de tactac (popcorn ball.)
talle (n.f.) bush.
tandis que (conj.) while; during the time that.
tant qu'à (prep.) as for; with regards to. Tant qu'à toi, t'es toujours en retard! (As for you, you're always late!) (Compare to SF quant à.)
tante (n.f.) aunt. petite tante/ti-tante aunt who is close in age to at least some of her nieces and nephews.
tapis (n.m.) [TAHPEE] rug; carpet.
tarte (n.f.) [TAHRT] pie; tarte. petite tarte couverte a folded tart, usually made of sweet dough crust.
tas (n.m.) [TAH] pile; a lot. un tas (adv.) a lot. Ces enfants se battent un tas. (Those children fight a lot.)
tasse (n.f.) cup.
tataille (n.f.) [TAH TAHY] scary creature; monster.
taureau (n.m.) bull.
tayau (n.m.) [TAH YO] hound dog.
tchoc (n.m.) blackbird.
tenir/teindre (v.t.) to color; to dye. (Past participle: teint.)
tempête (n.f.) storm.
temps (n.m.) 1. time(s); day. Dans le temps de mes grandsparents, les filles allaient pas au bal sans leur mère. (In my grandparents' day, girls did not go to dances without their mothers.)2. weather. [When speaking of time as an incident to be counted, use fois. (n.f.) instead of temps.]
terre (n.f.) land; soil; earth.
tige (n.f.) [TEE ZH] stem [of a plant.]
tigre (n.m.) tiger.
tirer (v.t.) 1. to throw. 2. to shoot. 3. tirer une vache. to milk (a cow).
tireur (n.m.) shooter.
tiroir (n.m.) drawer.
tocaille (n.m.) [TOKAH Y] person who has the same first name as another.
toilette (n.f.) toilet. faire sa toilette to clean and groom oneself.
tomate (n.f.) [TO MAH T] tomato.
tomber (v.i.) to fall. tomber en faiblesse to faint.
tonner (v.i.) to thunder.
tonnerre (n.m.) thunder.
tortue (n.f.) turtle.
tourbe (n.m.) hull (of a ship).
tourner (v.t.) to turn; to turn over.
tourte (n.f.) dove.
Toussaint (n.f.) All Saints' Day. On a besoin de propter le cimetière pour la Toussaint. (We have to clean the cemetery for All Saints' Day.)
tousser (v.i.) to cough.
tout (pron.) everything. (adj.) all. (adv.) completely.
tout le monde 1.everyone; everybody. 2. the whole world.
tout quelqu'un everyone; everybody.
tout quelque chose everything.
toux (n.f) cough.
tracas (n.m.) [TRAH KAH] 1. trouble; problem. 2. obsession.
tracasser (v.i.) [TRAH KAH SEH] 1. to worry. 2. to bother. se tracasser 1. to worry. 2. to be obsessed.
trace (n.f.) print (as in foot or paw print).
tracteur (n.m.) tractor.
traitement (n.m.) treatment.
traiter(v.t.) to treat.
traiteur (n.m.) healer (SF guérisseur.)
tranquille (adj.) [TRAn KEEL] calm; tranquil. Laisse-moi tranquille! (Leave me alone! Quit bothering me!)
transfert (d' école) (n.m.) schoolbus.
travail (n.m.) work.
travaillant (n.m.) [TRAH VAH YAn] 1. worker; hired hand.
travailler (v.t.) to work.
traverser (v.t.) to cross.
trempe (adj.) [TRAnP] wet. Il faut pas sortir comme ça avec tes cheveux trempes; tu vas attraper un rhume! (You mustn't go out like that with your hair wet; you'll catch cold!)
trois (adj numér.) three.
tronc (n.m.) trunk; tree trunk.
trou (n.m.) hole.
troupeau (n.m.) herd. un troupeau de vaches (a herd of cows).
trouver (v.t.) to find.
truie (n.f.) sow; female pig.
truite (n.f.) bass fish.
tuer (v.) to kill.
U
un/une (art. ind.) a, an, one. Variant spelling to reflect pronunciation: ein/eine.
un (adj numér.) one.
uni (adj.) 1. united. 2. smooth. C'est mieux de danser dessus un plancher qu'est bien uni. (It's better to danse on a floor that is nice and smooth.)
user (v.t.) to use.
utile (adj.) useful.
V
va (v.i.) go; goes [3rd p. sing. form of aller in the present tense]
vache (n.f.) cow.
vaillant (adj) 1.nice; friendly. 2 nice-looking. [In Lafourche Parish, vaillant has only the meaning "nice-looking." Meaning 1 is expressed by avenant.]
valse (n.f.) [VAHLS] waltz.
vanille(n.f.) vanilla. Variant pronunciation: vanisse.
vanter (v.r.) to brag.
vas (v.i.) go [1st and 2nd p. sing. form of aller in the present tense.]
va-t-et-vient (n.m.) [VAH TEH VYEn] comings and goings; hubbub of activity.
vaut-rien (n.m.) [VO RY En] good-for-nothing.
veau (n.m.) calf (baby cow).
vendeur (n.m.) seller; salesman.
vendeuse (n.f.) saleswoman.
vendre (v.t.) to sell.
vendredi (n.m.) Friday.
venir (v.i.) 1. to come. 2. to become. Il a venu blême quand il a attendu la nouvelle. (He became pale when he heard the news.)
vent (n.m.) wind.
venter (v.i.) of wind, to blow.
vérité (n.f.) [VE REE TEH] truth.
verrat (n.m.) male pig; boar.
verre (n.m.) drinking glass.
vert (adj./n.m.) green.
viande (n.f.) meat. viande de cochon pork. viande de bête beef.
vieillir (v.i./t.) get older; to age. Variant: vieillzir.
vieux (adj.) old.
vieux garçon 1. unmarried man (usually an older man). 2. zinnia.
vilain (adj.) 1. ugly. 2. nasty, mean. vilaines manières ugly manners/ bad behavior.
village (n.m.) town.
ville (n.f.) large city. la Ville New Orleans; en Ville in (to) New Orleans.
virer (v.t.) to turn; to change direction.
vite (adv.) fast; quickly.
vitre (n.f.) window (pane).
voir (v.t.) [WAHR] [VWAHR] to see. voir à to see about. Va voir à tes petits. (Go see about your children.) Variant spellings to reflect pronunciation:oir, 'oir.
voisin (n.m.) neighbor.
voisinage (n.m.) neighborhood.
voiture (n.f.) buggy; carriage.
volaile (n.f.) poultry.
voler (v.t.) 1. to fly. 2. to steal. voler une fille of a young man, to run away with a girl; to elope.
vouloir (v.t.) to want.
voulu past participle of vouloir.
vous (pron.) [VOO] you (formal) [In Cajun French, vous is much less frequently heard than the familiar tu or toi, even among people who don't know each other. Vous is used to show respect, in particular in speaking with elderly people.]
vous-autres (prn.) [pron. VOOZAWT] you (plural); y'all. Si vous-autres a fini de manger, on va sortir dessus la galerie pour prendre du café. (If y'all have finished eating, we'll go out on the porch to have coffee.)
voyage (n.m.) 1. trip. 2. load. Je crois qu'on pourra haler tout ce bois en deux voyages. ( I think we can haul all that wood in two loads.)
voyager (v.i.) to travel.
vrai (adj.) true.
vraiment (adv.) really; truly.
W
X
Y
yeux (n.m.) eyes. Plural of oeil.
Z
zèbre (n.m.) zebra.
zinc (n.m.) 1. sink. (SF évier) 2. tin.
zinzin (n.m.) rear end; buttocks.
zirable (adj.) [ZEERAB] disgusting; revolting.
z'oie (n.f.) goose. Norbert à tué une grosse z'oie caille à ce matin. Norbert killed a big speckled belly goose this morning. [In some areas of St. Landry, z'oie is masculine by default instead of feminine.]