Our French property terms dictionary should make sure you know what you're talking about

A French property terms dictionary can be crucial if you're looking for property to buy (or even rent) in Languedoc, south France. Because buying a property in Languedoc can be a complicated affair - especially if your French isn't too hot. Knowing the difference between the Act de Vente and the Acte Définitive can be crucial.

And being able to explain exactly what types of property you're interested in to a Languedoc estate agent can save you a huge amount of time and hassle in the long-run.

Our French property terms dictionary lists all those words we feel you'll need when searching for and buying or selling property in Languedoc-Roussillon. We've bolded those terms that we think are especially useful, and not included any that we think you'll probably never need.

Our French property terms dictionary is in two halves - with French - to - English at the top, and, further down the page, English - to French.

As you'll probably want to have all these useful terms with you when you're explaining your property brief to estate agents or asking questions when viewing a property in Languedoc, we've also created PDFs of our English-French property term dictionary that you can download and then print out. If you're very clever with your printer - you could even print front and back - and then fold it into a handy leaflet (see photos at right).

Should you feel we've missed out any useful French property buying or selling terms, please do let us know by clicking here, and we'll add your terms to our French property terms dictionary.

0-9

2-faces - Terraced
3-faces - Semi-detached
4-faces - Detached

A vendre - For sale
Abîmer - To deterioriate
Acherter - To buy
Agence - Agency
Agence Immobilière - Estate Agency
Agrandir - To extend
Agrandisement - Extension
Aménager - To convert
Ancien - Old (rather than new-build)
A rénover - To renovate
A restaurer - To restore
Atelier - Workshop
Attenant - Contiguous (Jardin non-attenant = garden some way from the property itself)

Balcon - Balcony
Banque - Bank (financial)
Basin - Pond
Bâtiment - A building
Béton - Concrete
Bois - Wood
Boiserie - Woodwork
Bon de Visit - Agent's form you sign before a visit
Bon état - Good condition
Bord de la rivière - By the river
Bureau - Office

Cadastre - Land registry - documents shape and size of the land
Campagne - Countryside
Carie sèche - Dry rot
Carrelage - Floor tiles
Cave - Cellar
Cave voûtée - Vaulted cellar
Cellier - Wine and food store
Centre commercial - Shopping centre
Chambre - Bedroom
Caractère - Character
Charpentier - Carpenter
Chaudière - Water heater
Chauffage - Heating
Chauffage central - Central heating
Chauffe eau - Hot water tank
Chauffage par le sol - Under-floor heating
Cheminée - Chimney
Chêne - Oak
Citerne apparante - Above-ground gas tank
Citerne enfouie - Buried gas tank
Climatisation - Air conditioning
Clôture - Fence
Compteur - Meter for water, gas, electricity...
Condition suspensive - Let-out clause
Construire - To construct
Cour - Courtyard
Couvert - Covered
Couloir - Corridor
Crêpi (pronounced creppie) - Painted stucco
Cuisine - Kitchen
Cuisine américaine - Kitchen that opens out onto the living area
Cuisine équipée - Fitted kitchen
Cuisine meublée - Fully equipped kitchen
Cumulus - Hot water tank

Dallage - Paving
Dalle - Flagstone
Décorée - Decorated
Dépendance - outbuilding
Délabré - Dilapidated
Déménagement - Moving house
Déménager - To move house
Devis - An estimate
Douche - Shower

Echelle - Ladder
Eclairage - Lighting
Ecurie - Stable
Escaliers - Stairs
Espace - Space
Etage - Storey (Premiere étage = First floor)
Evier - Kitchen sink
Exposition - Aspect

Fenêtre - Window
Ferronnerie - Ironwork
Fosse septique - Septic tank
Four - Oven
Foyer - Fireplace
Frais - A charge

G - K

Gouttière - Guttering
Grange - Barn
Gravier - Gravel
Grenier - Attic
Hameau - Hamlet
Hauteur - Height
Haie - Hedge
Honoraires - Fees
Humide - Damp (adjective)
Humidité - Damp (noun)
Hypothèque - Mortgage
Impôt sur la plus-value - Capital gains tax
Isolation - Insulation
Isolé - Insulated
Jardin - Garden
Jardin non-attenant - Garden some distance from the property itself

Largeur - Width
Lavabo - Wash basin
Lave-mains - Hand basin
Lave-Linge - Washing machine
Lave-Vaisselle - Dish washer
Location - Rental
Logement - Accommodation
Longeur - Length
Lôtissement - Property estate - usually with lots of little villas
Lu et approuvée - 'Read and approved' - you'll writethis at the bottom of contracts

Maçon - Builder
Maison de campagne - Country house
Maison de maitre - Larger house that would have been owned by a richer family
Maison de Village - Village house
Mas - Farmhouse
Mètres carrées - Meters squared
Meubles - Furniture
Mur - Wall

N-P

Neuf (Fem: Neuve) - Brand new
Niveau - A level (Sur 3 niveaux - On 3 levels)
Notaire - Lawyer (government-employed who handle all property transactions in France)
Papier peint - Wall paper
Parc - Park
Parquet - Wood floor
Peinture - Paint
Pelouse - Lawn
Permis de Construire - Planning permission
Pièce - Room
Pierre - Stone (Maison en pierre - stone house)
Pilier - Pillar
Pin - Pine
Piscine - Swimming pool
Plafond - Ceiling
Plein pied - Single-story
Plâtre - Plaster
Plomberie - Plumbing
Poêle à Bois - Wood burner
Poignée - Handle
Porche - Porch
Porte-vitrine - Glass door
Portail - Gate
Porte coulissante - Sliding door
Poutre - Wood beam
Poutre apparente - Exposed beam
Poutre en fer - Iron girder, RSJ
Prise - Electrical socket
Prix - Price
Propriétaire - Property owner
Propriété - A property
Puits - Well

R-Z

Rangement - Storage space
Restauré - Restored
Rez de Chaussée - Ground floor
Robinet - Tap
Rocher - Rock
Rosace - Ceiling rose
Sable - Sand
Salle de bains - Bathroom
Salle Douche - Shower room
Salla à Manger - Dining room
Salon - Living room
Séjour - Living room
Servitude - Right of way
Sol - Ground
Sous-sol - Underground
Spacieux - Spacious
Terrain - Grounds/Land
Terrace - Terrace
Toit - Roof
Tout-à-l'égout - Mains drainage (vs Septic tank)
Tuile - Roof tile
Tuyau - Pipe (Les tuyau - the plumbing)
Vendeur - Seller
Vendu - Sold
Vestibule - Entrance hall
Vitre - Window glass
Volet - Shutter
Vue - View

Accommodation - Logement
Agency - Agence
Air-conditioning - Climatisation
Aspect - Exposition
Attic - Grenier

Balcony - Balcon
Bank - Banque
Barn - Grange
Bathroom - Salle de bains
Beam (exposed) - Poutre apparente
Beam - wood - Poutre
Bedroom - Chambre
Brand new - Neuf (Fem: Neuve)
Builder - Maçon
Building - Bâtiment
To buy - Acheter
By the river - Bord de la rivière

Carpenter - Charpentier
Capital gains tax - Impôt sur la plus-value
Ceiling - Plafond
Ceiling rose - Rosace
Cellar - Cave
Cellar (vaulted) - Cave voûtée
Central heating - Chauffage central
Character - Caractère
Chimney - Cheminée
Concrete - Béton
Construct - Construire
Contiguous - Attenant (Jardin non-attenant = garden some way from the property itself)
Convert - Aménager
Corridor - Couloir
Countryside - Campagne
Courtyard - Cour
Covered - Couvert

Damp - Humidité (noun) Humide (adj)
Decorated - Décorée
Detached - 4 faces
Deterioriate - Abîmer
Dilapidated - Délabré
Dining room - Salla à Manger
Dish washer - Lave Vaisselle
Dry rot - Carie sèche

Entrance hall - Vestibule
An Estimate - Devis
Estate Agency- Agence Immobilière
Extend - Agrandir
Extension - Agrandisement

Farmhouse - Mas
Ffes - Honoraires
Fence - Clôture
Fireplace - Foyer
Flagstone - Dalle
Floor tiles - Carrelage
For sale - A vendre
Furniture - Meubles

Garden - Jardin
Garden some distance from the property itself - Jardin non attenant
Gas tank - above ground - Citerne apparante
Gas tank - buried - Citerne enfouie
Gate - Portail
Girder (Iron, RSJ) - Poutre en fer
Glass door - Porte vitrine
Good condition - Bon état
Gravel - Gravier
Ground - Sol
Ground floor - Rez de Chaussée
Guttering - Gouttière

Hamlet - Hameau
Hand basin - Lave mains
Handle - Poignée
Heating - Chauffage
Hedge - Haie
Height - Hauteur
Hot water tank - Cumulus
House - in the country - Maison de campagne
House (larger one that would have been owned by a richer family) - Maison de maitre
House (in a village) - Maison de Village

I - K

Insulated - Isolé
Insulation - Isolation
Ironwork - Ferronnerie
Kitchen - Cuisine
Kitchen - fitted - Cuisine équipée
Kitchen (fully equipped) - Cuisine meublée
Kitchen sink - Evier
Kitchen (open to lounge) - Cuisine américaine

Ladder - Echelle
Land - Terrain
Land registry - Cadastre
Lawn - Pelouse
Lawyer (government-employed who handle all property transactions in France) - Notaire
Length - Longeur
Let-out clause - Condition suspensive
Level - Niveau (Sur 3 niveaux - On 3 levels)
Lighting - Eclairage
Living room - Salon or Séjour

Mains drainage - Tout-à-l'égout
Meter (for water, gas, electricity) - Compteur
Meters squared - Mètres carrées
Mortgage - Hypothèque
Move house - Déménager
Moving house - Déménagement

N-P

Oak - Chêne
Office - Bureau
Old (rather than new-build) - Ancien Outbuilding - Dépendance
Oven - Four
Owner of a property - Propriétaire
Paint - Peinture
Painted stucco - Crêpi (pronounced creppie)
Park - Parc
Paving - Dallage
Pillar - Pilier
Pine - Pin
Pipe - Tuyau (Les tuyau - the plumbing)
Planning permission - Permis de construire
Plaster - Plâtre
Plumbing - Plomberie or Les Tuyaus
Pond - Basin
Porch - Porche
Price - Prix (pronounced Pree)
Property - Propriété
Property estate (with lots of villas) - Lôtissement

Renovate - A rénover
Rental - Location
Restore - A restaurer
Restored - Restauré
Right of way - Servitude
Rock - Rocher
Roof - Toit
Roof tile - Tuile
Room - Pièce

Sand - Sable
Seller - Vendeur
Semi-detached - 3 faces
Septic tank - Fosse septique
Shopping centre - Centre commercial
Shower - Douche
Shower room - Salle douche
Shutter - Volet
Single-story - Plein pied
Sliding door - Porte coulissante
Socket - electrical - Prise
Sold - Vendu
Space - Espace
Spacious - Spacieux
Stable - Ecurie
Stairs - Escaliers
Stone - Pierre (Maison en pierre - stone house)
Storage space - Rangement
Storey - Etage (Premiere étage = First floor)
Swimming pool - Piscine

T-Z

Tap - Robinet
Terrace - Terrace
Terraced - 2 faces
Under-floor heating - Chauffage par le sol
Underground - Sous sol
View - Vue
Wall - Mur
Wall paper - Papier peint
Wash basin - Lavabo
Washing machine - Lave Linge
Water heater - Chaudière
Well - Puits
Width - Largeur
Window - Fenêtre
Window glass - Vitre
Wine and food store - Cellier
Wood - Bois
Wood burner - Poêle à Bois
Wood floor - Parquet
Woodwork - Boiserie
Workshop - Atelier

Propery Tools Home

Download our Free Property Dictionary by clicking here.
(It may take a minute or so to download)

Then print it out - double-sided if you can - and fold it in 3. Voila!

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