roman

ByFast French

What does the French word “roman” mean? Is it someone from Ancient Rome? Is it someone who lives in modern Rome? It’s neither – “roman” is the masculine noun meaning “novel” or “fiction” or “books.”

“Le roman” also means “The Romanesque” period of architecture, from the 11th and 12th centuries AD. It can also refer to the “Romance” language that came from popular Latin and preceded French.

You may have come across a feminine French noun, “une nouvelle.” “Une nouvelle” can mean either “a piece of news” or “a short story.” So “un roman” is a novel and “une nouvelle” is a short story. Both are false friends, meaning they are French words that look like English words, but have different meanings from the English words they resemble.

How do you talk about someone from Rome, either ancient or modern? That man is “un romain,” or in the case of a woman, “une romaine.”

Don’t miss new articles!

Get 1 email a week with new articles about French

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Similar Posts

  • violon d’Ingres

    ByFast French

    The French saying “violon d’Ingres” literally translates as “violin of Ingres.” What it really means is “hobby,” “pastime,” or “an activity that you enjoy outside your main job.” Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres was a 19th century painter who created a number of famous works, including Grande Baigneuse (1808), Oedipus and the Sphinx (1808), and La Grande Odalisque…

  • humour vs humeur

    ByFast French

    Both “humour” and “humeur” are French nouns. But they mean different things. “L’humour” (masculine) means “the humour” or “the comedy.” It corresponds fairly closely to the English word “humour” (or “humor,” in US English). In French culture, especially cultivated and sophisticated French culture, “wit” was seen as more important. The French idea of “wit” is…

  • | |

    derrière

    ByFast French

    The French word “derrière” can function either as a preposition, as an adverb or as a noun. Depending on which one of these three parts of speech it is being used as, it can mean “behind,” “after,” “shortly after,” “afterwards,” “bottom,” or “back.” It is the opposite of “devant,” discussed in this blog post. Preposition…

  • Mercy

    ByFast French

    Almost everyone knows that the French word “merci” means “thank you.” But how do you express the idea of mercy or compassion in French, rather than thanking someone? “Merci” is a feminine noun. “La merci” means “the mercy.” It refers to mercy in the sense of power, not in the sense of compassion. “Pitié” is…

  • tomber des nues

    ByFast French

    The French expression “tomber des nues” translates literally as “to fall from the clouds.” “Les nues” is a feminine plural noun meaning “the clouds” or “the heavens.” It is not used these days, except in a literary sense. The modern word for clouds is “les nuages” and for heavens it is “le ciel” or “le paradis.”…

  • à huis clos

    ByFast French

    “à huis clos” is a French saying that means in private, with all doors closed, in secret. It is an expression dating from the middle of the 16th century, meaning “with doors closed.” “Huis” is an old 11th century word for door, now replaced by the word “porte.” The original word for door was “us,”…