-ty becomes té in French
English has many words that end in “ty,” like liberty, beauty, and certainty, and they almost all come from French. The French versions end in “té” instead, so liberty becomes la liberté, beauty becomes la beauté, and certainty becomes la certitude. The pattern is simple for most of them: you just drop the “y” from the English word and add an accented “é.” But some words change their spelling a little more than that, and a few common ones have different endings altogether. Here are the most common ones with an example of how to use each.
Words that follow the simple rule
For these words, you drop the “y” and add “é.”
Ability becomes la capacité
Il a une grande capacité de travail.
“He has a great ability to work.”
Activity becomes l’activité
Tu fais quelle activité ce weekend.
“What activity are you doing this weekend.”
Authority becomes l’autorité
Le maire a autorité sur la ville.
“The mayor has authority over the city.”
Beauty becomes la beauté
Elle admire la beauté du paysage.
“She admires the beauty of the landscape.”
Capacity becomes la capacité
La salle a une capacité de cent personnes.
“The room has a capacity of one hundred people.”
Celebrity becomes la célébrité
Il cherche la célébrité depuis dix ans.
“He has been seeking celebrity for ten years.”
Charity becomes la charité
Ils donnent de l’argent à la charité.
“They give money to charity.”
City becomes la cité
La cité est ancienne et belle.
“The city is old and beautiful.”
Complexity becomes la complexité
Je comprends la complexité du problème.
“I understand the complexity of the problem.”
Curiosity becomes la curiosité
Ta curiosité est normale.
“Your curiosity is normal.”
Dignity becomes la dignité
Il a gardé sa dignité.
“He kept his dignity.”
Diversity becomes la diversité
La diversité des plantes est grande.
“The diversity of plants is great.”
Electricity becomes l’électricité
L’électricité est coupée.
“The electricity is cut off.”
Familiarity becomes la familiarité
Il parle avec familiarité.
“He speaks with familiarity.”
Flexibility becomes la flexibilité
Je cherche de la flexibilité dans mon travail.
“I am looking for flexibility in my work.”
Fraternity becomes la fraternité
Liberté, égalité, fraternité.
“Liberty, equality, fraternity.”
Generosity becomes la générosité
Il est connu pour sa générosité.
“He is known for his generosity.”
Gravity becomes la gravité
Tu comprends la gravité de la situation.
“You understand the gravity of the situation.”
Identity becomes l’identité
Je dois prouver mon identité.
“I must prove my identity.”
Intensity becomes l’intensité
L’intensité de la lumière est forte.
“The intensity of the light is strong.”
Liberty becomes la liberté
Les oiseaux aiment la liberté.
“Birds love liberty.”
Majority becomes la majorité
La majorité a voté pour lui.
“The majority voted for him.”
Minority becomes la minorité
Une minorité s’oppose à la loi.
“A minority opposes the law.”
Necessity becomes la nécessité
L’eau est une nécessité.
“Water is a necessity.”
Opportunity becomes l’opportunité
C’est une bonne opportunité.
“It is a good opportunity.”
Personality becomes la personnalité
Il a une forte personnalité.
“He has a strong personality.”
Possibility becomes la possibilité
Il y a une possibilité de pluie.
“There is a possibility of rain.”
Poverty becomes la pauvreté
La pauvreté augmente dans cette région.
“Poverty is increasing in this region.”
Priority becomes la priorité
La santé est ma priorité.
“Health is my priority.”
Publicity becomes la publicité
J’ai vu une publicité pour ce produit.
“I saw an advertisement for this product.”
Purity becomes la pureté
L’eau de cette source est d’une grande pureté.
“The water from this spring is of great purity.”
Quality becomes la qualité
Ce vin est de bonne qualité.
“This wine is of good quality.”
Quantity becomes la quantité
Il mange une grande quantité de pain.
“He eats a large quantity of bread.”
Reality becomes la réalité
La réalité est souvent dure.
“Reality is often hard.”
Responsibility becomes la responsabilité
J’accepte la responsabilité.
“I accept the responsibility.”
Security becomes la sécurité
La sécurité est assurée.
“Security is assured.”
Sensitivity becomes la sensibilité
Il a une grande sensibilité.
“He has great sensitivity.”
Severity becomes la sévérité
Le professeur est connu pour sa sévérité.
“The teacher is known for his severity.”
Sincerity becomes la sincérité
Je parle avec sincérité.
“I speak with sincerity.”
Solidarity becomes la solidarité
Les voisins montrent de la solidarité.
“The neighbors show solidarity.”
Stability becomes la stabilité
Le pays retrouve la stabilité.
“The country is finding stability again.”
University becomes l’université
Il étudie à l’université.
“He studies at the university.”
Vanity becomes la vanité
Sa vanité l’empêche de voir la vérité.
“His vanity prevents him from seeing the truth.”
Velocity becomes la vélocité
La vélocité du vent augmente.
“The velocity of the wind is increasing.”
Words that change more
Some words do not follow the simple rule, and the ending changes more than just adding an accent.
Certainty becomes la certitude
J’ai la certitude qu’il viendra.
“I have certainty that he will come.”
Clarity becomes la clarté
Il parle avec clarté.
“He speaks with clarity.”
Equality becomes l’égalité
L’égalité est un droit.
“Equality is a right.”
Honesty becomes l’honnêteté
J’apprécie ton honnêteté.
“I appreciate your honesty.”
Loyalty becomes la loyauté
Il a fait preuve de loyauté.
“He showed loyalty.”
Safety becomes la sécurité
La sécurité des enfants est primordiale.
“The safety of children is paramount.”
Summary
Most English words ending in “ty” become French words ending in “té,” and the meaning stays the same. These words are always feminine, so they take “la” or “l'” as their article. A number of common ones change their spelling more, like certainty becoming la certitude, but the pattern still helps you recognize them. Learning this simple rule helps you guess many French words from English without needing a dictionary.
