boire: to drink (v.)

On doit savoir qu'il est très dangereux de boire et conduire. Fait attention ce soir s'il vous plaît.
We all should know that it's very dangerous to drink and drink drive. Please be careful tonight.
Pronounced: "bwawr"

le juron: swear word; profanity (n.)

Le professeur a demandé, "Monsieur, pouvez-vous ne pas utiliser le juron quand tu discutes avec moi?".
The professor asked, "Mister, can you refrain from using profanity when you talk to me?"
Pronounced: "zur-awn"

le rhume: a cold (n.)

J'ai eu le rhume la semaine passé. I had a cold last week. Pronounced: "room"

l'inondation: flood (n.)

Les inondations en Asie sont horribles après le tremblement de terre. The flooding in Asia is horrible after the earthquake. Pronounced: "een-none-dah-see-own"

tard: late (adj.)

Pourquoi est-ce que tu es tard aujourd'hui? Why are you late today? Pronounced: "tawr"

le clavier: keyboard (n.)

Il est impossible de taper les accents avec ce clavier. It's impossible to type accented characters with this freaking Dell laptop. Pronounced: "claw-vee-ay" Note: Yes, I embellished the translation a bit. C'est la vie!

bonne nuit: good night

La femme a dit "bonne nuit" quand nous sommes partis le restaurant. The lady said "good night" when we left the restaurant. Pronounced: "bun-nwee" Note: "bon soir" has a slightly different meaning. It means "good evening" and is common greeting when entering a restaurant. "bonne nuit" is typically used when exiting a restaurant or theater.

la souris: mouse (n.)

Est-ce que cette souris marche ou ne marche pas? Does the mouse work or not? Pronounced: "soo-ree". Note culturelle: la souris can mean either a mouse used for a computer or the lab tested variety. Just like in English.

le mot: word (n.)

Oui, tu peux avoir le dernier mot! Yes, you can have the last word! Pronounced: "moe" like the word mow as in to mow one's yard.

l'hôtel de ville: City Hall (n.)

Pouvez-vous me dire ou se trouve l'hôtel de ville? Can you tell me where to find City Hall? Pronounced: "low-tell de vill" Note culturelle: be carefull not to confuse the hôtel de ville with your ordinary hôtel.

dormir: to sleep (v.)

Je dois dormir maintenant parce que je suis très fatigué. I should sleep now because I am very tired. Pronounced: "door-meer"

une lumière: light (n.)

Ils ont beaucoup de lumières sur leur maison pendant les fêtes. They have lots of lights on their house during the holidays. Pronounced: "loo-me-air"

le pourboire: tip (n.)

Où est mon pourboire, le garçon avait crié. "Where's my tip?", the waiter yelled. Pronounced: "pour-bwahr" Note culturelle: a tip/bourboire is typically included in your food bill in France. Although most customers do leave a small additional amount. If you ordered a two Euro coffee beverage you might leave 20-30 centimes/cents on the table per beverage.

lentement: slowly (adj.)

Pouvez-vous parler plus lentement s'il vous plaît? Can you speak more slowly please? Pronounced: "lent-uh-mawn"

le manteau: coat (n.)

Avec toute la pluie à Seattle, il faut porter votre manteau. With all the rain in Seattle, it's important to wear your coat. Pronounced: "mawn-toe"

lire: to read (v.)

Y-a-t-il une personne qui lit ce site web? Is there anybody reading this blog? Pronounced: "lear"

la chaudière: furnace (n.)

Merde, notre chaudière ne marche pas. Shit, our furnace doesn't work. Pronounced: "show-dee-air"

les pattes: sideburns (n.)

Egan, vous devez couper vos pattes avant de partir ce matin. Egan, you should cut your sideburns before you leave this morning. Pronounced: "pawt"

taper: to type (v.)

Il faut taper vite et souvent si vous allez garder vos amis virtuels. It's necessary to type fast and often to keep your virtual friends. Pronounced: "taw-pay"

tant pis: too bad

Incroyable, j'ai oublié un livre sur l'avion encore. Tant pis! Unbelievable, I left my book on the plane again. Too bad! Pronounced: "tawn-pee" (tawn has a good nasal sound) NOTE: tant pis comes in very handy during conversation and usually conveys sympathy or a general lack of it.

virer: to be fired (v.)

Vous êtes viré! You're fired! Pronounced: "vear-ay"

incroyable: unbelievable (adj.)

Incroyable! J'ai un travail toujours. Unbelievable! I still have a job. Pronounced: "an-kwah-yaw-bluh"