40 Common French Acronyms and Abbreviations
Popular French acronyms & abbreviations used in daily speech & in the news. See the list here to know the most of them & to use it in your daily speech.
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French Acronyms and Abbreviations ListYour turnPin this!Here are some FAQs about French Acronyms and AbbreviationsLearning French requires that you read a lot. But while reading, you will come across some French acronyms and abbreviations. To help you decipher those letters, in this article we will be introducing you to a list of 40 common abbreviations in the French language.
If you’re looking for shortcuts used in messaging, there is a separate article for that (see: French Text Slang and Messaging Abbreviations). For this one, it’s all about French acronyms commonly found in daily speech as well as in French news articles.
Keep in mind that French abbreviations and acronyms can be different in English so it’s important to learn them now.
Now without further ado, here’s your list of French abbreviations and acronyms.
French Acronyms and Abbreviations List
| AB | agriculture biologique | organic farming |
| ADN | acide désoxyribonucléique | DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) |
| AOC | Appellation d’origine contrôlée | guarantee of origin |
| API | Alphabet phonétique international | IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) |
| BCBG | bon chic bon genre | Preppy |
| BD | Bande Dessinée | comics/ comic book |
| BP | boîte postale | post office box (P.O. Box) |
| CB | carte bleue, carte bancaire | credit/ debit card |
| CDD | contrat à durée déterminée | fixed-term contract |
| CDI | contrat à durée indéterminée | permanent / open-ended contract |
| Cie | compagnie | company (Co.) |
| CV | curriculum vitae | résumé |
| DA | Direction Artistique | Artistic direction (used when discussing movies or video games) |
| DAB | distributeur automatique de billets | ATM (automated teller machine) |
| DELF | diplôme d’études en langue française | a certification issued for French language proficiency |
| É.-U. | États-Unis | United States (U.S.) |
| FLE | Français langue étrangère | French as a foreign language (the field of teaching French to non-native speakers) |
| Go | gigaoctet | GB (gigabyte) |
| h | heure | hour(s); also used in clock times |
| HT | hors taxe | subtotal excluding tax/ tax not included |
| Mo | mégaoctet | MB (megabyte) |
| ONG | organisation non gouvernementale | NGO (non-government organization) |
| ONU | Organisation des Nations unies | UN (United Nations) |
| OVNI | Objet volant non identifié | UFO (unidentified flying object) |
| PC | poste de commandement | HQ (headquarters) |
| PDG | président-directeur général | CEO (chief executive officer) |
| PIB | produit intérieur brut | GDP (gross domestic product) |
| PME | Petite ou Moyenne Entreprise | Small or Medium sized Enterprise (SME) |
| RATP | Régie autonome des transports parisiens | Paris public transportation authority (métro and bus) |
| rdc | rez-de-chaussée | ground floor/ 1st floor |
| RER | Réseau express régional | regional rail service connecting Paris and the suburbs |
| RF | la République française | The French Republic |
| RN | revenu national | national income |
| rdv | rendez-vous | date, meeting |
| SA | société anonyme | Joint-stock company; similar to Inc. (incorporated) |
| SAMU | service d’aide médicale urgente | emergency medical assistance service |
| SARL | société à responsabilité limitée | Ltd (limited liability company) |
| SDF | sans domicile fixe | homeless people / no permanent address |
| SIDA | syndrome immunodéficitaire acquis | AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) |
| SVP | s’il vous plaît | pls (Please) |
Interesting list isn’t it? Which French abbreviation or acronym did you find the most interesting?
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Here are some FAQs about French Acronyms and Abbreviations
What are the French abbreviations for mister, miss, and missus?
In French, we go by Monsieur for Mister, Mademoiselle for Miss, and Madame for Missus (Mrs). The abbreviations are as below:
M. for Monsieur (Mister)
Mme for Madame (missus, Mrs)
Mlle for Mademoiselle (Miss)
What are French abbreviations?
Abbreviations are shortened forms. Initial-letter abbreviations include CV (curriculum vitae), pronounced letter by letter, and acronyms such as ONU, pronounced as words. In strict terminology, CV is an initialism rather than an acronym. Rdv, short for rendez-vous, is an abbreviation made by shortening the word.
How do acronyms work in French?
Acronyms and initialisms commonly use initial letters from a phrase, term or title. They can differ between languages: English DNA stands for “deoxyribonucleic acid,” while French ADN comes from acide désoxyribonucléique.
