# French — General Legal Sub-Lexicon

Auto-generated from translation experience. This file maps French legal terms to their
correct English equivalents. It is loaded automatically when translating French documents
and supplements the main English-only lexicons in `references/`.

This file grows over time as new translations are performed.

## Universal Legal Terms

| French | English |
|---|---|
| conclure (un contrat) | enter into (an agreement) |
| constituer / établir (un droit) | create / grant (a right) |
| en faveur de | in favor of |
| déclarations et garanties | representations and warranties |
| engagements | undertakings |
| dispositions générales / dispositions diverses | miscellaneous |
| loi applicable et juridiction compétente | governing law and jurisdiction |
| élection de domicile | service address / chosen domicile for service (NOT "service of process" — that is *signification* / *assignation*) |
| nullité partielle / divisibilité | severability |
| modification / avenant | amendment |
| notifications / avis | notices |
| ceci étant exposé / en conséquence | now, therefore, |
| successeurs et ayants droit / ayants cause | successors and assigns |
| personne | person |
| patrimoine | assets (commercial) / estate (succession/insolvency) |
| à quelque titre que ce soit | on any basis whatsoever |
| alinéa | paragraph |
| exemplaire | counterpart |
| fait partie intégrante (du présent contrat) | forms part of (this Agreement) |
| renonciation | waiver |
| cession (du contrat) | assignment |
| législation applicable / droit applicable | applicable law |
| tiers | third party |
| autorité compétente | competent authority |
| siège social | registered office |
| établissement principal | principal place of business |
| numéro SIREN / numéro SIRET | company registration number |
| numéro de TVA intracommunautaire | VAT registration number |
| registre du commerce et des sociétés (RCS) | trade and companies register |
| capital social | share capital |
| préambule / exposé préalable | recitals |
| annexes | schedules / annexes |
| ordre de priorité / hiérarchie des normes | order of precedence |
| absence de charges / absence de sûretés | freedom from encumbrances |
| conditions suspensives | conditions precedent |
| par les présentes | hereby |
| contrepartie | consideration / counter-performance (civil-law concept of reciprocal performance in a synallagmatic contract — use "consideration" only where the English-law doctrine is genuinely in point) |
| prix | price (in a sale contract) |
| intégralité de l'accord | entire agreement |
| bonne foi | good faith |
| force majeure | force majeure |
| mise en demeure | formal notice / notice of default |
| clause résolutoire | termination clause |
| dommages et intérêts | damages |
| exécution forcée / exécution en nature | specific performance |
| solidairement / conjointement et solidairement | jointly and severally |
| stipulation pour autrui | stipulation for the benefit of a third party |
| acte sous seing privé | private deed / deed under hand |
| acte authentique | notarial deed |

## Cross-Reference Conventions

| French | English |
|---|---|
| Article (internal) | Section (US default) / Clause (UK) |
| Article (legislation) | Article / Section |
| Annexe | Schedule (US/UK) / Annex (EU/international) |
| Préambule | Recital |
| ci-dessus / ci-après | above / below |
| le présent acte / le présent contrat | this Deed / this Agreement |
| les présentes | this Agreement |

## Key French Legislative References

| French | English |
|---|---|
| Code civil | French Civil Code |
| Code de commerce | French Commercial Code |
| Code de procédure civile | French Code of Civil Procedure |
| Code monétaire et financier | French Monetary and Financial Code |
| Code du travail | French Labor Code |
| Code de la consommation | French Consumer Code |
| Code général des impôts (CGI) | French General Tax Code |
| Loi Sapin II | Sapin II Act (Anti-Corruption Act) |
| Règlement général de l'AMF | AMF General Regulation |
| RGPD / Règlement (UE) 2016/679 | GDPR / Regulation (EU) 2016/679 |
| Loi Informatique et Libertés | French Data Protection Act |
| Ordonnance | Ordinance |
| Décret | Decree |
| Arrêté | Ministerial Order |

## Grammar Notes (French-Specific)

- **Adjective placement**: French often places adjectives after nouns;
  English places them before ("obligations contractuelles existantes" → "existing contractual obligations")
- **"Étant entendu que"**: "it being understood that" or "provided that"
- **"Sous réserve de"**: "subject to" or "without prejudice to"
- **"Le cas échéant"**: "as the case may be" or "where applicable"
- **"Nonobstant"**: "notwithstanding"
- **"Sans préjudice de"**: "without prejudice to"
- **"Tout(e)… quel(le) qu'il/elle soit"**: "any … whatsoever"
- **"À défaut"**: "failing which" or "in the absence of"

## Additional Lawlinguists-validated French Mappings

| French | English |
|---|---|
| acte juridique | juridical act / legal transaction |
| fait juridique | juridical fact / legal event (distinct from acte juridique — facts giving rise to rights without intent) |
| manifestation de volonté | manifestation of will / declaration of intent |
| capacité juridique / capacité de jouissance | legal capacity / capacity to hold rights |
| capacité d'exercice | capacity to act |
| représentation | representation / agency |
| mandat (Arts. 1984-2010 Code civil) | mandate (civil-law contract — distinct from common-law agency) |
| pouvoir | power / authority |
| procuration | power of attorney / proxy |
| liberté contractuelle | freedom of contract |
| ordre public | public policy / public order |
| bonnes mœurs | public morals |
| abus de droit | abuse of rights (jurisprudential doctrine) |
| fraude à la loi | evasion of the law |
| estoppel | estoppel (retained English/Latin — no direct French equivalent; French law relies on interdiction de se contredire au détriment d'autrui) |
| chose jugée / autorité de la chose jugée | res judicata |
| synallagmatique | synallagmatic / bilateral (reciprocal) |
| unilatéral | unilateral |
| à titre onéreux | for valuable consideration |
| à titre gratuit | gratuitous / without consideration |
| réel (contrat) | real contract (formed by delivery of the thing — e.g., prêt à usage) |
| consensuel | consensual (formed by consent alone) |
| solennel | solemn / formal (requiring specific form — e.g., notarial deed) |
| biens meubles | movable property / chattels |
| biens immeubles | immovable property / real property |
| droits réels | rights in rem |
| propriété | ownership |
| possession | possession |
| usufruit | usufruct |
| nue-propriété | bare ownership / reversionary interest (avoid the calque "naked ownership") |
| servitude | easement / servitude |
| hypothèque | mortgage |
| nantissement | pledge (of incorporeal property — receivables, shares, fonds de commerce) |
| gage | pledge (of movables — post-2006 reform: gage sans dépossession possible) |
| fiducie | trust (French fiducie introduced 2007 — distinct from common-law trust; Arts. 2011-2030 Code civil) |
| fiducie-sûreté | trust by way of security |
| fiducie-gestion | trust for management |
| obligation | obligation |
| obligation solidaire | joint-and-several obligation |
| obligation conjointe | several (non-joint) obligation |
| obligation indivisible | indivisible obligation |
| obligation de moyens / obligation de résultat | obligation of means / obligation of result |
| créancier | creditor |
| débiteur | debtor |
| paiement | payment / performance |
| demeure (mise en demeure) | default (formal notice of default — prerequisite for damages and termination in many cases) |
| intérêts | interest |
| intérêts moratoires | default interest |
| intérêts au taux légal | interest at the statutory rate |
| anatocisme | compound interest / anatocism (Art. 1343-2 Code civil — restrictive rule requiring annual periodization) |
| dation en paiement (Art. 1342-4 Code civil) | dation in payment / accord and satisfaction |
| subrogation | subrogation |
| cession de créance (Arts. 1321-1326 Code civil) | assignment of claim (post-2016 reform — effective against debtor on notice, not acceptance) |
| cession de dette (Art. 1327 Code civil) | assignment of debt (introduced by 2016 reform) |
| cession de contrat (Arts. 1216-1216-3 Code civil) | assignment of contract (introduced by 2016 reform) |
| novation | novation (Arts. 1329-1335 Code civil) |
| compensation | set-off (Arts. 1347-1348-2 Code civil) |
| confusion | merger / confusion |
| remise de dette | release of debt (Art. 1350 Code civil) |
| résolution (du contrat) | termination / rescission (for breach — Arts. 1224-1230 Code civil) |
| résiliation | termination with effect ex nunc (for future) |
| nullité absolue | absolute nullity / void |
| nullité relative | relative nullity / voidable (at instance of protected party) |
| vices du consentement | defects in consent |
| erreur | mistake (Arts. 1132-1136 Code civil) |
| dol | fraud / deceit (Arts. 1137-1139 Code civil) |
| violence | duress / economic duress (Arts. 1140-1143 Code civil — 2016 reform expanded to include abuse of state of dependence) |
| lésion | lesion / unconscionable imbalance (Arts. 1168-1170 Code civil) |
| responsabilité contractuelle (Art. 1231 Code civil) | contractual liability |
| responsabilité délictuelle / responsabilité civile (Arts. 1240-1252 Code civil) | tort liability / civil liability |
| responsabilité du fait d'autrui | liability for the acts of others |
| responsabilité du fait des choses | liability for things (Art. 1242) |
| responsabilité sans faute | strict liability |
| faute | fault |
| faute inexcusable | inexcusable fault |
| faute intentionnelle / dolosive | intentional / dolose fault |
| perte subie (damnum emergens) / gain manqué (lucrum cessans) | actual loss / loss of profit |
| préjudice moral | moral / non-pecuniary prejudice |
| prescription | limitation / statute of limitations |
| prescription acquisitive (usucapion) | adverse possession |
| prescription extinctive | extinctive prescription |
| délai de forclusion | preclusive time-bar (not subject to tolling) |
| procédure collective | collective insolvency proceedings |
| sauvegarde | safeguard proceedings (French preventive restructuring — Arts. L. 620-1 et seq. Code de commerce) |
| redressement judiciaire | judicial reorganization |
| liquidation judiciaire | judicial liquidation |
| mandataire judiciaire | judicial administrator (representing creditors' interests) |
| administrateur judiciaire | judicial receiver / reorganiser |
| juge-commissaire | supervisory judge (in insolvency proceedings) |
| conciliation | conciliation (French pre-insolvency confidential procedure) |
| mandat ad hoc | ad hoc mandate (informal pre-insolvency procedure) |
| accord de conciliation homologué | conciliation agreement with court endorsement |
