French & Russian: Related Words and Expressions
Cognates, loanwords, and shared roots across two languages
French and Russian share more vocabulary than you might expect — through Latin roots, historical borrowing, and modern loanwords. This worksheet explores those connections through vocabulary cards, matching, fill-in-the-blank, and self-checking exercises.
Part 1: Vocabulary Cards
Study the French–Russian word pairs below. Many share Latin roots or entered Russian as French loanwords.
adventure
adventure (risky undertaking)
Both from Latin “adventura” — a thing about to happen. Borrowed into Russian in the 18th–19th century from French.
luggage
luggage
Direct French loanword into Russian. The -ж ending mirrors the French -ge sound.
courage
boldness, swagger (informal)
In Russian, “кураж” shifted from “courage” to a more colloquial sense of bold confidence or nerve.
floor, storey
floor, storey
From Latin “stagnum” via French. Same word, same meaning, slightly different spelling.
newspaper
magazine, journal
French loanword. Note the meaning shift: French “journal” = newspaper, Russian “журнал” = magazine/journal.
stage, scene
stage, scene
From Latin “scaena” via French. Same meaning in both languages.
nightmare
nightmare
Interesting case: Russian “кошмар” is borrowed from French “cauchemar.” Both mean the same thing — a bad dream.
trip, journey
trip, voyage (formal/literary)
Direct loanword. In modern Russian, “вояж” is more formal or literary compared to the native “путешествие”.
Part 2: Match the Meaning
For each French/Russian pair, choose the correct English meaning.
Part 3: Fill in the Blank
Type the correct French word that corresponds to the Russian word given.
Russian: багаж (luggage) → French:
Russian: кошмар (nightmare) → French:
Russian: этаж (floor/storey) → French:
Russian: журнал (magazine) → French:
Russian: сцена (stage) → French:
Russian: авантюра (risky adventure) → French:
Part 4: True or False?
Decide whether each statement is true or false based on what you learned.
1. The Russian word “кураж” comes directly from the French word “courage” and means exactly the same thing.
2. French “journal” and Russian “журнал” have exactly the same meaning.
3. The word “aventure” in French and “авантюра” in Russian share a Latin root.
4. “Вояж” is the most common everyday Russian word for “trip.”
5. The Russian word “кошмар” was borrowed from French “cauchemar.”
Part 5: Discussion & Writing
Think about the connections between French and Russian. Write or discuss your answers.
1. Can you think of other French words that might exist in Russian? Try guessing 2–3 words.
2. Why do you think French words entered the Russian language? What historical events might explain this?
3. In your own language, are there words borrowed from French or Russian? List a few.
4. Do the meaning shifts (like courage → кураж) make learning these words easier or harder? Explain.
French & Russian Related Words — liltheteacher.com