Vocabulary related to Economics in French

Economics plays an important role in the development of any nation. The way we understand economics can decide the progress of a nation. In this lesson, learn how different economic terms are called in French. Use them when you talk to someone about it in French.

1. la production

Meaning: the amount of something that is made or grown by a country or a company:

English: production 

Example: Les grévistes ont stoppé la production. (Strikers brought production to a standstill.)

2. la consommation

Meaning:using of goods and services in an economy, or the amount of goods and services used

English: consumption

Example: La consommation d’eau diminue en hiver. (Water consumption decreases in winter.)

3. les biens

Meaning: something that is owned by a person, company, or organization, such as money, property, or land

English: assets

Example: L’entreprise a disposé de tous ses biens. (The business disposed of all its capital assets.)

4. l’échange

Meaning: the process of changing one currency for another

English: exchange

Example: Les taux d’échange sont toujours sujets à variation. (Currency exchange rates are always subject to variation.)

5. les théories économiques

Meaning : the ideas and principles that aim to describe how economies work  

English: economic theories

Example: Vous apprendrez quelques théories économiques dans cette leçon. (You will be learning a few economic theories in this lesson.)

6. la gestion

Meaning: the activity of controlling something, or of using or dealing with something in a way that is effective

English: management

Example: Le projet n’a pas été un succès en raison d’une mauvaise gestion. (The project wasn’t a success because of bad management.)

7. la macroéconomie

Meaning: the study of financial systems at a national level

English: macroeconomics

Example: La macroéconomie m’intéresse plus que la microéconomie. (Macroeconomics interests me more than microeconomics.)

8. la microéconomie

Meaning: the study of the economic problems of businesses and people and the way particular parts of an economy behave

Example: La microéconomie moderne concerne l’offre, la demande et l’équilibre du marché. (Modern microeconomics is about supply, demand, and market equilibrium.)

9. le mercantilisme

Meaning :the idea that a country’s government should try to influence trade and business, especially by encouraging exports and putting limits on imports

English: mercantilism

Example: Le mercantilisme considère le commerce international comme un jeu à somme nulle. (Mercantilism views international trade as a zero sum game.)

10. le libre-échange

Meaning: international trade in which companies can import and export each other’s goods without the usual taxes, limits, etc

English: free trade

Example: Les anciennes lois créaient des barrières au libre-échange (The old laws created barriers to free trade.)

11. le marxisme

Meaning :a social, political, and economic theory that is based on the writings of Karl Marx

English: Marxism

Example: Le socialisme moderne est dominé par le marxisme. (Modern socialism is dominated by Marxism.)

12. l’inflation

Meaning: a general, continuous increase in prices

English: inflation

Example: Le chômage et l’inflation sont interdépendants. (Unemployment and inflation are interrelated.) 

13. la récession

Meaning: a period when the economy of a country is not successful and conditions for business are bad

English: recession

Example: Des centaines d’entreprises ont fait faillite pendant la récession. (Hundreds of firms went bankrupt during the recession.) 

14. l’imposition 

Meaning: the system of taxing people

English: taxation

Example: Ils étaient accablés de lourdes impositions. (They were burdened with heavy taxes.)

15. l’équilibre général

Meaning: a situation in which an economy is balanced and not experiencing large changes

English: equilibrium

Example: Nous avons atteint un équilibre dans l’économie. (We have achieved an equilibrium in the economy.) 

I hope you enjoyed learning different words related to economics in French. Did you know any of them? Write down which ones in French in comments. For more such vocabulary, keep reading our blog. You can easily learn French online with us. Stay tuned for more interesting blogs.