French Words Ending in -ing

French has a unique collection of borrowed words ending in ‘-ing', many of which retain their original English meaning or have developed specific nuances in French. These terms are commonly used in everyday conversation and can describe everything from leisure activities to household items. Below, we explore some of the most widely used ‘-ing' words in French, along with examples to showcase their usage.

Aquaplaning (aquaplaning)
iI a perdu le contrôle de la voiture à cause de l’aquaplaning (he lost control of the car because of aquaplaning)

Booking (reservation)
Ils ont fait un booking pour le dîner de ce soir (they made a reservation for tonight’s dinner)

Bowling (bowling alley)
Ils sont allés au bowling samedi soir (they went to the bowling alley Saturday night)

Brushing (blow-dry)
Elle a demandé un brushing chez le coiffeur (she asked for a blow-dry at the hairdresser)

Building (large modern building)
Il habite dans un building en centre-ville (he lives in a large modern building downtown)

Camping (camp site)
Le camping près du lac est très populaire (the camp site near the lake is very popular)

Camping-car (camper van)
Ils voyagent en camping-car à travers la France (they travel by camper van across France)

Caravanning (caravanning)
Le caravanning est une activité familiale populaire (caravanning is a popular family activity)

Dancing (dance hall)
Ils vont souvent au dancing le week-end (they often go to the dance hall on weekends)

Dressing (built-in wardrobe)
La chambre a un grand dressing (the bedroom has a large built-in wardrobe)

Dumping (dumping)
Le dumping est illégal dans cette région (dumping is illegal in this area)

Fooding (the art of eating and cooking well)
Le fooding est très en vogue à Paris (the art of eating and cooking well is very popular in Paris)

Footing (jogging)
Ils font du footing tous les matins (they go jogging every morning)

Forcing (pressure)
Il a utilisé du forcing pour obtenir ce qu'il voulait (he used pressure to get what he wanted)

Jogging (jogging/tracksuit)
Elle porte son jogging tous les jours (she wears her tracksuit every day)

Jumping (horse jumping)
Le jumping équestre attire de nombreux spectateurs (horse jumping attracts many spectators)

Karting (go-carting)
Ils adorent faire du karting le week-end (they love go-carting on weekends)

Leasing (leasing)
Ils ont opté pour le leasing de la voiture (they opted for leasing the car)

Lifting (face-lift)
Elle a subi un lifting pour rajeunir son apparence (she had a face-lift to look younger)

Living (living room)
Ils passent la soirée dans le living (they spend the evening in the living room)

Lobbying (lobbying)
Le lobbying a influencé la décision (lobbying influenced the decision)

Mailing (publicity mail shot)
Ils ont envoyé un mailing à tous leurs clients (they sent a publicity mail shot to all their clients)

Marketing (marketing)
Le marketing est essentiel pour l'entreprise (marketing is essential for the company)

Mobbing (moral harassment)
Le mobbing est un problème sérieux en entreprise (moral harassment is a serious problem in companies)

Parking (car park)
Le parking est situé à côté du centre commercial (the car park is located next to the shopping center)

Planning (schedule)
Ils préparent le planning de la semaine (they are preparing the schedule for the week)

Pressing (dry-cleaning)
Il a déposé sa veste au pressing (he dropped off his jacket at the dry-cleaners)

Rafting (rafting)
Ils font du rafting dans les rapides (they go rafting in the rapids)

Shampooing (shampoo)
Elle a acheté un nouveau shampooing (she bought a new shampoo)

Shooting (photo shoot)
Le shooting a eu lieu en studio (the photo shoot took place in the studio)

Sleeping (sleeping-carriage)
Ils ont réservé un sleeping pour le voyage en train (they booked a sleeping-carriage for the train journey)

Smoking (dinner jacket)
Il a porté un smoking pour la soirée (he wore a dinner jacket for the evening)

Sponsoring (sponsorship)
Le sponsoring de cet événement est important (the sponsorship of this event is important)

Standing (high quality)
Ce restaurant est de standing (this restaurant is high quality)

String (G-string)
Elle a acheté un string en dentelle (she bought a lace G-string)

Surbooking (over-booking)
L'hôtel a fait un surbooking par erreur (the hotel made an over-booking by mistake)

Timing (timing)
Le timing du lancement est crucial (the timing of the launch is crucial)

Training (track suit)
Il porte toujours son training pour courir (he always wears his track suit for running)

Travelling (dolly for camera shots)
Le travelling a été utilisé pour la scène (the dolly was used for the scene)

Trekking (trekking)
Ils partent en trekking dans les montagnes (they go trekking in the mountains)

Yachting (yachting)
Ils font du yachting chaque été (they go yachting every summer)

Yearling (yearling horse)
Le yearling a été vendu aux enchères (the yearling horse was sold at auction)

Example

Le week-end dernier, nous avons décidé de faire du camping près du lac. En arrivant, nous avons garé notre camping-car dans un parking aménagé pour les visiteurs. Le soir, nous avons préparé un feu de camp et fait un peu de footing autour du lac avant de nous détendre. Le lendemain, nous avons trouvé un endroit pour du rafting et avons passé une journée excitante sur l'eau. Le soir, nous avons pris le temps de visiter le dancing local, où nous avons passé des heures à danser et à rire. Avant de rentrer, nous avons fait un passage rapide au pressing pour nettoyer nos affaires.

Last weekend, we decided to go camping near the lake. Upon arrival, we parked our camper van in a car park set up for visitors. In the evening, we made a campfire and went for a little jog around the lake before relaxing. The next day, we found a spot for rafting and spent an exciting day on the water. In the evening, we took some time to visit the local dance hall, where we spent hours dancing and laughing. Before returning home, we made a quick stop at the dry-cleaners to clean our clothes.