An affaire to remember: this false friend is far more versatile in French

English borrows richly from French, as we all know, but we should not always assume that a given word has the same meaning in both languages.

Take affaire, for example, which probably conjures up images of extra-marital romance even if it has a less common application in business.

In French, it can refer to either of these but it is far more versatile. You have to pay attention to the context and not jump to conclusions.

In a professional context, affaire refers to commerce, thus le monde des affaires is the business world and un homme ou une femme d'affaires is a businessman or a businesswoman.

You may hear, for example: Il travaille dans les affaires depuis 20 ans (he has worked in business for 20 years).

Faire affaire avec quelqu'un is not to arrange a tryst in a hotel but to negotiate and hopefully strike a deal with someone.

A company’s chiffre d'affaires is its turnover or total revenue

Almost anything that happens generally can be an affaire. Une affaire judiciaire is a court case. In the news, if you hear about an affaire in connection with someone, it might refer to legal proceedings or a public scandal.

The word conveys a sense of gravity and importance, as in une affaire d'Etat (a matter of state).

History is replete with grand goings-on that cannot be described in any other way. The most famous example is l'affaire Dreyfus (the Dreyfus Affair), a political, military and judicial scandal centred on a Jewish army officer wrongly accused of spying against his country.

In everyday usage, however, the word has entirely different connotations.

Affaires, in plural, refer to personal belongings. You are most likely to hear it in phrases such as prenez vos affaires (don’t forget to take your things with you) and j’ai oublié mes affaires à la maison (I’ve left the things I need at home). A stroppy parent might well scold a teenager by saying: Range tes affaires (tidy up your stuff).

Another use is in shopping. Une bonne affaire is a bargain and c'est une affaire à saisir indicates that the seller wants you to take advantage of a special offer.

J’ai fait une affaire tells you that the speaker has obtained something at a favourable price.

There are several other idiomatic expressions that illustrate the flexibility of the word. You will have to listen carefully to know what is being said.

C’est une autre affaire, meanwhile, uttered with a serious expression means that a subject needs more considered discussion because it is more difficult or complex than first thought.

If someone says of a third party that il en fait une affaire, it could mean that he is exaggerating or turning a minor matter into a major issue.

C’est mon affaire tells someone to back off.

Se mêler de ses affaires means to mind one’s own business, while avoir affaire à implies dealing with someone, often with a hint of confrontation.

Of course, after all the above has been said, if a couple is being referred to, then une affaire could imply a more or less illicit sexual relationship.

Une petite affaire is a somewhat coy and antiquated way of describing a fling. In contrast, the French often use une liaison for a long-term secret relationship. Une affaire de cœur is a matter of the heart, innocent or otherwise.

And now that you and I have talked about everything to do with this nimble little word, we have all our affairs in order.