Pièce: a popular French word with some English parallels

The French word pièce (pronounced pee-yes) is wonderfully versatile, with more meanings than we have space to explore here, but let’s look at a few. 

You might have heard it in estate-agent talk to refer to rooms. For example, un appartement de trois pièces would be a three-room apartment, while a pièce à vivre is a living room.

If you are at the market, you will notice some vegetables or other miscellaneous items labelled €2 pièce, which means that they are €2 each. 

Here, pièce refers to ‘per item’ and evokes an older English expression where goods would be sold at, for example, ‘a shilling a piece’. 

Someone could also ask you for une pièce d’un euro, which is shorthand for a coin (pièce de monnaie). Again, this echoes an older English expression: it was once common to say ‘a 10-pence piece’ rather than ‘a 10-pence coin’.

You may also hear the expression 'rendre la monnaie de sa pièce' which can refer to a bid for revenge or a reminder that actions have consequences.

One phrase you are certain to hear while living in France is une pièce d’identité, meaning proof of identity. Here pièce refers to a particular type of document that is used to prove your rights. 

Occasionally when you prepare an application, you might be reminded to attach all the relevant documents: n’oubliez pas de joindre toutes les pièces à votre dossier.

Finally, at this time of year, you may be invited to watch a play - une pièce de théâtre.

For festive baking, meanwhile, you may require a cookie cutter, which is un emporte-pièce. This is so-called because in theory it both cuts and lifts (emporter) the required shape. 

Purists will tell you that the plural of emporte-pièce is des emporte-pièce with no added ‘s’, although in 1990 the Académie française decided to allow the spelling des emporte-pièces. 

Now that is an interesting little piece of information.