Many Ways to Save

Now that we’ve explored the money-related verbs gagner (to earn) and dépenser (to spend) in an earlier lesson, it's time to discuss other useful terms such as économiser/faire des économies (to save). Even though these verbs are cognates with “economize/economy,” they have additional meanings that you may not be aware of.

Let’s start with the cognate économie, which has similar meanings to English but is much more versatile. For example, you are likely to come across the common phrase faire des économies (to save money):

Conséquence : le changement d'heure est réinstauré pour faire des économies.

As a consequence, daylight savings is reinstated to save money.

Captions 53-54, Le Monde Le changement d’heure ne sert pas à grand-chose, voici pourquoi

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By itself, faire des économies refers to saving money specifically, but you can also use it to talk about saving other things. Just use the structure faire des économies + de + noun, as in faire des économies de charbon (to economize or save up coal):

L'Allemagne, le Royaume-Uni et la France décident alors de faire des économies de charbon et de pétrole dissipés en éclairage inutile.

Germany, the United Kingdom, and France then decide to economize coal and oil squandered on unnecessary lighting.

Captions 31-33, Le Monde Le changement d’heure ne sert pas à grand-chose, voici pourquoi

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Alternatively, you can use the direct cognate économiser (to economize), which applies to any context just as in English:

Pourtant tout part d'une bonne intention : faire économiser de l'énergie.

Yet it all stems from a good intention: saving energy.

Captions 9-10, Le Monde Le changement d’heure ne sert pas à grand-chose, voici pourquoi

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In any case, économiser or faire des économies is the best way to accumulate des économies (savings):

Ils fuient le domicile familial avec pour seul bagage quelques vêtements et leurs maigres économies.

They flee the family home with, as their only luggage, a few clothes and their meager savings.

Captions 108-109, Le Jour où tout a basculé Nos enfants s'aiment - Part 4

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It is no surprise that this versatile noun, l’économie, is also used to refer to the very quality required to save money, frugality, a virtue that the famous fabulist La Fontaine exalts in his fable La Cigale et la fourmi (The Cicada and the Ant). He contrasts the behavior of the spendthrift cicada with its frugal counterpart, the ant:

tandis que la fourmi représente le travail, le mérite, la mesure et l'économie.

whereas the ant represents labor, merit, moderation, and frugality.

Captions 14-15, Le saviez-vous? La Cigale et la fourmi - Part 2

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L’économie (frugality) also involves making choices that are économiques (economical):

Cette machine n'est pas économique, je vous l'assure. Elle gaspille du charbon.

This machine is not economical, I assure you. It wastes coal.

Caption 15, Il était une fois: Les découvreurs 13. Stephenson - Part 2

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Économique also means “economic,” as in la crise économique (the economic crisis):

La crise économique nous guette, les licenciements aussi.

An economic crisis is in store for us, as well as layoffs.

Captions 36-37, Lionel L Le déconfinement

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Likewise, l’économie also refers to the economy of a country: 

En effet, l'économie s'est retrouvée à genoux pendant deux mois

Indeed, the economy has been brought to its knees for two months

Captions 38-39, Lionel L Le déconfinement

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But note that in French, l’économie also refers to the science of economics:

Euh, j'ai fait des études de... d'économie. 

Uh, I studied, uh... economics.

Caption 29, Niko de La Faye "Visages" - Part 2

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Finally, to save you from making this mistake, don’t use the cognate sauver (to save) to mean “economize." For example, you cannot say sauver de l’argent (except in Canadian French). Use the terms mentioned earlier instead.

But do use sauver (to save) in a rescue situation, as in sauver la vie (to save a life):

Puis vint le jour où le prince annonça qu'il était tombé amoureux, mais malheureusement, pas de la petite sirène mais de la jeune fille dont il croyait qu'elle lui avait sauvé la vie.

Then came the day when the prince announced that he had fallen in love, but unfortunately not with the little mermaid, but with the young girl whom he thought had saved his life.

Captions 29-31, Contes de fées La petite sirène - Part 2

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In conclusion, remember that économie is a very versatile noun with meanings ranging from "savings" to "economics," "economy," and even "frugality." And don’t forget that you can’t “save” money with sauver!