French swear word ” “Va te faire foutre” in this sense means “go and get f*cked. Mar 9, 2023 · As the French love to swear, it is tough to come up with the most vulgar French curse word. It can show a debasement of someone or something, or be considered as an expression of strong feeling towards something. Jan 22, 2021 · If you've set a goal of sounding like a French native speaker, learning swear words can also help you feel more yourself. The French, not unlike their English-speaking friends, use quite a lot of swear words. com teaches swearing words and curse words in French! Learn French slang BUT PLEASE DO NOT SAY May 26, 2016 · (Yiddish, the swear words of which I grew up hearing, has about a dozen curses referring to the penis. But it does make sense. My favorite french swear words are: merde, putain, connard, et des conneries. I’ve heard a lot of French swear words in movies and television as well. g. Treat them like you would English swear words. French curse words often carry more weight and intensity when spoken out loud. The word is derived from “tabernacle,” which in the Catholic faith is the sacred vessel that contains the consecrated host, representing the body of Christ. Is tabarnak considered a bad word? In Quebec, tabarnak is considered a milder swear word. Like it or not, bad or swear words are an important part of every day conversation and so with that in mind, I want to share with you my ten favorite French swear words and phrases. With this in mind, I’ve put this guide together on some of the most frequently used French swear words. Looks like you’ve only Googled this page so you can pick up a few French swear words and vulgarities, and I’m not going to disappoint you! Anyway, here you go – here’s a silly list to try out if you’re silly enough! My Ultimate List of French Swear Words, Slang, Expletives and Expressions! Sacre bleu! Sep 1, 2021 · 17 French Swear Expressions With the French Verb Foutre Here are a few uses of the verb “foutre”. See my list of British Slang, Irish Slang, silly Australian Expressions, Spanish Swear Words, Russian Swear Words and German Swear Words! More amusing things to do in France – drink some Pschitt Lemonade , say hi to the dead in Pere Lachaise Cemetery , gorge yourself at Chocolate Festivals , gatecrash the Tour De France , see if the Paris May 20, 2025 · Among the milder and yet more popular French swear words, "merde" (literally meaning "shit") and "putain" (originally meaning "whore") are ubiquitous. Used colloquially, it’s an insult expressing that someone is a jerk, a moron and an imbecile at the same time. This video on how to curse in French you’ll find particularly effective: How to curse in French: Use cue cards. So, those are my favorite French swear words and cusses. What’s also interesting is that the action of swearing or using slang curse words in Quebec is literally labelled se consacrer “to consecrate”, and some of the words used by French speakers to swear include religious phrases (e. There are many French swear words, but some are more useful than others due either to their popularity or their versatility. 35 French Swear Words. Mar 6, 2025 · 1. But we like to make a sentence out of them according to the level of angriness and vulgarity we want. They are using the three most common swear words as an interjection: “Merde, Putain, Fait chier”. Level 1 French curse words: Swear words that are somewhat acceptable for use around selected people. When dipping your toes into the world of French profanity, you’ll quickly realize that it’s quite different from what you might be familiar with in English. Regarding “Ta mère” it can be sometimes interpreted as a “shut up”. Aug 29, 2022 · The French swear words listed here are divided into two levels. Add swear words, and the process gets that much more enjoyable. tɛ̃/. List of French curse words: Single-word curse words in French: French English Equivalent Literal Meaning Vulgarity Level; Je m’en fiche. Feb 26, 2025 · Objectively the best French swear word and one of the many reasons to learn French a blaireau is literally a “badger”. French swear words are some of the most colorful words you'll Oct 10, 2022 · Despite the fact that French people are usually quite polite, they don’t typically censor swear words on TV or in movies, and many French people use at least a few swear words in their everyday life. Jan 17, 2025 · Today’s lesson examines the fun and super useful French swear word bordel. Gros colon. com/welco English words for connard include motherfucker, shithead, berk, shitass, asshole, ass hole and bastard. francaisimmersion. French swear words also draw from history and culture. “Zut,” a milder curse, is akin to “darn” in English. I don’t give a sh_t mild; Je m’en fous: I don’t give a f_ck medium; Va te faire foutre Aug 29, 2022 · The French swear words listed here are divided into two levels. Merde (Maird) This Putain is the Swiss Army knife of French swear words, meaning “damn” or “fuck. Jun 14, 2022 · However, the word is much more commonly used as a swear word. “Sacrebleu” is a contraction of “sacré Dieu” (sacred God) and is used to express surprise or exasperation. While French swear words are almost always related to sex or sexual behaviours. As as expletive it means “sh*t!” or “dammit!”. Apr 14, 2021 · In my book, another great illustration of those French swear words is the old sketch from the humoristic group “Les Inconnus”. If you want to learn the swear words and more extreme type of insults that your formal French teacher is never going to teach you in class, then this is the page for you. In Québec French, swear words can be combined into more powerful combinations to express extreme anger or disgust. But when said in a certain way or context, they are extremely harsh, disrespectful and rude. One particular French swear word that is often used is «tabarnak». Adding visual cues to the bad French words can help you learn them faster. Jun 20, 2022 · French terms whose tone (rather than the meaning) is offensive to polite company. From visiting cultural sites to indulging in local delicacies to learning the targeted language to studying a place’s history to even learning how to swear in the language all help you to identify and live the culture’s character. ” Other words like “sacrebleu” and “hostie” are also employed as swear words in French. What’s your favorite way to swear in French? Note, these are insults specifically aimed at an antagonist, If you are looking for more general swear words (as is “Putain, I dropped a hammer on my foot”), check out my post on the best French swear words here. French swear words don't denote only anger or frustration, but are used to express a whole range of expressions, from surprise to sadness, excitement or even pure joy. Oct 13, 2023 · “Tabarnak” (or its variants) is a Quebecois French swear word. Like most things in French, the rule with insults is usually: only say it if you mean it. 1. Dec 23, 2021 · The vulgar French word for “sperm” or “cum,” “foutre” is also used as a verb which means “f*ck. In France, swearing is common. Zob / Pine / Queue / Bite / Nœud. That is why I’ll be delving into the unusual in this post where I will be examining Jan 29, 2024 · This guide to French cursing is split into two sections: French curse words, and French curse phrases. Notice “foutre” can be reflexive “se foutre” – and please forgive the vulgar expressions but all these are very common, and you will come across them in movies etc… The French swear words "saloud” and “salope" are equivalent to the English words "bastard" and "bitch," respectively. In English, the French swear word can be translated as “shit” or “crap” or “fuck” depending on the situation. Having an immersive cultural experience cut across a wide range of topics. A good starting point is to understand some of the common ones: <p>Lock up your daughters and look out for your boss, because we’re about to learn some seriously juicy French curse words up in here. Aug 4, 2023 · So, buckle up and get ready to dive into the fascinating world of Quebecois curse words with this cheeky guide. In Quebec French, gros colon doesn’t refer to a protruding internal organ (spelled côlon), but rather a settler or May 20, 2025 · Swear words in French aren't just vulgarities; they're cultural expressions deeply embedded in everyday language. I’m sure it’s similar to the way Americans use our slang and swear words. Oct 17, 2024 · Exploring a Lesser-Known Swear Word: We’ll break down a lesser-known but widely used swear word in French, discussing its meanings and the appropriate contexts for its use. Jan 15, 2024 · The word purée is also used as an alternative to the offensive French swear word “Putain. May 9, 2022 · That said, while the French rarely censor swear words, they are overall a very polite culture. " in English. Learn more words like these with your copy of Colloquial French. I’ve seen “putain” translated as “f*ck” in French movies and TV shows a lot. A note of warning: If you’re visiting France and would like to leave […]</p> French Swear Words: Thomas from https://www. As you step into the French languag 2 days ago · Tabarnak is a French-Canadian swear word that comes from 'tabernacle,' a small box used in Catholic churches to hold the Eucharist. Although I hear both quite a lot, putain is more versatile and usually has more impact. Examples: ️ Il a marché dans une merde de chien. They function as versatile expressions akin to "heck," "dang," or "shoot" in English. As for Canadian French swear words, you will notice that they mainly refer to Christian rites or objects. You can, however, use these jokingly among your good friends. French Swear Words: Ranked Strongest to Weakest (X-Rated) I also like to throw in extra words for emphasis like “C’est vraiment des conneries!” (That is REALLY bullshit). com! The differences between French from France and French from Canada are mainly in pronunciation. Sep 30, 2013 · Learn popular French swear words, and why you should avoid them in French conversation. Now let's get to the meat of the post. Aug 7, 2012 · I’ve been studying French for more than twenty years, but the one thing that none of my teachers ever shared were great French swear words. ” It’s often used as an exclamation of frustration, similar to yelling “dammit!” in English. >>Check out some of our Paris resident’s essential French swear words, too. According to at least two recent surveys, merde is the one they’re most likely to use. While the word's primary meaning would be 'hooker', putain is, to some French people, more of a punctuation sign than a swear word. How to use it "Merde / Putain / Bordel / Fait chier" are used exactly like "Crap / Fuck / Shit / etc. Let’s get to know putain a little better, shall we? Maybe it will become Feb 28, 2017 · It’s very common. Salut ! I hate vulgarity! So it took me a long time before I decide to publish a video about this topic: French swear words. The Ultimate Guide: Discovering the French Word for Profanity. In this video, you'll learn how to say bad words in French. “Putain de merde” shows how French layer their curses, which isn’t as common in English. Some of it can be pretty offensive. Blaireau French swear words are called “gros mots” – big words – and they’re sometimes a tricky thing to master. Mar 12, 2025 · Liaisons: An Introduction to French 3rd Edition • ISBN: 9781337905848 Bill VanPatten, Stacey Weber-Feve, Wynne Wong Jul 29, 2023 · Interestingly, the use of religious words as curses is not limited to “tabarnak. See full list on languatalk. Below is a mixture of 35 swear words and extreme insults in French, all translated and presented alphabetically from French to English. They’re part of French culture - in the same way that English has its swear words as well. com If you want to sound like a French native and have a full grasp of French, understanding French curse words is key. Funnily enough, the word describes an old-fashioned shaving brush. Sometimes these words are perfectly acceptable. 2. May 11, 2018 · French Swear Words. They are mainly used to express surprise or disappointment. You may have your own colorful expletives. commeunefrancaise. It’s easy to take foreign swear words lightly because they don’t evoke the same reaction in you as they would in a native speaker. If we refer to the international phonetic alphabet, the official phonetic writing of “putain” is /py. Mar 1, 2020 · 1. ” Derived from the word “tabernacle,” it’s often used to express anger, frustration, or disbelief. Québec French has retained French words that have long since gone out of style in France . ” According to the Dictionnaire Historique de la Langue Française, purée” has been used as an expression of emotion since 1895 and could be a shortened form of an older expression “être dans la purée,” (to be in the purree (or mash), to Apr 14, 2020 · While writing French Together’s extensive list of French curse words, I was surprised to learn that putain is the French’s favorite bad word, not merde. The use of “shit” is then a metaphorical way to designate something pejorative, bad, and/or uninteresting. Va te faire enculer is also very vulgar and should not be used in most social situations, unless you mean to cause offense or you are very good friends with the recipient of Jan 30, 2021 · I will say that I have taken several different languages in school, and French was the only one where the teachers taught you the French swear words. But some Canadian French words and expressions are local specialties. ” 26. Mar 14, 2025 · Traditional French equivalents: crétin, trou du cul, trou de balle, gogol / mongol (historically used, but not anymore!) 3. This tells me that they are indeed very important to French culture. This expression is a toned-down version of the insult “sacredieu”, which literally means to alter/desecrate God, and was therefore considered for many years as Jun 5, 2023 · Twenty-two French insults that you should think many times first before using. Which one is your favorite? Share with us in the comments! If you want to learn more offensive words, why not check out this list of French curse words? This article will tell you how to swear in French. Insults are nothing to joke about, and French people aren’t usually as freewheeling with them as some of us might be in English. Category:French swear words: French terms that are used to swear, such as to express strong anger or frustration. You don’t usually say them to insult someone but when you face an unexpected (and In Québec French, swear words can be combined into more powerful combinations to express extreme anger or disgust. It goes without saying that the following jurons (French swear words) should only be used in rare cases. Enjoy! Apr 14, 2021 · This is a French swear word ruder than the previous one even if there is a word in common. [2] These intricate uses of French profanities can be difficult to master. Find more French words at wordhippo. In today's article, we'll share 19 of our favorite French swear words and rate them based on 3 profanity levels. In essence, it’s a profanity that derives its power from its connection to the Catholic Church. I’ll also give examples as well as provide some background and the literal meanings. 12. Jun 20, 2022 · While these two words are pronounced “pou-tine” or “poo-tine”, the two syllables of the French swear word are different. This is basically the counterpart of the English Learn French swear words, insults and curse words that French people use all the time. Tabernak: Let’s start with the most famous and versatile Quebecois swear word – “tabernak. Why should I learn French swear words? Ans: While it’s not advisable to use swear words excessively, understanding them can help you comprehend French culture and media better. Fermer ta gueule Then “Merde !” and “Putain !” are the most common French curse words. Cue cards are a great technique to use for general language learning. For those interested in French profanity, it is important to understand the nuances and meanings behind these words. Many Quebecers won’t condone the use of this next swear word. Putain. They are used to express anger or frustration, and are not a part of polite language by any means . However, of those listed above, putain de bordel de merde is pretty shocking. I’ve had some expert help from a UN translator on this, so you can rest assured they’re accurate. While it’s incredibly common in spoken French, it’s still a swear word and sometimes can be used to make other insults even more harsh. There is a “Mama joke” culture in the French culture, probably only with the Caucasian French people. GET MORE FREE FRENCH LESSONS → https://www. These are just some of the French swear words that equal with the English “d*ck” or “penis. Cultural Insights and Acceptability: Understand the cultural nuances that influence how these curse words in French are perceived and used. It's used to express anger, surprise, or frustration, kind of like 'damn' or 'hell' in English. 10 must-know curse words in French. So much that English speakers use the phrase “pardon my French” before swearing. Profanity is language that is generally considered by certain parts of a culture to be strongly impolite, rude, or offensive. Especially if you regularly swear in your native language. The combinations are endless; some people in both Quebec and francophone communities in other provinces consider mixing and matching swear words to be a For example, “Oh là là!” in French can express many feelings, unlike the straightforward words in English. The combinations are endless; some people in both Quebec and francophone communities in other provinces consider mixing and matching swear words to be a "Putain" literally means "whore" and is the common way to say "Fuck" in French. It's a very popular swear word used in daily life. May 14, 2022 · According to the Larousse definition (important French dictionary), sacrebleu is a French swear word used to indicate impatience, astonishment or anger, depending on the situation. It is then closer to “pu-tin”. “Hostie,” on the other hand, is derived from Profanity in the French language, socially offensive language. May 22, 2025 · French Profanity Overview Common Swear Words. For each, I’ll tell you the meaning and give a vulgarity rating. Apr 5, 2023 · 🇫🇷 Get to know the world of French swear words 🤬 - be able to let off some steam even when speaking a foreign language. What is the most common French swear word? Ans: “Merde” is probably the most widely used and versatile swear word in French, similar to “shit” in English. As a masculine noun it translates literally to brothel and also means mess or pigsty. ” 27. tabarnak which literally means tabernacle is basically equivalent to the ‘F’ word in English). Profanity is a common aspect of language that can vary greatly from one culture to another. wclnb appwoy tjdyb uswx yzs jgb vkhhsl asuqd xwjxlg dvgmgvs