French Nasty

French Nasty
He gave me a nasty look. Il m’a regardé d’un air méchant.
Collins Beginner’s French-English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved
to be nasty to sb être méchant ( e ) avec qn
to turn nasty [ person ] devenir méchant ( e )
He gave me a nasty look. Il m’a regardé d’un air méchant. ⧫ Il m’a lancé un regard méchant.
a nasty smell une odeur désagréable
The weather can be very nasty in February. Il peut faire un temps vraiment affreux en février.
to turn nasty [ weather ] se gâter
to turn nasty [ situation ] mal tourner
it’s a nasty business c’est une sale affaire
It’s a nasty injury. C’est une mauvaise blessure.
She got a nasty shock. Elle a reçu un rude choc.
He’ll get a nasty shock. Il va avoir un de ces chocs.
I got a nasty shock when the bill came. Le choc fut rude lorsque j’ai reçu la facture. ⧫ Ce fut un rude choc lorsque j’ai reçu la facture.
Collins French-English Dictionary © by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
Example sentences from the Collins Corpus
We welcome feedback: report an example sentence to the Collins team. Read more…
Example sentences from Collins dictionaries
If anyone is nasty to you, you should tell the teacher.
`Johnnie Frampton has had a nasty accident.' – `Oh no! What happened?'
This was a nasty attack and the victim is still very shocked.
The nasty thing about a blackmailer is that his starting point is usually the truth.
The police think that things could turn nasty.
Something that is nasty is very unpleasant or unattractive.
The tax increase was a nasty surprise for businesses.

Translation of nasty from the Collins English to French

Drag the correct answer into the box.
Check See the answer Next Next quiz Review

If you’re catching up with a French-speaking friend, old or new, you’ll probably want to ask them how they are, and vice versa. Here are a few suggestions to try!
Read more

In this short article, we explain and provide some examples of the most common French verb tenses you'll come across.
Read more

There are many diverse influences on the way that English is used across the world today. We look at some of the ways in which the language is changing. Read our series of blogs to find out more.
Read more

Unlock French with the Paul Noble method

The Paul Noble Method: no books, no rote memorization, no chance of failure. Start with the Complete French Beginner's course, then follow up with French Next Steps.
Read more

Stuck at Wordle? Try our helper to maintain your current streak!
Drag the correct answer into the box.
Check See the answer Next Next quiz Review

This week's French word is 'sortir'.
Find out its meaning and how it is used!

September 6, 2022
Read more

Create an account and sign in to access this FREE content

English
Italiano
American
Português
한국어
简体中文
Deutsch
Español
हिंदी
日本語

Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies

View usage for:

All Years
Last 10 years
Last 50 years
Last 100 years
Last 300 years

By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.

Religion
Holidays
Art + Architecture
Culture

Languages
Festivals
Museums

Movies
Events
Documentaries
Music + Nightlife
Books
TV

Account
Profile

Travel Map
Free Stickers
Bookmarks
Interests
Settings

Sign Out

Sign In
Join
Destinations
Creators
Videos
Podcast
Advertise

Company About Matador
Careers
Advertise

For Travelers Newsletter
Destinations
Videos
Podcast
Shop
Contribute

ES

By Signing Up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy .

Company
About Matador
Careers
Advertise

For Travelers
Newsletter
Destinations
Videos
Podcast
Shop
Contribute

By Signing Up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy .
Travelers to France beware! These expressions are not for the faint-hearted and are provided here so you can know if you’re accidentally saying the wrong thing, or if you’re being talked to inappropriately. Also, they are a lot of fun!
Join our newsletter for exclusive features, tips, giveaways!
Subscribe for exclusive city guides, travel videos, trip giveaways and more!

__CONFIG_colors_palette__{"active_palette":0,"config":{"colors":{"eb2ec":{"name":"Main Accent","parent":-1}},"gradients":[]},"palettes":[{"name":"Default","value":{"colors":{"eb2ec":{"val":"var(--tcb-skin-color-0)","hsl":{"h":210,"s":0.93,"l":0.37,"a":1}}},"gradients":[]},"original":{"colors":{"eb2ec":{"val":"rgb(57, 163, 209)","hsl":{"h":198,"s":0.62,"l":0.52,"a":1}}},"gradients":[]}}]}__CONFIG_colors_palette__
22 Colorful But Fascinating French Insults When You Can’t Help Being Rude
Quick reminders about using French insults
21. con comme une valise sans poignée
Here are some FAQs about French Insults
{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}
__CONFIG_colors_palette__{"active_palette":0,"config":{"colors":{"f3080":{"name":"Main Accent","parent":-1},"f2bba":{"name":"Main Light 10","parent":"f3080"},"trewq":{"name":"Main Light 30","parent":"f3080"},"poiuy":{"name":"Main Light 80","parent":"f3080"},"f83d7":{"name":"Main Light 80","parent":"f3080"},"frty6":{"name":"Main Light 45","parent":"f3080"},"flktr":{"name":"Main Light 80","parent":"f3080"}},"gradients":[]},"palettes":[{"name":"Default","value":{"colors":{"f3080":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.7)"},"f2bba":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.5)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"trewq":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.7)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"poiuy":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.35)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"f83d7":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.4)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"frty6":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.2)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"flktr":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.8)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}}},"gradients":[]},"original":{"colors":{"f3080":{"val":"rgb(23, 23, 22)","hsl":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09}},"f2bba":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.5)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.5}},"trewq":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.7)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.7}},"poiuy":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.35)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.35}},"f83d7":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.4)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.4}},"frty6":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.2)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.2}},"flktr":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.8)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.8}}},"gradients":[]}}]}__CONFIG_colors_palette__
GET YOUR INSTANT ACCESS TO MY FRENCH LEARNING PACKAGE!
The French belong to an extremely polite society, so there are plenty of ways in which you can unintentionally insult someone. While most of the time everyone goes to great lengths to avoid being offensive, how about those rare instances when you just want to be intentionally rude? Well, there are a lot of French insults for that.
Here in this article, we’ll go through a list of 22 French insults that you could use when you think the situation truly calls for it.
LEARN FRENCH WITH MY FREE LEARNING PACKAGE NOW!
More than 90 useful PDF guides and 100+ audio files for all levels.
If you don’t want to insult anybody, that’s fine – awesome even – but you still need to learn these insults so you’ll know when to cry foul when someone is insulting you or being rude in French.
Ready to check out some French insults? Let’s go!
If you don’t understand the real meaning of this phrase, you might think that it’s not that rude when someone says this to you. Tête de noeud literally means “knothead” after all. But its real meaning? This French insult is even ruder than its English equivalent "dickhead"!
Yes, une vache espagnole means a Spanish cow. But what does it mean when someone calls you a Spanish cow? Its real meaning is enough to make newbie French language learners cry and go home.
The full expression is “ Tu parles français comme une vache espagnole ,” which means you speak French like a Spanish cow. It’s used for someone who doesn’t speak French well; such as someone with a trying-too-hard to-be-authentic French accent perhaps.
FRENCH PHRASEBOOK FOR TRAVELERS AND NEWBIE LEARNERS
You probably know already that andouille is a type of smoked sausage made of pig intestines. What you probably don’t know is that it is also used to call someone “lazy” or “dummy.”
This French insult is somewhat outdated so that it has lost its bite. It is now a sort of polite insult. But still an insult nevertheless.
What’s wrong with this word? It’s only the French word for a badger or a shaving brush, right?
Let’s just say that when you use this, it’s similar to calling someone an asshole in English.
Another sausage on the list. Boudin is a type of blood sausage that many would describe as horrible. When used as an insult, it means an ugly woman or a prostitute!
Literally, this one means “ball buster” or “ball crusher.” But the real meaning? An annoying, huge pain in the ass!
Speaking of balls, when you don’t have any – figuratively, of course – you lack courage. Same as in English, actually, so no surprise here.
When someone says “ ta guele ,” it’s a rude way to say “shut up!” The longer phrase is “ ferme ta gueule ,” or "shut your mouth!" But remember that gueule pertains to an animal’s mouth, hence the rudeness of this expression.
This is basically the French counterpart of “get lost!” or “bugger off.” But literally, it means, “break yourself!”
In English, when someone dismisses something as unimportant, they’ll say, “whatever!” In French, the way to do this is to say “ n’importe quoi. ”
It’s awful to be called an unsophisticated country hick or bumpkin, right? That’s what this French insult means. It comes from the Breton term plou , which means regional jurisdiction.

Now this one needs a bit of background. You see, the verb rater means to miss something because you showed up late. Raté, as an insult, would therefore mean “a miss” as in “hit or miss” but it refers to a person who is a total failure. A loser.
It’s often said as a phrase “ espèce de raté ” (some sort of a miss).
You know that con means idiot, right? Well, a roi des cons is the king of idiots. So this French insult truly stings!
When someone says a person is “ bête comme ses pieds ,” it’s an awful remark about how stupid that person is. Literally this means, “as stupid as his feet.” Here’s why: in France, feet are considered stupid because it's the body part that's farthest from the head. Makes sense!
the most comprehensive french vocabulary course
Another way to tell someone to get lost, “ va te faire voir ” means you’re admonishing someone to be seen somewhere else.
When someone gets labeled as merde , or shit, it’s already offensive. But you know what’s even worse? Sous-merde . It means he or she isn’t even worthy of being called shit! Ouch.
This one basically means a wanker or a jerk and it’s used to refer to someone lazy (no sexual connotations in fact).
A pompe à chiasse is – hold your breath – literally, a diarrhea pump. Someone who gets labeled as one must be so full of shit!
“You have the IQ of an oyster.” Ahh, poor oyster. And poor, unfortunate person who’s at the receiving end of this insult. He has just been called so stupid and likened to the mental ability of an oyster!
The French have several colorful ways of telling someone to get lost, and this one has something to do with the French’s obsession with food. When you tell someone to “go and cook yourself an egg,” you simply want him gone from your sight!
When you’re as stupid as a suitcase without a handle, you must be one hell of a useless person, right? Correct! This expression is rarely used, but it’s quite delightful for an insult, don’t you think?
Finally, we’re down to the last one on our list. This one is a bit outdated, but still worth learning about. A lavette is a dishcloth, but when used as an insult, it refers to someone weak-willed and lazy.
So there you go. 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.
Learn more words like these with your copy of Colloquial French. The slang terms are marked with annotations to let you know if a term or expression is offensive, to avoid misusing a slang. You can check it out below.
Speak French Like A Native with the French Vocabulary Mastery Course
"Great value for its price. Highly recommended!"
There are several ways to verbally insult someone. Just check the list below: 1. Tête de noeud (dickhead) 2. Une vache espagnole (Spanish cow) 3. Andouille (dummy) 4. Blaireau (asshole) 5. Boudin (ugly woman or a prostitute) 6. Casse couille (ball buster or ball crusher) 7. Sans-couilles (you lack courage) 8. Ta gueule! (Shut up!) 9. Casse-toi! (Get lost!) 10. N’importe quoi (whatever) 11. Plouc (hick) 12. Raté (a miss) 13. Roi des cons (King of idiots) 14. Bête comme ses pieds (as stupid as his feet) 15. Va te faire voir (f*** off) 16. Sous-merde (Piece of sh*t) 17. Branleur (wanker) 18. pompe à chiasse (diarrhea pump) 19. Tu as le QI d’une huitre (You have the IQ of an oyster.) 20. Aller se faire cuire un œuf (Go away and stop bothering me.) 21. con comme une valise sans poignée (useless) 22. Lavette (lacking energy or courage)
There are several reasons why some countries call French people frogs. First, the French enjoy cuisses de grenouilles (frogs legs). Another is the fleur-de-lis, the French heraldic device that resembled three frogs/toads.
“Tu parles français comme une vache espagnole.”
In a more formal situation or if you want to address several people, you can say “N’insulte pas ma langue or N’insultez pas ma langue.”
Frederic Bibard is the founder of Talk in French, a company that helps french learners to practice and improve their french. Macaron addict. Jacques Audiard fan. You can contact him on Instagram
8 allée danton, Villiers sur marne, 94350, France
Copyright 2022 Talk in French LTD , all rights reserved.
Please log in again.
The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.
LEARN FRENCH WITH MY FREE LEARNING PACKAGE!
Sign up below and get instant access to the free package!
LEARN FRENCH WITH MY FREE LEARNING PACKAGE NOW!

The Racial Slur Database, since 1999. Not copyrighted in any way, shape or form.

This database was created entirely from data gleaned off the 'net
and via submissions from people like you and your parents.
It's supposed to be funny and/or informational. Calm down .

Most likely because French women don't tend to shave there arm pits and legs.
Possible reference to French-Indian War and/or WW1 and the general sense of French cowardess during wars. Since they had no boots due to the trenches eating them away, when they ran their feet became all covered in mud. Or French born in North Africa.
Started during WWII when the French were occupied by the Germans and were forced to "drop" all their weapons.
Originally the name of a South European frog, although during the Napoleonic Wars it became a term used by British soldiers referring to their French enemy.
The French are said to laugh like frogs. When they laugh, their adam's apples bulge out of their necks like frogs. Also perhaps from the French delicacy of frog-legs. Another possible derivation is the Fleur-de-Lys displayed on the French king's banner in the Middle Ages, which, to the English enemy, looked like squatting frogs. UK origins.
Kermit the Frog from "The Muppets."
Inability to win a war since Napoleanic times - loss of their colonies and their surrender of their homeland
Derogatory term used by Germans due to the quick collapse of France during WWII.
From the French habit of not appearing to bathe regularly. Also France supposedly has the lowest per capita soap consumption in Europe.
Referenced by Groudskeeper Willy on the Simpsons
Many of the French are uncircumcised.
Comes from the French surrendering (whiteflagging) many wars
An old french man who steals the buttons off of women's clothing and then hides the buttons under his foreskin. After about a week or two of not washing, the buttons will become gooey and encrusted with smegma. After the man has accumulated 100 buttons under his foreskin, he finds an empty baby food jar, peels his foreskin back, and then scraps off all of the buttons into the jar.

After collecting several jars, the man then hides around town in bushes and other areas of concealment; and when a lady is about to pass by, he opens a jar and jumps out in the open, throwing a handful of buttons at the woman and yells CLOUF-BOOTEN!

Guerlain Lingerie De Peau Foundation
Mature Stocking Sex
Darcie Lesbian

French Nasty

Report Page