Why do I need to know dégage?

We hope you won’t need it much, but if you want to tell someone to get lost, this is a winner.

What does it mean?

Dégage means 'get lost'.

It can have other meanings depending on the context, however we’re talking specifically about the interjection version of the verb – dégage! – that French people use when they’re annoyed with someone and want them to leave.

It is a colloquial expression, and French people don’t say “tu pourrais dégager, s’il te plait ?” (just like British people don’t say “would you be so kind as to get lost, please?” Actually on second thoughts, maybe some do).

Mostly, it's used when someone is pretty serious about wanting another person to leave.

A teenage girl might use it to get her little brother out of the room:

Dégage, Paul! Laisse-moi tranquille! – Bugger off, Paul! Leave me alone!

An older woman might use it to chase away someone who is giving her unwanted attention on the street:

Dégage! Beat it!

Other ways of translating it are 'beat it', 'scram' and 'piss off'.

Synonyms

Being a rich language, French has many different ways of telling someone to bugger off (read them as though they were accompanied by an exclamation point):

Pars  – leave

Partez – leave (polite version, or if you're talking to several people)

Va te faire foutre – bugger off (very colloquial, foutre is a pretty harsh insult)

Allez vous faire foutre! (funnily enough, you can be polite while telling someone to se faire foutre)

Fous le camp – bugger off

Foutez le camp – bugger off (polite/all of you)

Tirez-vous – run/get lost