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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French Word of the Day: Zut!

This French word was probably taught to you by your French teacher, but you may not have heard it on the streets of France yet.

Published: 13 March 2024 11:44 CET

French Word of the Day: Zut!

Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Why do I need to know zut ?

Because this is a polite way to express frustration in France.

What does it mean?

Zut – roughly pronounced zoot – is a French interjection that basically means “damn” or “shoot”.

If you lose the card game, drop a plate or accidentally step in dog poop, you might let out a zut! in frustration.

While colloquial, it is not very offensive and you are most likely to hear older people or children using it.

That being said, it is not very commonly used and it is falling out of fashion, especially among young people.

You are more likely to hear the average frustrated French person use swear words like putain, or the more sanitised, family-friendly versions such as purée or mince.

READ MORE: Cows and bugs: How to ‘swear’ politely in French

The French dictionary La Rousse defines zut as a way of expressing “spite, weariness, indifference, contempt, or refusal.”

French textbooks in the anglophone world seem strangely convinced that French people say ‘zut alors‘, but this is very rarely heard in France.

Use it like this

Oh zut, tu as gagné ! Je n’ai toujours pas de cartes correspondantes. – Oh shoot, you win! I still do not have any matching cards.

Zut ! J’ai fait tomber l’assiette ! – Damn! I dropped the plate!

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French Expression of the Day: Ne pas avoir la langue dans sa poche

Why do I need to know ne pas avoir la langue dans sa poche?

Because depending on your sensitivity level, you would either seek out this type of person or try to stay far away from them.

What does it mean?

Ne pas avoir la langue dans sa poche – roughly pronounced nuh pahz ah-vwar lah lahng dahn sah poe-sh – translates precisely as ‘to not have the tongue in the pocket’.

This is an old French expression, dating back to the 19th century, and it does not have anything to do with literal tongues in pockets.

It refers to someone who speaks freely and without any restraint. In English one might say that ‘they do not hold back’ or perhaps ‘calls a spade a spade’ – it means someone who is blunt and says exactly what they are thinking, regardless of whether it might offend or upset people.

A person qui n’a pas la langue dans sa poche might be borderline rude, or impulsive, as they speak without thinking.

While you are most likely to hear this in the negative sense (about a blunt person), you could also use it in the opposite way (avoir la langue dans sa poche) to describe someone who is guarded and speaks carefully.

There are a couple of similar French expressions, though they do not convey exactly the same meaning of speaking carelessly. One option is être un moulin à paroles (‘to be a mill with words’, or to speak a lot and quickly, without taking any pauses).

Another is une pipelette for someone who talks a lot and enjoys gossiping.

Use it like this

Ne t’inquiète pas, ma belle-mère n’a pas la langue dans sa poche. Elle dira exactement ce qu’elle pense. – Don’t worry, my mother in law does not hold back. She will say exactly what she is thinking.

Il n’a pas la langue dans sa poche. Il m’a dit carrément que ma robe était moche. – He is brutally honest. He told be outright that my dress was ugly.

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