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French · The Basics

Putain !

poo-TAN · /py.tɛ̃/

Damn! / F***! / The all-purpose intensifier — punctuation, really

3/5 Watch your audience

genuinely rude; friends only, never at work

Literally

"Whore"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

This is the load-bearing word of French cursing — you will hear it every ninety seconds in France and it means almost nothing and everything at once. Stubbed toe, missed train, great goal, mild disbelief: all "putain." Genuinely rude at work or in front of grandma; totally unremarkable among friends. The softened dodge is "purée" or "punaise" when kids are around.

Heard in the wild

Putain, j'ai oublié mes clés.

Damn, I forgot my keys.

Where it lands

France (universal, all registers); heard everywhere in the Francophone world

Quick answers

What does "Putain !" mean?
In French, "Putain !" means "Damn! / F***! / The all-purpose intensifier — punctuation, really". Literally it's "Whore". This is the load-bearing word of French cursing — you will hear it every ninety seconds in France and it means almost nothing and everything at once. Stubbed toe, missed train, great goal, mild disbelief: all "putain." Genuinely rude at work or in front of grandma; totally unremarkable among friends. The softened dodge is "purée" or "punaise" when kids are around.
Is "Putain !" offensive?
It's genuinely rude — a 3/5 (Watch your audience) on the Punch-o-Meter. Fine among friends, never at work or with people you've just met.
How do you pronounce "Putain !"?
Say it "poo-TAN" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: py.tɛ̃.

Related in French

Merde ! MEHRD Shit! / Damn! — and, bizarrely, 'good luck' Bordel ! bor-DEL What a mess! / Chaos! — also 'what the hell' as an intensifier Putain de merde ! poo-TAN duh MEHRD For f***'s sake! / Goddammit! Ta gueule ! ta GUHL Shut up! / Shut your mouth! Zut ! ZOOT Darn! / Shoot! Crotte ! KROT Poop! / Darn! — the polite-company dodge for 'merde'

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Damn".

how to say "Damn" →

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