French · The Basics
Ta gueule !
ta GUHL · /ta gœl/
Shut up! / Shut your mouth!
3/5 Watch your audience
genuinely rude; friends only, never at work
Literally
"Your muzzle/mouth (animal snout)"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
"Gueule" is the mouth of an animal, so calling someone's mouth a "gueule" is already rude. Short for "ferme ta gueule." Sharp and aggressive at a stranger; playful between close friends who talk this way. The polite version is "tais-toi" and you should reach for that one in almost every situation.
Heard in the wild
Ta gueule, je réfléchis !
Shut up, I'm trying to think!
Where it lands
France (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "Ta gueule !" mean?
- In French, "Ta gueule !" means "Shut up! / Shut your mouth!". Literally it's "Your muzzle/mouth (animal snout)". "Gueule" is the mouth of an animal, so calling someone's mouth a "gueule" is already rude. Short for "ferme ta gueule." Sharp and aggressive at a stranger; playful between close friends who talk this way. The polite version is "tais-toi" and you should reach for that one in almost every situation.
- Is "Ta gueule !" 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 "Ta gueule !"?
- Say it "ta GUHL" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ta gœl.
Related in French
Putain ! poo-TAN Damn! / F***! / The all-purpose intensifier — punctuation, really 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! Con KOHN Idiot / dumbass — the single most useful insult in French C'est nul ! say NOOL That sucks / That's lame Connard ! kon-AR Asshole / bastard
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Shut up".
- German Halt die Klappe! Shut your trap! / Shut up!
- Greek σκάσε Shut up! / Zip it!
- Japanese うるさい Shut up / you're too loud / quit nagging
- Korean 닥쳐 Shut up! — blunt, banmal, and aimed.
- Polish zamknij mordę Shut your trap / shut the hell up.
- Russian Заткнись! Shut up! / Shut it!
- Japanese 黙れ Shut up / shut your mouth
- Korean 됐어 Forget it / I'm good / enough — the conversational door closing.
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.