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French · The Basics

Zut !

ZOOT · /zyt/

Darn! / Shoot!

1/5 Grandma-safe

mild, playful; fine on daytime TV

Literally

"(nonsense exclamation)"

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

How to use it

Grandma-safe, daytime-TV mild — the "shoot" of French. "Zut alors !" is the storybook version English speakers half-remember; real people do still say plain "zut," just without the "alors." Useful as your safe default before you've read the room.

Heard in the wild

Zut, j'ai oublié mon parapluie.

Darn, I forgot my umbrella.

Where it lands

France (universal); the '...alors' tag reads slightly retro

Quick answers

What does "Zut !" mean?
In French, "Zut !" means "Darn! / Shoot!". Literally it's "(nonsense exclamation)". Grandma-safe, daytime-TV mild — the "shoot" of French. "Zut alors !" is the storybook version English speakers half-remember; real people do still say plain "zut," just without the "alors." Useful as your safe default before you've read the room.
Is "Zut !" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
How do you pronounce "Zut !"?
Say it "ZOOT" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: zyt.

Related in French

Putain ! poo-TAN Damn! / F***! / The all-purpose intensifier — punctuation, really 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! Crotte ! KROT Poop! / Darn! — the polite-company dodge for 'merde' Putain de bordel de merde ! poo-TAN duh bor-DEL duh MEHRD For f***'s holy sake! — the full three-word combo

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Damn".

how to say "Damn" →

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