French · Québec Sacres (Cursing by the Altar)
Maudit !
moh-DEE · /mo.di/
Damn / damned (mild Québécois intensifier)
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"Cursed / damned"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The gentle end of the Québec spectrum — "maudit" (damned) is a soft "damn" you can say almost anywhere, including in front of family. "Maudit que t'es niaiseux" = "God you're silly." Also spelled/said "mautadit" for extra folksiness. Rated 1 for Québec: this is the sacre you're allowed to use at Sunday dinner.
Heard in the wild
Maudit qu'il fait beau aujourd'hui !
Damn, it's gorgeous out today!
Where it lands
Québec (Canada) — mild everyday intensifier
Quick answers
- What does "Maudit !" mean?
- In French, "Maudit !" means "Damn / damned (mild Québécois intensifier)". Literally it's "Cursed / damned". The gentle end of the Québec spectrum — "maudit" (damned) is a soft "damn" you can say almost anywhere, including in front of family. "Maudit que t'es niaiseux" = "God you're silly." Also spelled/said "mautadit" for extra folksiness. Rated 1 for Québec: this is the sacre you're allowed to use at Sunday dinner.
- Is "Maudit !" 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 "Maudit !"?
- Say it "moh-DEE" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: mo.di.
Related in French
Tabarnak ! ta-bar-NAK F***! / Goddammit! — the king of Québécois sacres Câlisse ! kah-LISS F***! / Christ! (Québécois sacre) Ostie ! os-TEE Damn! / F***! — and an all-purpose intensifier Crisse ! KRISS Christ! / F***! (Québécois sacre) Sacrament ! sa-kra-MAHN Goddammit! (heavy Québécois sacre) Ostie de câlisse de tabarnak ! os-TEE duh kah-LISS duh ta-bar-NAK The full chained Québec curse — maximum blasphemy
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Damn".
- German Scheiße! Shit! / Damn! — the all-purpose German expletive
- Greek γαμώτο Damn it! / Dammit!
- Italian Cazzo! Fuck! / Damn! / The all-purpose Italian curse.
- Japanese くそ Damn! / Crap! / Shit!
- Korean 씨발 Fuck / fucking hell — the load-bearing Korean curse.
- Polish kurwa Fuck / damn / shit — the load-bearing word of Polish, and its most common comma.
- Portuguese Porra! Damn! / Fuck! — but mostly used as pure punctuation
- Russian Блин! Damn! / Darn! / Shoot!
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