Disclaimer: you will learn many popular French swear words explained in English. This blog post might be not appropriate for a young audience.
Known for the richness and complexity of its language, French has an elegance and melody that cannot be denied. This is all the more apparent when you consider the language’s vast repertoire of insults and coarse language.
Even if few insults have the same resonance as “fuck you” in French, there are dozens and dozens of ways of dismissing someone, such as “va te faire foutre”, “va te faire voir” and “va te faire mettre”. Today, we’re going to take a closer look at the most common French synonyms for “va te faire foutre”.
“Fuck you” vs. “Va te faire foutre”
The first thing you notice when you look at the ways of saying “fuck” in French is that there’s only one insult as widely used as in English.
On the other hand, there are many similarities between the formulas. The first is, of course, the sexual connotation of the expression, which remains present in almost all French variants. The second is that, like the word “fuck” which has given rise to a number of insults (“fuck off”, “get fucked”, “go fuck yourself”), most French expressions are built on the basis of “aller se faire” (“go get”), followed by a term referring to sexual penetration or the desire to see the interlocutor off.
“Va te faire foutre” is the first expression to give rise to derivatives, and although it’s still widely used, it’s not necessarily the first choice of the French when it comes to verbally dismissing someone.
15 Ways to Say “Fuck you” in French
- Va te faire foutre
English translation: Go get fucked (literal) / Go fuck yourself
Pronunciation: \va‿t fɛʁ futʁ\
“Va te faire foutre” is a coarse French expression used to virulently express annoyance or disapproval of someone’s words – so much so that you want them to leave.
The phrase can be used both in a serious way towards someone who has disrespected you, and in a humorous way in response to a pique from someone close to you. It can also be used as a synonym for “fuck you” or “fuck off”.
- Je t’emmerde
English translation: I screw you (literal) / Screw you
Pronunciation: \ʒə t‿ɑ̃.mɛʁd\
“Je t’emmerde” is one of the most literal ways of translating “screw you” into French. Although the expression includes the word “merde” (shit), “emmerder quelqu’un” actually means to make someone bored.
In France, the expression is generally used in a jovial, low-key way in response to a piquant remark from someone close to you. The reply “je t’emmerde” is like saying “fuck you” or “fuck off” in English.
- Va te faire voir
English translation: Go get yourself seen (literal) / Go to hell
Pronunciation: \va‿t fɛʁ vwaʁ\
“Va te faire voir” is one of the more polite alternatives to “va te faire foutre”, although it’s no less rude. But what many people don’t know is that the expression is actually an abbreviation.
Originally, the phrase comes from another particularly colorful expression: “va te faire voir chez les Grecs” (go get yourself seen by the Greeks). This expression originated in the 20th century when the term “grec” was used to refer to cheaters in French slang. So to say to someone “va te faire voir chez les Grecs” (go get yourself seen by the Greeks) was to say “va te faire dépouiller par les tricheurs” (go get yourself robbed by the Greeks).
- Va chier
English translation: Go shit (literal) / Fuck off
Pronunciation: \va ʃje\
“Va chier” is a French expression used to violently reject the pretensions of our interlocutor. When used seriously, it’s often followed by an expletive, such as “va chier, connard!” or “va chier putain!”.
- Va te faire mettre
English translation: Go get stuffed (literal) / Get stuffed
Pronunciation: \va‿t fɛʁ mɛtʁ\
“Va te faire mettre” is an insulting French phrase used to express one’s wish for someone to leave. Like “va te faire foutre”, “va te faire mettre” refers to the practice of sodomy.
The expression is based on the taboo that surrounded homosexuality for centuries. It was used to insult men by sending them to be “sexually penetrated”.
- Allez vous faire foutre
English translation: Go get fucked (literal) / Go fuck yourself / Go fuck yourselves
Pronunciation: \a.le vu fɛʁ futʁ\
“Allez vous faire foutre” is simply the plural form of “va te faire foutre”. It can be used in two situations: when you’re addressing a group of individuals, or when you’re addressing a person to whom you owe respect (vouvoiement).
As you’ve probably guessed, the vast majority of the time this expression is used to show disapproval of a group of people. If you’d like to put a polite, humorous spin on the expression and address just one person, you could say something like “je vous prie d’aller vous faire foutre” (I beg you to go fuck yourself) or “allez vous faire foutre, très cher” (Go fuck yourself, dear).
- Je te baise
English translation: I fuck you (literal) / Fuck you
Pronunciation: \ʒə tə bɛz\
A vulgar and explicit expression, “je te baise” is in some ways the literal translation of “fuck you” in French. Although the expression refers to the sexual act, it’s more commonly used as a synonym for “je t’emmerde” (screw you)..
Unlike many of the expressions on this list, saying “fuck you” to someone doesn’t necessarily mean you want them to leave or stop bothering you. The phrase is often used in a playful tone to respond to a friend whose teasing is becoming tiresome.
- Va te faire fiche
English translation: Go get yourself form (literal) / Go get lost
Pronunciation: \va tə fɛʁ fiʃ\
Although colloquial, “va te faire fiche” is one of the most polite variants of “va te faire foutre” in French. Like the expression it’s inspired by, “va te faire fiche” is used to tell someone that you want them to leave.
The formula is often used to avoid pronouncing a complete swear word, in the presence of children for example, in the same way as “mercredi” for “merde” in French or “fudge” for “fuck” in English.
- Va te faire enculer
English translation: Go get fucked in the ass (literal) / Go fuck yourself
Pronunciation: \va tə fɛ.ʁ‿ɑ̃.ky.le\
“Va te faire enculer” is probably the most explicit and vulgar way of telling someone to fuck off. Here again, the expression takes up the taboo that was present in the past concerning homosexuality.
The expression was democratized following the loss of the sexual meaning of the term “foutre”. Va te faire enculer” (“Go fuck yourself”) has thus become the standard vulgar expression in some parts of France for telling someone that you no longer wish to be around them.
- Va te faire
English translation: Go get yourself (literal) / Get lost
Pronunciation: \va tə fɛʁ/
“Va te faire” is the abbreviated form of many of the expressions on this list: “va te faire foutre”, “va te faire voir”, “va te faire enculer”… The formula thus shares a common meaning with these and can therefore be translated as “get lost” in English.
As a general rule, “va te faire” is still used by young people, although the expression and its vulgarity are understandable to all.
- Va te faire cuire un oeuf
English translation: Go cook yourself an egg (literal) / Get lost
Pronunciation: \va tə fɛʁ kɥi.ʁ‿œ̃.n‿œf\
“Va t’faire cuire un oeuf” is a less aggressive and vulgar alternative to most of the expressions on this list. Even when used in a serious tone of voice, the phrase remains “sweet” and hardly offensive. It is therefore generally used in a humorous tone, although some children can be heard uttering it when they are annoyed with a classmate.
Although the origin of the expression remains unclear, it seems that “va te faire cuire un oeuf” refers to the heritage of the division of roles between men and women in French society. So, telling someone to go and cook an egg is akin to telling a woman to get back to cooking or cleaning.
- VTFF
English translation: Go get fucked (literal) / FU, FY
Pronunciation: \ve te f f\
“VTFF” is a slang acronym derived from the text language associated with telephones and the Internet. The expression is simply a shortened form of “va te faire foutre” and is used almost exclusively in writing, although it can be heard in conversation between friends in France.
Unlike its English equivalents, “FU” and “FY”, “VTFF” is far from being one of the most frequently used abbreviations used by the French by message. Most of the time, we prefer to use something more striking to demonstrate our displeasure with someone, such as one of the many French swear words listed in this article.
- Va au diable
English translation: Go to the devil (literal) / Go to hell
Pronunciation: \va o djɑbl\
In French, “va au diable” is mainly used to curse someone after they’ve done something wrong to you. It’s used in the same situations as “va te faire foutre” and its synonyms: when you’re angry.
First coined in the 17th century, the phrase expresses a strong idea of rejection and contempt, thanks to its metaphor of the devil. We’d be so angry that we’d wish someone to go as far and as low as possible: to hell.
- Casse-toi
English translation: Get the fuck out
Pronunciation: \kas twa\
“casse-toi” is a vulgar and graphic way of saying “va-t’en” or “va te faire foutre” in French. Its origins date back to the 19th century and refer to prisoners who fell while trying to sneak out of prison.
This expression has also given rise to a number of nice variants, one in particular being “casse-toi, pauv’ con” (get the fuck out, poor schmuck). The phrase went viral in 2008 when then French President Nicolas Sarkozy, visiting the Salon de l’Agriculture (Agricultural Show), uttered it to a farmer who had refused to shake his hand.
- Nique ta mère
English translation: Fuck your mother (literal) / Go fuck your mom
Pronunciation: \nik ta mɛʁ\
Like its English translation, “nique ta mère” is a particularly vulgar and offensive insult. The phrase, which invites a person to have sexual relations with their mother, has become one of the most frequently used insults in France, alongside “merde” (shit) and “putain” (whore).
Although it can be used in a humorous tone with close friends, the expression is still used as a very vulgar insult the vast majority of the time. Its acronym, NTM, is also widely used in writing and has even become the name of one of France’s best-known rap groups.
Conclusion
As we’ve seen in this article, there are many different ways of saying “fuck you” in French. Choosing the right formula depends on the context and your intention, but also on your relationship with the person.
If you’re not a French speaker, we still recommend that you take care when using these expressions. For example, depending on the intonation and the way you pronounce “va te faire foutre”, its meaning can go from a simple joke to a supreme insult. Use them at your own risk.
Translated into English by Sacha