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👉 See also: Avoir expressions »
Level A2 (Upper Beginner)
Published March 15, 2026 — Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson for students who want to learn French online, with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier, a voice artist from France.
The French Word of the Day is avoir honte, an expression meaning “to be ashamed.” In this lesson we’ll look at how to use it naturally in everyday conversation and how the noun honte (shame) forms the basis of this very common French expression.
📘 Avoir honte meaning in French
Avoir honte is a French expression meaning “to be ashamed” or “to feel shame.” The noun honte (f.) means “shame,” “embarrassment,” or “disgrace.” Hence, avoir honte translates literally to “to have shame.” In everyday French, this expression is used when someone feels embarrassed about something they did, said, or failed to do. It is commonly followed by de + noun or de + infinitive to explain the cause of the shame. For example:
➞ J’ai honte de mon erreur. I’m ashamed of my mistake.
➞ J’ai honte d’avoir fait une erreur. I am ashamed of making a mistake.
⚠️ To be ashamed in French — Common mistake
Important: In French you cannot say je suis honteux / honteuse for “I am ashamed.” French uses the verb avoir for this expression. The correct wording is j’ai honte — “I’m ashamed.”
🎧 Avoir honte pronunciation in French
The pronunciation of avoir honte is /a.vwaʁ ɔ̃t/ (IPA), which sounds roughly like “ah-vwar ont.”
📝 Avoir honte usage examples
J’ai honte de ce que j’ai dit. Pardon.
I am ashamed of what I said. Sorry.
Il a honte d’avoir oublié ton anniversaire.
He is ashamed of having forgotten your birthday.
Nous avons honte de notre comportement hier.
We are ashamed of our behavior yesterday.
Elle a honte d’avouer toute la vérité.
She is ashamed to admit the whole truth.
Avoir means “to have” and is one of the most important verbs in French.
👉 Master avoir conjugation (audio + quiz) »
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- la honte — shame
- honteux / honteuse — ashamed, shameful
- la honte ! — how embarrassing! / what a shame!
- la honte de la famille — the black sheep of the family
- rouge de honte — red with embarrassment
- se taper la honte — to make a fool of yourself / embarrass yourself badly
📚 Related lessons on FrenchLearner!
👉 Avoir conjugation chart (with audio)
👉 Avoir expressions »
👉 Avoir example sentences »
