Today we’re going to have fun with an informal yet super useful French adjective: Dingue. There are many translations for dingue including crazy, mad, unbelievable and nuts. Je pense que tu es dingue! (I think you’re crazy!).
dingue
crazy
Dingue
Word origin
The French adjective dingue is associated with la dengue (dengue fever), a tropical disease caused by a mosquito bite that causes craziness. The adjective fou/folle (crazy) could be considered as a synonym for dingue.
Example sentences
Dingue (crazy) is the same in both the masculine and feminine forms (Il est dingue, elle est dingue) as it ends in the letter -e.
In our first example, the question t’as vu is the shortening of est-ce que tu as vu? (did you see?).
T’as vu ce mec ? Il est dingue !
Did you see that guy? He’s nuts!
Dingue can also translate to unbelievable or incredible. In this sentence, c’était means “it was” and is an example of the verb être (to be) conjugated the imperfect tense.
J’ai adoré le concert. C’était complètement dingue !
It loved the concert. It was unbelievable!
This next example sentence uses the verb essayer (to try).
Il est dingue d’essayer d’apprendre une nouvelle langue en si peu de temps !
It’s crazy to try to learn a new language in so little time.
Dingue as a noun
Dingue can also be a masculine and feminine noun translating to a crazy person (madman, madwoman, lunatic, nutcase, etc.). Portant is an example of the gerund, meaning “carrying” or “bringing”.
Un dingue est entré dans la banque portant un pistolet.
A madman entered the bank carrying a gun.
Related lessons
References
