Level B1 (Intermediate)
Today’s French Word of the Day is “Fait chier !“, a slang (vulgar!) phrase which translates to “That sucks!” and has several other usages.
Meaning & usage
Pronunciation
Example sentences
Related words
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Meaning & usage
“Fait chier!” is a vulgar French slang expression that translates to “What a pain in the a*s!” or “That sucks!” The verb “chier”is vulgar and translates to “to defecate”.
- “Ça fait chier!” expresses general annoyance (“It’s a pain!” or “It sucks!”).
- “Faire chier quelqu’un” means “to annoy someone” or “to piss someone off” (e.g., Tu me fais chier! – You’re annoying me!).
Pronunciation
Example sentences
For this first sentence, “Ça fait chier !” translates to “What a pain in the a*s (or neck)”. Another English equivalent is: “It/this/that sucks!”. The expression un temps de chien (literally a weather of dog) means miserable or gloomy weather.
Oh là là, ça fait chier ce temps de chien !
Oh, this cold weather sucks!
For this second sentence, the French use the exclamation“Fait chier !” to express annoyance or frustration. The expression avoir envie de means “to want to”. In spoken French, the ne in the ne…pas negation is often dropped.
Oh, fait chier ! J’ai pas envie d’aller au travail aujourd’hui !
What a pain in the neck! I I don’t want to go to work today!
This final sentence uses faire chier quelqu’un, meaning to annoy, bother, pi*s somebody off or bug somebody.
Arrête de parler si fort ! Tu me fais chier !
Stop speaking so loudly. You’re annoying me!
Related words
- Chiant: pain in the a*s
- Agacer: (to irritate, to annoy)
- Énerver: to get on one’s nerves, to irritate, to annoy
- En avoir ras le bol: to be fed up
- Emmerder: (vulgar verb) to annoy, to bother, to piss off
- Faire suer: (informal expression) to annoy, to bother
- Ennuyer: to bore, to annoy
- La galère: (informal noun) a struggle, a pain (in the neck/a*s)
