Level A2 (Upper Beginner)
Published February 27, 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.
“Flûte !” is a soft French exclamation meaning “shoot!” or “darn!” You can use it when you forget something or make a small mistake. Here’s how to pronounce it correctly and use it like a native speaker.
📘 Flûte meaning in French
“Flûte !” as a French interjection means “shoot!” or “darn!” It is used to express mild frustration, disappointment, or annoyance when something small goes wrong. The tone is very soft and polite — milder than “zut !” or “mince !”, which are slightly stronger expressions of frustration.
As a noun, une flûte (feminine) means “flute,” the musical instrument.
🎧 Flûte pronunciation in French
The pronunciation of flûte is /flyt/ (IPA), roughly like “flewt.” The û has the same French “u” sound as in “tu” — pronounced /y/, with rounded lips.
📝 Flûte usage examples
Flûte ! J’ai complètement oublié mon portefeuille à la maison.
Shoot! I completely forgot my wallet at home.
Flûte ! Le train est déjà parti et on va devoir attendre.
Darn! The train has already left and we’ll have to wait.
👉 See also: Devoir conjugation chart (must, to have to) »
Flûte ! Je me suis trompé d’heure et je suis en retard.
Shoot! I got the time wrong and I’m late.
Flûte ! On a raté le début de la réunion.
Darn! We missed the beginning of the meeting.
Closest synonyms: “zut !” and “mince !” — both mild expressions of frustration, with zut slightly stronger. See also:
👉 Mince »
👉 Zut »
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- zut ! — darn! shoot! (slightly stronger)
- mince ! — oh no! shoot! (mild frustration)
- tant pis ! — oh well! too bad!
- oh là là ! — oh dear! (surprise, annoyance, or amazement depending on tone)
- eh bien ! — well then! (mild reaction)
- ça alors ! — well I never! wow! (surprise)
- aïe ! — ouch!
- oups ! — oops!
- punaise ! — shoot! (informal, softened alternative to stronger language)
📚 Related lessons on FrenchLearner!
👉 Mince (shoot, darn) »
👉 Zut (shoot, darn) »
👉 French interjections (hub) »
