2 days ago
'The neighbours laugh at me' - should foreigners try swearing in French?
We asked readers of The Local about their experiences of swearing in French - and more than half of respondents said they never or rarely swear in French.
But this wasn't about the ethics or aesthetics of swearing itself. We wanted to know if people's language changed depending on whether they were speaking French or were using their mother tongue, which for most survey respondents was English.
And it seems that it does.
Only a couple of people said that they swear more in French - overall around one third of people said they swore at about the same rate in English and French, and two thirds said that they swear less or never in French.
Listen to the team at The Local discuss their own experiences of French swearing, and whether they think it's better to keep it clean, in the latest episode of the Talking France podcast. Listen
here
or on the link below
And the most common reaction from French friends, neighbours or colleagues when they swore? Laughter. Which probably isn't precisely the effect they were going for.
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Patricia, who lives in Quimper, Brittany, and describes herself as 'retired and look more prim than I am' says: "I swear under my breath -
putain
or
merde
- but sometimes get a small smile if I am heard."
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'Putain de bordel de merde': How to use the F-word in French✎
Gerry Buckland, 77, who lives in Charente, said the response to him swearing is "usually laughter".
Meanwhile Marie in Dordogne said her French friends are "mostly amused" if she swears while Joanna, 50, who lives in the Paris suburbs said that "chuckles" are the most common reaction.
Tony, 66, who lives in Charente, said: "They think it funny if I swear, it sounds wrong to them - they think all English people are very polite."
It was rare for people to get a truly negative reaction, however, and Chris Downes, who lines in Haute-Savoie, said: "I think they find it quite endearing that a non-native speaker can use such words."
Some people, however, said they had been advised against trying to swear in French.
Paula Cameron who lived in Bordeaux for several years, said she once said '
con
' in front of her French host family and 'learned her lesson' - so now never swears in French.
Davis, who lives in a small village in the Burgundy region, said: 'The first time I tried to use a harsh swear phrase a French neighbour told me that it didn't sound good at all coming from me and I shouldn't swear. I think specifically because I'm foreign.'
We asked French language expert Camille Chevalier-Karfis for her advice and she said: "Slang or swearing stands out in the mouth of a foreigner, and it's easy for it to seem forced or contrived.
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"If you have to use it, be sure you really understand it first, as it will stand out twice as strongly as when a French person says it."
In general her advice is that it's good to learn these words so you understand what is being said and how strong certain French swear words are, but it might be better to refrain from using them. 'Know it, don't show it,' she said.
Thanks to everyone who took part in our survey - feel free to share your experiences and views on French swearing in the comments section below.
