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How to Say ‘Holy shit!’ in French

Putain de merde !

pew-TAN duh MAIRD

[pew-TAN duh MAIRD]

💬 Usage Tip: Put de after a swear word to attach it to a noun as an insult: putain de voiture "damn car", putain de pluie "damn rain".

Phrase Breakdown

Putain

[pew-TAN]

fucking / fuck

Strong swear word, used here as an intensifier before another curse.

Example

Putain de voiture !

Fucking car!

de

[duh]

of

Expressing the relationship between part and a whole.

Example

Un verre de lait.

A glass of milk.

merde

[MAIRD]

shit

Vulgar word for excrement, used as a curse.

Example

C'est de la merde.

It's crap.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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