foutu
What does foutu mean? foutu is a French moderate that translates to “screwed, done for, damned” in English.
Literal Translation
fucked (past participle of foutre)
Meaning & Usage
"screwed, done for, damned"
The past participle of 'foutre' that's become an adjective meaning either 'broken/doomed' or functioning as a mild intensifier like 'damn.' 'C'est foutu' means it's over, it's ruined. 'Ce foutu ordinateur' means this damn computer. It lives in the useful zone between proper swearing and mild frustration.
Examples in the Wild
'C'est foutu, on a perdu' — it's done, we lost. 'Ce foutu temps' — this damn weather. 'Il est mal foutu aujourd'hui' — he's feeling rough today.
When to Use It
Context
- Casual conversations with friends
- Informal settings where profanity is accepted
- As a spontaneous exclamation
Avoid
- Professional or formal settings
- Job interviews, meetings, or customer-facing situations
Cultural Context
Mild enough for most social contexts but still technically vulgar. French parents use it in front of children without much guilt. It's the French equivalent of 'damn' in its ability to slot in front of any noun to express annoyance. 'Mal foutu' means poorly made or, applied to a person, feeling unwell.
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“bitch / slut”
Female dog; used as insult toward women.
se barrer
“to get out, to bolt, to take off”
Another crude way to say 'to leave,' slightly less aggressive than 'se casser.' 'Barre-toi' is 'get out of here.' 'Je me barre' is 'I'm leaving.' The word implies leaving quickly, sometimes covertly — sneaking out of a boring party or fleeing a bad situation.
con / conne
“stupid / idiot / asshole (fem: bitch)”
Originally vulgar slang for female genitalia (cunt), now primarily means 'stupid' or 'idiot' in France. The feminine 'conne' is more offensive than 'con'.
crade
“gross, filthy, nasty”
Slang contraction of 'crasseux' (filthy) that became its own word. It describes anything disgustingly dirty — a room, a person, a habit. Less intense than 'dégueulasse' but covers the same territory. The extended form 'cradingue' adds emphasis through its playful suffix.
raclure
“scum, lowlife, bottom-feeder”
What you scrape off the bottom of a pot — the residue, the dregs. Applied to a person, it means they're the lowest of the low, the scum of society. It's a creative insult that paints a vivid picture of worthlessness.
nique
“fuck”
The raw verb form of 'niquer,' used on its own as a crude exclamation or command. Unlike 'baiser,' which has a polite meaning (to kiss) that was slowly corrupted, 'niquer' has always been purely vulgar — borrowed from Arabic and arriving in French already loaded.
chier
“to shit / to annoy”
To defecate; also used in expressions meaning 'to annoy' or 'bore'.
dégueulasse
“disgusting, gross, nasty”
The go-to French word for expressing physical or moral disgust. It covers everything from a filthy bathroom to a politician's corruption scandal. Shortened to 'dégueu' in casual speech, which somehow sounds even more disgusted despite being shorter.