ta gueule
What does ta gueule mean? ta gueule is a French severe that translates to โshut up / shut the fuck upโ in English.
Literal Translation
your mouth/snout (animal)
Meaning & Usage
"shut up / shut the fuck up"
Extremely rude way to tell someone to be quiet. 'Gueule' refers to animal mouths, implying the person is subhuman.
Examples in the Wild
Ta gueule ! Je parle ! (Shut the fuck up! I'm talking!)
When to Use It
Context
- Expressing strong frustration or emphasis
- Only among very close friends who share this register
Avoid
- Professional or formal settings
- Around elders or authority figures
- Public spaces โ will cause genuine offense
- Job interviews, meetings, or customer-facing situations
Cultural Context
Very offensive, more so than English 'shut up'. 'Ferme ta gueule' (close your mouth) is even stronger. 'Ta gueule' alone can start fights.
More in French ๐ซ๐ท
View all โgarce
โbitch / slutโ
Female dog; used as insult toward women.
se barrer
โto get out, to bolt, to take offโ
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 โ sneaking out of a boring party or fleeing a bad situation.
con / conne
โstupid / idiot / asshole (fem: bitch)โ
Originally vulgar slang for female genitalia (cunt), now primarily means 'stupid' or 'idiot' in France. The feminine 'conne' is more offensive than 'con'.
pute / putain
โwhore / hookerโ
Prostitute. 'Pute' is noun form, 'putain' is interjection or noun.
nom de Dieu
โfor God's sake / goddamnโ
Religious exclamation, mild blasphemy.
crade
โgross, filthy, nastyโ
Slang contraction of 'crasseux' (filthy) that became its own word. It describes anything disgustingly dirty โ a room, a person, a habit. Less intense than 'dรฉgueulasse' but covers the same territory. The extended form 'cradingue' adds emphasis through its playful suffix.
raclure
โscum, lowlife, bottom-feederโ
What you scrape off the bottom of a pot โ 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.
merde
โshit / crapโ
Standard exclamation for frustration, disappointment, or surprise. Literally excrement.