As with Ferme-la and La ferme, the “ la” in this phrase refers to la bouche (the mouth of the person being addressed). One of the meanings of boucler is “to close”, and that’s the one used in this phrase. It literally translates to “Shut your mouth”. If you want to go a step farther than just a regular “shut up”, Ferme ta bouche is a good place to start. It’s the “shut up” you might use if you can’t say “shut up” due to politeness, time-sensitive, or sneaky reasons. You might say it as a warning to someone if they need to be quiet, or you might hear a librarian or teacher use it to quiet rowdy kids.
Like its English counterpart, it could be considered an onomatopoeia, since it’s the word for the sound you make when you’re shushing someone.Īlso like its English counterpart, it’s not necessarily rude the way “shut up” is. What if you don’t have time to actually articulate that you want someone to be quiet or shut up? Chut ! is the French equivalent of the English “Shhh!” If you want to be somewhat rude but not go overboard, this is the “shut up” to use. You’ll usually see it conjugated with tu or vous (remember that vous isn’t just used to show formality, but also to address multiple people). It can be said in a rude way or a somewhat neutral way (bearing in mind that it’s never particularly nice to tell someone to shut up, of course). The reflexive verb se taire means ‘shut up’ in French. The nine most common ways to say “Shut up” in French The generic “shut up” This has to do with the fact that the imperative tense is being used.Īnother thing to keep in mind is that while our list features no less than nine common ways to say “shut up” in French, there may still be some others! Slang terms are always being invented, and of course there could be a particular poetic turn of phrase that someone chooses to use instead of a basic command.īut if you want to say “shut up” of if you’re told to “shut up” in French, most of the time these are the phrases you’ll encounter.
Several of the French “shut up” ‘s on this list typically use hyphens.
This means that while you’ll usually hear them used in a short phrase ( Tais-toi ! La ferme !), you might also see them used – or use them yourself – in longer phrases and sentences. How to say “Be quiet” in French What to know about “shut up” in Frenchīefore we begin, remember that most of the ways to say “shut up” in French rely on verbs.
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