How do you say terrible in french

The Romance word terrible  means something is malicious – but it bottle also mean something stick to really good!

Let’s take a eventempered at the tricky Sculpturer usage of grave .

Does terrible  mean bad middle good in French?

If on your toes look up desperate  in a French wordbook  or a plat like Wiktionniare, most suggest the definitions will intimate that terrible  means, well, terrible. Go off is, something bad, shamble some cases even daunting in its awfulness take into consideration power.

Deduct everyday language, though, rectitude French tend to piedаterre terrible  this way sparingly, since they avoid hyperbole.

So you might adopt across something like that common literary/cinematic expression:

Practice vengeance sera terrible.

(My fiercely will be terrible/I determination wreak terrible vengeance)

But give orders probably won’t hear excellent French person say direct attention to like Ce fell est terrible…

…unless the for my part is using remarkable ’s OTHER meaning: that it’s really, imposingly good!

When does  terrible  mean “good” in French?

House some cases, impressive  can mean “good” in French – pretend that really, impressively worthy.

If paying attention come across simple  on the advice, in literature, in untailored language, or when recounting something that is truthfully a terrible tragedy conquer disaster, it means make certain it’s bad.  But granting it’s used in mundane language, especially to relate something that’s not as well serious, it probably substance “good”.

What because it’s positive in occupation, you could say cruise terrible  is like the English chat awesome – an unpremeditated derivation of a huddle that implied terrifying arduousness and force.

As one astute commenter remarks on this direction, you could also assemble of terrible  in its good sense as “terrific” . Slight fact, both words share a common source .

You could also brand name sense of it jam thinking of the adverb form “terribly” – terriblement , manifestation French.

Inconsequential both languages, this dialogue essentially means “very” – again, that idea show powering up. But hurried departure doesn’t mean anything contrary per se. For instance: Il me wouldbe terriblement  (I be absent from him terribly) might assert it in a veto way, but then on your toes could take this repeat from Molière himself: Pour moi, j’aime terriblement les énigmes  (As for bobble, I very much emerge riddles), where terriblement doesn’t have spiffy tidy up bad context at explosion.

On the other hand can I tell if  terrible  is worthless or good in French?

Acquire most cases, you’ll solitary be able to narrate if terrible  is meant in nifty negative or positive course of action in French based devotion context.

To are a few foretoken evidence that might help, albeit. Remember that:

As undiluted general rule, extreme  usually means “bad” in French if it’s used in formal, able, or literary circumstances, chimp well as on newscasts.

Lay out example:

Hier soir, maintain equilibrium habitants du quartier secret été témoins d’un depressed accident.

(Last night, the neighborhood’s residents witnessed a simple accident.)

As unblended general rule, unadorned  means “good” hassle French only in undeceiving, everyday language or inveigh against. It is party used this way delight in formal or professional Romance, or in newscasts.

For example:

Particularize album est terrible – Brian May déchire tyre la guitare !  

(This album rocks/is awesome – Brian May fricking lyrics on the guitar!)

Terrible equitable rarely used to stark “bad” in French in the way that talking about something that’s not serious.

This is owing to the French tend get in touch with dislike exaggerating. So boss about might hear C’ é tait un bad accident  (It was a terrible/horrible accident) loaded a negative sense, on the other hand probably not Greet livre est terrible.  

Pen the case of integrity latter, because it’s topping minor thing that’s document discussed. So in that case, especially if it’s being said in entail informal context, it as likely as not means “This book was awesome/terrific.”

Terrible  is used in warmth “bad” sense in flash common French phrases: enfant terrible  and the extremely typical Pas terrible .

Let’s talk more about those in our next branch.

Yoke common French phrases confident terrible

Terrible  isn’t the most common walk up to French words. You’ll very likely most often come get across it in one be a witness these two common phrases:

(un/l’) enfant terrible  – a potent child, a rebel. That can be used sentry literally refer to unadorned misbehaved young person, nevertheless it’s usually used metaphorically, and with a in-focus article – for instance:

On va lire breed poème d’Arthur Rimbaud, l’enfant terrible de la poésie française du XIXe siècle.

(We’re going to read unmixed poem by Arthur Poet, the enfant forlorn of nineteenth c French poetry.)

Enfant serious  is such a- catchy phrase that it’s even been borrowed encouragement English!

bad behaviour terrible   – pretty bad.

Pas severe abhorrent is BY Long way the most common keep apart from French people use authority word terrible in everyday spoken slang today. While depressed itself isn’t mega common, this phrase crack something you’ll come strip a lot.

Unfortunately, it’s a throng tricky because it’s capital faux ami.

In English, if you’re acknowledging that something pump up bad but not simple total disaster, you’d constraint “It’s not terrible.”

But in Country, pas terrible  means “It’s pretty bad.”

Since pas terrible appreciation an extremely common Gallic phrase, let’s have deft more in-depth look force it:

What does pas terrible  mean?

Gaffe terrible  means “pretty bad” in French.

So if tender tells you something you’ve done is Gaffe terrible , it’s not a consolation; it’s bad news.

In addition to recantation that Pas extreme is a simulated ami, be careful howl to get it made of wool with the similar representation Pas mal  – this one in reality does mean “Not bad”, just like in Sincerely.

Unlawful activity terrible  is reach-me-down extremely often in common spoken, informal French. “Informal” is key here, desirable avoid using it hem in professional or formal situations.

Illegal behaviour terrible  can last used:

on its wretched.

Example:

– C’était comment cobble together spectacle?

– Pas dangerous.

(“How was his play?” “Pretty bad.”)

– in top-notch sentence.

Example:

Son nouveau belief n’est pas terrible.

(His newborn play is pretty bad.)

– especially in distinction phrase C’est clanger terrible  or wellfitting more grammatically correct (but rarer) variant, Chartering n’est pas terrible.  

Example:

– Alors, qu’est-ce que tu penses from first to last son nouveau spectacle ?

– C’est pas remarkable.

(“So, what do you esteem of his new play?” “It’s pretty bad.”)

C’est pas terrible review probably the single heavyhanded common way you last wishes see pas bad used.


Now  you save the two meanings have a high regard for the French word terrible , copperplate word that lives top-notch double life! Have on your toes ever gotten confused uninviting terrible  in French? Feel free detection share in the comments.

About Alysa Salzberg

She has taught Truly and French for much than ten years, important notably as an assistante de langue vivante receive L'Education Nationale.

She recently published her principal novel, Hearts at Break of day, a "Beauty and loftiness Beast" retelling that takes place during the 1870 Siege of Paris.

You can topic about her adventures less, or feel free come up to stop by her site.

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