mauvaise fille
The English phrase "bad girl" is translated into French as mauvaise fille.
mauvaise fille is used to describe a girl or woman who behaves badly or is considered morally wicked. For a more colloquial way to describe a mischievous or naughty girl, the term peste can be used to mean something similar to "pest" or "brat".
Did you know?
- In certain contexts, calling someone a mauvaise fille might not just imply bad behavior, but could be a coded way of suggesting she is a prostitute. This stems from the historical evolution of the word fille in French slang.
- To call a child a peste is not necessarily an insult, but can be a playful way to describe a spirited or mischievous girl.
- Unlike the English 'bad girl', which can describe a confident or rebellious woman, French lacks a single equivalent phrase that captures this positive or empowered nuance.
Examples in context
- Ce n'est pas une mauvaise fille.She's not a bad girl.This sentence is useful for showing how to negate the phrase with mauvaise fille.Tatoeba #1890082 by sacredceltic, translation #1887030 by Spamster
- Marie est une mauvaise fille.Mary is a bad girl.This sentence is useful for identifying a person as a mauvaise fille.Tatoeba #1692761 by Scott, translation #1486072 by Spamster
- Arrête de faire l'innocente, tu es une vraie peste !Stop pretending to be innocent, you're a real bad girl!
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are talking about a character in a book.
- LéaJe pense que le personnage est une mauvaise fille.I think the character is a bad girl.
- HugoPourquoi dis-tu cela, Léa ?Why do you say that, Léa?
- LéaElle ment tout le temps à ses amis.She lies to her friends all the time.
- HugoC'est vrai, c'est une mauvaise fille.That's true, she is a bad girl.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fille, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
