Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| ennuyeux | /ɑ̃.nɥi.jø/ |
| barbant | /baʁ.bɑ̃/ |
| ennuyant | /ɑ̃.nɥi.jɑ̃/ |
The primary way to express that something is causing boredom or tiredness is through the adjective ennuyeux. While related terms exist, such as alésage which refers to a hole that has been bored, the focus here is on the sensation of boredom.
Which one should you use?
While ennuyeux and ennuyant both mean boring, ennuyeux is the standard adjective for general boredom. In contrast, ennuyant is often used to describe a specific, immediate nuisance or something that is currently 'annoying'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The word barbant is a colloquial and slightly more forceful way to describe something as boring or a nuisance. For an informal way to say something is both boring and annoying, you can use chiant.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, the informal word plate is used to mean boring.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective ennuyeux must agree in gender with the noun it describes. It changes to ennuyeuse for feminine nouns. Note that the masculine singular and masculine plural forms of ennuyeux are identical.
How do you pronounce it?
The three-syllable word ennuyeux is pronounced /ɑ̃.nɥi.jø/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to confuse the adjective ennuyeux (boring) with the participle ennuyé (bored). Use ennuyeux to describe the thing that causes the feeling, and ennuyé to describe the person feeling it.
Did you know?
- The phrase s'ennuyer comme un rat mort is a common idiom meaning to be as bored as a dead rat.
- The word chiant is very common in informal speech but is derived from the verb for 'to defecate', making it technically a vulgarity.
- The colloquial term barbant comes from the verb barber, which originally meant to shave or trim a beard.
Examples in context
- Le film est ennuyeux.The film is boring.This sentence shows how to describe a film as ennuyeux.Tatoeba #4670188 by sacredceltic, translation #2436035 by AlanF_US
- Ce roman est ennuyeux.This novel is boring.This sentence illustrates the use of ennuyeux with a novel.Tatoeba #951914 by sacredceltic, translation #630620 by CK
- Ce livre est ennuyeux.This book is boring.This sentence demonstrates describing a book as ennuyeux.Tatoeba #5933948 by Aiji, translation #5756419 by Hybrid
- Cette réunion était ennuyeuseThis meeting was boring
- Son discours était vraiment barbantHis speech was really boring
- Faire toujours les mêmes activités est vraiment lassantDoing the same activities all the time is really boring
- Cet exposé était barbant à mourirThat presentation was boring to death
- La soirée était vraiment plateThe evening was really boring
- Cette conférence était ennuyeuse, je me suis presque endormi.This conference was boring, I almost fell asleep.
- J'ai trouvé ce livre assez barbant, je n'ai pas pu le terminer.I found this book quite boring, I couldn't finish it.
- Les cours de chimie sont barbants à mourir, je me demande comment je vais les supporter.Chemistry classes are boring to death, I wonder how I will endure them.
- La conférence sur l'économie était vraiment plate, je me suis ennuyé du début à la fin.The economics conference was really boring, I was bored from start to finish.
- 146 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Nathan are talking about a lecture at university.
- LéaLe cours de ce matin était vraiment ennuyeux.This morning's class was really boring.
- NathanC'est vrai, j'ai failli m'endormir.It's true, I almost fell asleep.
- LéaLe professeur est un homme très ennuyeux.The professor is a very boring man.
- NathanOui, il parle toujours de la même chose.Yes, he always talks about the same thing.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “boring” translations and entries ennuyeux, barbant, ennuyant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
