s'étouffer
To say choke in French, meaning to be unable to breathe because something blocks the windpipe, use s'étouffer. A more formal verb is suffoquer. If unsure, use s'étouffer.
Meaning: be unable to breathe because of obstruction of the windpipe (verb)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| s'étouffer | |
| suffoquer | /sy.fɔ.ke/ |
s'étouffer is the most common way to describe choking on food, a liquid or smoke. The informal expression s'étouffer de rire means to choke with laughter.
Which one should you use?
s'étouffer describes the physical act of choking on something. suffoquer is more formal and often refers to a lack of oxygen in the air around you or a more serious state of suffocation.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
s'étouffer is a reflexive verb, so it always comes with a reflexive pronoun. To say I am choking, you say je m'étouffe.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not drop the reflexive pronoun. Say je m'étouffe, not the verb on its own.
Did you know?
- While s'étouffer means to choke, the word étouffée is also a culinary term for a dish that is 'smothered' or steamed in its own juices in a covered pot.
- In French, the term étouffer is used to describe the acoustic effect of sound-proofing a room to 'stifle' or dampen the noise.
- The word étouffer can be used in a legal or social context to describe 'suffocating' or suppressing a scandal to prevent it from becoming public.
Examples in context
- Mon ami a failli s'étouffer avec un morceau de viande.My friend almost choked on a piece of meat.
- Les gaz toxiques font suffoquer les victimes.Toxic gases choke the victims.
- Les blagues de mon ami sont si drôles que je m'étouffe de rire !My friend's jokes are so hilarious that I choke on laughter!
- Il s'étouffe avec un morceau de viande.He is choking on a piece of meat.
- Il peut s'étouffer avec ce morceau de viande.He can choke on this piece of meat.
- L'enfant a commencé à s'étouffer avec son jouet.The child started to choke on his toy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “choke” translations and entries suffoquer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
