Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| fou | /fu/ |
| insensé | /ɛ̃.sɑ̃.se/ |
| chtarbé | /ʃtaʁ.be/ |
| dérangé | /de.ʁɑ̃.ʒe/ |
| dingo | /dɛ̃.ɡo/ |
| taré | /ta.ʁe/ |
The terms in this list are used to describe someone or something as insane, demented or irrational. You can also use the construction fou de to express being crazy about something or someone, such as being fou de musique (crazy about music).
Which one should you use?
While fou is the most common way to say crazy, insensé is more often used to describe actions or ideas that are irrational or senseless rather than a person's mental state.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Formal contexts may use insensé to describe someone or something as crazy or senseless, or déraisonnable to suggest someone is behaving unreasonably. Informal options include dérangé to describe someone as mentally unstable or not all there, and timbré to say someone is crazy or mad. For slang, you can use barjo or chtarbé to describe someone as crazy, mad or weird.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The colloquial term barjo is mostly used in France as a slang abbreviation for barjot and means crazy or mad.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective fou changes based on the gender and number of the noun it describes: use folle for a feminine singular noun or person, fous for a masculine plural noun or group and folles for a feminine plural noun or group.
How do you pronounce it?
/fu/
Did you know?
- In certain historical contexts, the word for 'crazy' or 'jester' is connected to the word for 'elephant'. This link comes from the Arabic word for the chess piece 'alfil', which influenced the development of certain French terms related to court jesters.
- In French, the word timbré is used to mean crazy, which literally translates to 'stamped' as in a postage stamp.
- To call someone taré is a strong slang term that originally referred to the weight of a container being deducted from a total.
Examples in context
- Tu es fou !You're crazy!This sentence is useful for expressing that someone is crazy.Tatoeba #829101 by Cocorico, translation #664251 by BlueLagoon
- Il me rend fou.He drives me crazy.This sentence is useful for saying someone drives you crazy.Tatoeba #1801946 by sacredceltic, translation #1801843 by Spamster
- Ce mec est fou.This guy's crazy.This sentence is useful for describing a guy as crazy.Tatoeba #11896310 by calypsow, translation #8297807 by GuidoW
- Il est fou de rageHe is crazy with anger
- C'était une idée insenséeIt was a crazy idea.
- Elle a eu une réaction tout à fait déraisonnableShe had a completely crazy reaction.
- Il est dingue de toiHe's crazy about you.
- Ce type est vraiment barjo!That guy is really crazy!
- Elle est complètement timbréeShe's completely crazy.
- 278 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are talking about a movie they just saw.
- LucasLe scénario de ce film est complètement fou.The script of this movie is completely crazy.
- ManonC'est vrai, l'histoire est vraiment étrange.It's true, the story is really strange.
- LucasTu ne trouves pas que le personnage est fou ?Don't you think the character is crazy?
- ManonOui, il a un comportement assez bizarre.Yes, his behavior is quite bizarre.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “crazy” translations and entries fou, insensé, chtarbé, dérangé, dingo, taré, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fou, insensé, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
