jurer
/ʒy.ʁe/
The French word for the act of cursing is jurer.
The verb jurer can mean two different things: to swear an oath or to use profanity/to curse. When you are using the word to mean the act of using bad language, it is often used with the preposition sur if a person is swearing on something, such as jurer sur la Bible (to swear on the Bible).
Meaning: act of one who curse (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
Because jurer is an infinitive verb, if you want to express the noun 'cursing' (the act itself), you should use the construction le fait de jurer.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒy.ʁe/
Did you know?
- In French, you can describe a 'curse-word' as un gros mot, which literally translates to 'a big word'.
- French has a category of mild curses called jurons, which are often created by slightly altering religious words to avoid committing blasphemy.
- The verb jurer is used in the phrase jurer comme un charretier, meaning to curse like a carter or cart-driver.
Examples in context
- Quel bordel!What a mess!
- Putain de merde!Damn it!
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are talking about a movie they just watched.
- LucasTu as aimé le film ?Did you like the movie?
- EmmaOui, mais il y avait trop de jurer.Yes, but there was too much cursing.
- LucasC'est vrai, c'était un peu excessif.That's true, it was a bit excessive.
- EmmaJe préfère les films plus calmes.I prefer calmer movies.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry jurer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
