douche
/duʃ/
The English word 'douche' translates to douche in French.
In French, douche primarily refers to a physical shower rather than a person.
Which one should you use?
While English speakers use 'douche' as a slang insult for a person, French speakers use terms like connard or abruti for this purpose, as douche is almost exclusively a noun for the water fixture. If you want to use a slang term that carries a similar meaning to 'douche' or 'asshole' in English, you might use Enfoiré.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun douche is feminine, so it is preceded by the feminine article la or une.
How do you pronounce it?
/duʃ/
Did you know?
- The French language has a specific term douche écossaise or 'Scottish shower', which refers to a shower that alternates between very hot and very cold water.
- In a metaphorical sense, une douche froide refers to a 'cold shower', used to describe a sudden disappointment or a harsh wake-up call.
- The French word douche was borrowed from the Italian word doccia, which originally meant a 'water conduit' or 'pipe'.
Examples in context
- Il agit comme un connard.He acts like a douche.
- C'est vraiment un enfoiré, je ne peux pas le supporter.He's a real douche, I can't stand him.
- Prendre une doucheTo take a shower
- Je prends une douche tous les matins.I take a shower every morning.
- Elle a besoin d'une douche chaude.She needs a warm shower.
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are talking about their morning routines in their apartment.
- ManonEst-ce que tu as fini ta douche ?Are you finished with your shower?
- LucasOui, je sors de la douche maintenant.Yes, I am getting out of the shower now.
- ManonDépêche-toi, Lucas, je dois aussi me laver.Hurry up, Lucas, I need to wash up too.
- LucasD'accord, je vais me changer rapidement.Okay, I will get changed quickly.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry douche, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries douche, CC BY-SA 4.0.
