mince
/mɛ̃s/
The English phrase "geez" can be translated into French as mince.
mince is an exclamation used to express surprise or frustration. It is commonly used when someone makes a small mistake, forgets something or encounters a minor inconvenience.
Meaning: exclamation denoting surprise or frustration (intj)
Which one should you use?
Adding alors to the end to form mince alors increases the sense of surprise or disbelief. Zut! is a milder and more socially acceptable informal expression of surprise or frustration.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
mince is a polite or euphemistic way to express frustration. It serves as a milder, socially acceptable alternative to the vulgar swear word merde.
How do you pronounce it?
/mɛ̃s/
Did you know?
- Depending on the region, some French speakers may prefer punaise as a similarly mild and socially acceptable alternative to more vulgar exclamations.
- The word mince literally translates to the adjective 'thin' or 'slim' in English. In this context, it functions as an exclamation of frustration rather than a description of size.
- The origin of mince traces back to the Frankish word *minnistō, which meant 'smaller' or 'finer'.
Examples in context
- Mince, j'ai encore oublié mes clés !Geez, I forgot my keys again!
- Mince, quel dommage pour ton voyage.Geez, what a shame about your trip.
- Mince, c'est beaucoup trop cher.Geez, that is way too expensive.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are checking the grocery bill.
- GabrielMince, le prix du fromage a augmenté !Geez, the price of cheese went up!
- ManonC'est vrai, Gabriel, c'est énorme.It's true, Gabriel, it's huge.
- GabrielOn va devoir faire attention.We are going to have to be careful.
- ManonTu as raison, on surveillera le budget.You're right, we'll watch the budget.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry mince, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mince, CC BY-SA 4.0.
