je vais te tuer
In French, "I will kill you" is said as je vais te tuer.
This phrase is a statement used to express a direct threat to take someone's life.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase je vais te tuer literally translates to "I am going to kill you" using the near future construction.
Which one should you use?
The default form je vais te tuer uses the informal te, while je vais vous tuer is used when addressing more than one person or when using the formal "vous" to address a single person.
How does it change in a sentence?
To change the target of the threat, you can replace the object pronoun te. Using la in je vais la tuer changes the target to a female third party, while using le in je vais le tuer changes the target to a male third party.
Did you know?
- The French word for 'kill' tuer evolved from the Latin word tūtārī, which actually meant 'to protect' or 'to ward off'.
- While je vais te tuer is a literal threat, French speakers often use je vais te tuer playfully when a friend tells a bad joke or plays a prank.
- If someone says ça tue ! in a modern slang context, they are not threatening anyone but are saying something is 'killer' or 'amazing'.
Examples in context
- Je vais te tuer.I will kill you.Tatoeba #1111622 by sacredceltic, translation #1111435 by Scott
- Je vais te tuer si tu touches à ça.I will kill you if you touch that.
- Tu n'as pas idée, je vais te tuer.You have no idea, I will kill you.
Example conversation
Two actors are practicing a dramatic scene for a film.
- HugoJe vais te tuer !I will kill you!
- ChloéHugo, c'est trop intense pour moi.Hugo, it's too intense for me.
- HugoPardon, Chloé, je vais trop loin ?Sorry, Chloé, am I going too far?
- ChloéOui, redescendons un peu le ton.Yes, let's lower the tone a bit.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries je, te, tuer, vais, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
