bêtise
/bɛ.tiz/
The English phrase "mischief" is translated into French as bêtise.
bêtise refers to conduct that playfully causes petty annoyance. You can use the idiomatic phrase faire des bêtises to mean "to do mischief" or "to misbehave."
Meaning: conduct that playfully causes petty annoyance (noun)
Which one should you use?
While the English word "mischief" often implies a sense of playfulness, bêtise can also mean a "stupid remark" or a "silly mistake" depending on the context.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun bêtise is feminine, so it is used with the feminine articles une or la.
How do you pronounce it?
/bɛ.tiz/
Did you know?
- There is a famous French literary concept called 'la bêtise' which refers to a specific type of collective, mindless stupidity found in society.
- The word bêtise is derived from bête, which means 'beast' or 'animal'. This implies that a 'mischievous' act is essentially an 'animal-like' or mindless mistake.
- In a professional French context, admitting to une bêtise is a way to soften a mistake, making it sound like a lapse in judgment rather than a serious failure of competence.
Examples in context
- Sa mère supporte toutes ses bêtises.His mom puts up with all of his mischief.This sentence shows how a mother handles her child's bêtise.Tatoeba #3713919 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #3713512 by Jesse
- Les garçons aiment bien faire des bêtises.Boys are fond of mischief.This sentence describes boys being fond of doing bêtise.Tatoeba #12112358 by Rovo, translation #276824 by CM
- Mon fils fait toutes sortes de bêtises.My son gets up to all kinds of mischief.This sentence illustrates a son getting up to different kinds of bêtise.Tatoeba #11600768 by Nuel, translation #11600770 by Nuel
- Il est connu pour son espièglerieHe is known for his mischief.
- Arrête de faire des bêtisesStop causing mischief
- Il a passé la journée à faire des bêtisesHe spent the day getting into mischief
- Arrête tes frasques !Stop your mischief!
Example conversation
Léa and Gabriel are watching a young child play in the living room.
- LéaRegarde ce qu'il a fait !Look at what he did!
- GabrielIl fait encore une bêtise.He is causing mischief again.
- LéaIl est très malin, ce petit garçon.This little boy is very clever.
- GabrielOui, il adore faire des bêtises.Yes, he loves causing mischief.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bêtise, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bêtise, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
