bête noire
/bɛt nwaʁ/feminine
The English phrase 'pet peeve' can be translated into French as bête noire.
The term is used to describe something that is personally annoying or a specific personal dislike.
Meaning: something that is personally annoying, a personal dislike (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase bête noire literally translates to 'black beast'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because bête is a feminine noun, you must use the feminine possessive adjective ma when saying 'my pet peeve' (e.g., ma bête noire).
How do you pronounce it?
/bɛt nwaʁ/
Did you know?
- In French, saying C'est bête does not refer to an animal, but is a common way to say 'that is silly' or 'that is a shame'.
- While bête noire is common, French speakers also use the expression caillou dans la chaussure to describe a persistent annoyance, literally meaning a 'stone in the shoe'.
- The English phrase 'bête noire' is a 'loan phrase', meaning it was borrowed directly from French and retains its original spelling and meaning in English.
Examples in context
- Vivre avec le désordre est ma bête noire.Living with disorder is my pet peeve.
- Les trucs énervants, comme quand les gens parlent fort au cinéma, me dérangent beaucoup.Pet peeves, like when people talk loudly in the cinema, bother me a lot.
- Le retard est vraiment ma bête noire.Lateness is really my pet peeve.
- Le retard est ma bête noire.Lateness is my pet peeve.
- Le bruit de la mastication est sa bête noire.The sound of chewing is his pet peeve.
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are talking about house chores.
- ChloéJe déteste quand tu ne ranges pas.I hate it when you don't tidy up.
- HugoDésolé, je vais le faire maintenant.Sorry, I'll do it now.
- ChloéLe désordre est ma bête noire, Hugo.Messiness is my pet peeve, Hugo.
- HugoJe comprends, je vais faire attention.I understand, I'll be careful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pet peeve” translations and entries bête noire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
