pourri
/pu.ʁi/
The French word for rotten is pourri.
pourri means decayed or gone bad. In an informal, figurative sense, it can also be used to describe something that is corrupt or morally rotten.
Meaning: decayed, gone bad (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective pourri changes its ending to agree with the noun it describes: pourries is the feminine plural form, pourris is the masculine plural form and pourrie is the feminine singular form.
How do you pronounce it?
/pu.ʁi/
Did you know?
- In some French regions, pourri can be used as a synonym for 'exhausted' or 'worn out', similar to saying one is 'dead' tired.
- If you want to describe a film or a book that is absolute rubbish, you can call it pourri. It carries a sense of being completely worthless or poorly made, much like organic matter that has lost all value.
- While English speakers use 'rotten' to describe a bad person, a French speaker might say someone is une pourriture (a rot/decay). This turns the adjective into a noun that functions as a harsh insult for a person of bad character.
Examples in context
- On est pourris gâtés !We're spoiled rotten!This sentence uses pourri to express the idiom 'spoiled rotten'.Tatoeba #1517454 by sacredceltic, translation #10612427 by bitchoftheseus
- Cette pomme est pourrie.This apple is rotten.This sentence uses pourri to describe a rotten apple.Tatoeba #9151952 by felix63, translation #867102 by papabear
- Cette poire est pourrie.This pear is rotten.This sentence uses pourri to describe a rotten pear.Tatoeba #9152180 by felix63, translation #9736224 by AlanF_US
- Cet aliment est totalement pourri.This food is completely rotten.
- Mon vieux sac est pourri, il faudra le remplacer.My old bag is rotten, I'll have to replace it.
- La viande est gâtée, il ne faut pas la consommer.The meat is rotten, we must not consume it.
- Ce morceau de pain est moisi, ne le mange pas.This piece of bread is moldy, don't eat it.
- Je ne veux pas acheter ces chaussures, elles sont vraiment pouraves !I don't want to buy these shoes, they are really rotten!
- 40 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are checking the vegetables in the fridge.
- NathanEst-ce que je peux manger cette tomate ?Can I eat this tomato?
- ChloéNon, regarde, elle est déjà pourrie.No, look, it is already rotten.
- NathanOh non, je vais la jeter.Oh no, I'm going to throw it away.
- ChloéOui, jette-la vite, s'il te plaît.Yes, throw it away quickly, please.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rotten” translations and entries pourri, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
