Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| gâcher | /ɡa.ʃe/ /ɡɑ.ʃe/ |
| ruiner | /ʁɥi.ne/ |
The verb gâcher is the most natural choice when you want to say someone is spoiling an experience, a moment or wasting a resource like time or food, such as spoiling a surprise or the fun. Ruiner is used for more severe or literal destruction, such as ruining someone financially or physically destroying an object. Related to these verbs, the noun ruine refers to the remains of destroyed construction or something that leads to serious troubles. You can use the phrase Être au bord de la ruine to say someone is on the brink of ruin, or Causer la ruine de quelqu'un to mean causing someone's ruin.
Which one should you use?
While both mean to ruin, gâcher is commonly used for spoiling experiences or wasting resources. In contrast, ruiner is a stronger, more formal term used for severe or literal destruction, such as financial ruin or destroying an object.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of gâcher is gâché, which means spoiled or wasted.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡa.ʃe/
Did you know?
- While gâcher means 'to ruin' today, its Middle French ancestor gascher was also used to describe the act of rowing with oars.
Examples in context
- Tu vas tout gâcher.You'll ruin everything.This sentence shows how to use gâcher to express ruining everything.Tatoeba #8437009 by lbdx, translation #2182846 by Hybrid
- Tu vas ruiner mon maquillage.You'll ruin my make-up.This sentence shows how to use ruiner regarding make-up.Tatoeba #6328416 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #6327975 by OsoHombre
- Tu ne gâcheras pas ma soiriée.You won't ruin my evening.This sentence shows how to use gâcher in a negative context regarding an evening.Tatoeba #12480410 by always, translation #11503375 by Amastan
- La guerre a laissé la ville dans un état de désolationThe war has left the city in a state of ruin
- Il a foutu en l'air ses chances de réussiteHe ruined his chances of success
- Elle a mis en miettes son projetShe ruined her project
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Lucas are preparing a surprise party.
- ChloéNe dis rien, ou tu vas tout gâcher !Don't say anything, or you'll spoil everything!
- LucasJe sais, je vais rester discret.I know, I will stay discreet.
- ChloéC'est important pour la surprise.It is important for the surprise.
- LucasPromis, je ne vais pas gâcher la fête.I promise, I am not going to spoil the party.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ruin” translations and entries gâcher, ruiner, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gâcher, ruiner, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
