bête
/bɛt/
The English word silly is translated into French as bête. Wiktionary also lists sot.
Meaning: foolish, showing a lack of good sense and wisdom (adj)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| bête | /bɛt/ /bɛːt/ |
| sot | /so/ /sɔ/ |
These terms describe someone or something that shows a lack of good sense or wisdom. You can also use the noun bêtise to refer to a silly thing, a mistake or a piece of nonsense.
Which one should you use?
While bête is the common everyday word for silly, sot is a more literary or formal term meaning foolish or stupid.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
bête is an informal word. In contrast, sot is a formal or literary option.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, the informal terms niaiseux or niaiseuse are used to mean silly or foolish.
How do you pronounce it?
/bɛt/
Did you know?
- The word bête literally means 'beast' or 'animal'. Calling someone silly in French is etymologically equivalent to calling them an animal.
- In some contexts, bête is used to describe a thing that is 'clunky' or 'simple' in design, such as a 'bête machine', rather than describing a person's intelligence.
- While bête is common, the Quebecois term niaiseux comes from the verb niaiser, which can mean to fool around or to waste time.
Examples in context
- Ne sois pas aussi bête.Don't be so silly.This sentence is useful for telling someone not to be so silly using bête.Tatoeba #1211217 by sacredceltic, translation #1209940 by Scott
- J'ai une question bête.I have a silly question.This sentence shows how to describe a silly question using bête.Tatoeba #11167748 by lbdx, translation #4499782 by CK
- Question bête, réponse bête.Ask a silly question and you'll get a silly answer.This sentence uses bête to illustrate the idea that a silly question results in a silly answer.Tatoeba #2297927 by gillux, translation #3501326 by CK
- Il a fait une bêtiseHe did something silly
- Ce film est vraiment rigoloThis movie is really silly
- Il est bête comme ses pieds ce garçon !This boy is as silly as they come!
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Nathan are discussing a mistake made on a test.
- EmmaJ'ai fait une erreur vraiment bête.I made a really silly mistake.
- NathanC'est pas grave, Nathan ne t'en veux pas.It's okay, Nathan doesn't hold it against you.
- EmmaMais je me sens bête maintenant.But I feel silly now.
- NathanOn fait tous des erreurs parfois.We all make mistakes sometimes.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “silly” translations and entries bête, sot, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bête, sot, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
