Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| gâté | /ɡa.te/ /ɡɑ.te/ |
| pourri | /pu.ʁi/ |
In French, this term describes a person, typically a child, who has developed a selfish or greedy character due to being excessively pampered. It is also used idiomatically in the phrase gâté par la vie to describe someone who has had a very easy or fortunate life. While gâté refers to a person's upbringing or character, it should not be used to mean 'rotten' or 'decayed' when discussing food.
Which one should you use?
gâté is the standard term for a person's character or upbringing. In contrast, pourri is a more colloquial and stronger way to say someone is 'spoiled rotten' or 'rotten'. When discussing food that has gone bad, pourri or avarié is more common than gâté.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions of France, the phrase enfant à papa is used to refer to a spoiled child.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender and number with the person being described: gâté (masculine singular), gâtée (feminine singular), gâtés (masculine plural) and gâtées (feminine plural).
Did you know?
- In some contexts, gâté can be used as a verb gâter to mean 'to spoil' a surprise or a moment, similar to the English 'to ruin'.
- The word pourri is frequently used in French slang to describe a 'rotten' or bad situation, such as un plan pourri for a terrible plan.
- The term pourri is used in the phrase être pourri jusqu'à l'os, meaning 'rotten to the core'. This describes a person's moral corruption rather than just being pampered.
Examples in context
- On est pourris gâtés !We're spoiled rotten!This sentence demonstrates an informal way to say someone is extremely spoiled using gâté.Tatoeba #1517454 by sacredceltic, translation #10612427 by bitchoftheseus
- La nourriture est gâtée.The food is spoiled.This sentence shows that gâté is not the preferred term for spoiled food.Tatoeba #1843172 by sacredceltic, translation #1841574 by CK
- Il n'a pas été gâté par la vie.He was not spoiled by life.This sentence uses the idiom describing someone who has had a fortunate life with gâté.Tatoeba #6559794 by Blabla, translation #6581434 by Eccles17
- Il/Elle est gâté(e)He/She is spoiled.
- Il/Elle est gâté(e) pourri(e)He/She is extremely spoiled.
- Il/Elle n'a pas été élevé(e) dans du cotonHe/She wasn't spoiled.
- Leurs enfants sont gâtés et capricieux.Their children are spoiled and capricious.
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas are discussing a child at a party.
- EmmaCe petit garçon est vraiment gâté.This little boy is really spoiled.
- LucasOui, il veut tout tout de suite.Yes, he wants everything right away.
- EmmaSes parents sont trop gâté avec lui.His parents spoil him too much.
- LucasC'est pour ça qu'il ne partage pas.That's why he doesn't share.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “spoiled” translations and entries gâté, pourri, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
