Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| stupide | /sty.pid/ | feminine, masculine |
| bête | /bɛt/ /bɛːt/ |
feminine |
The phrase is used to describe someone or something that is lacking in intelligence. Depending on the specific word chosen, the nuance can range from being a lighthearted way to call someone silly to being quite insulting depending on the tone.
Which one should you use?
While both stupide and bête mean stupid, stupide is often perceived as more clinical or formal. In contrast, bête is more common in everyday speech and can range from meaning "silly" or "foolish" in a lighthearted way to being quite insulting depending on the tone.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word bête is an epicene adjective, meaning it has the same form for both masculine and feminine nouns. The word stupide is also used for both masculine and feminine forms.
How do you pronounce it?
/sty.pid/
Did you know?
- In French, calling someone une bête de… followed by a noun can actually be a compliment, meaning someone is a 'beast' at a certain task or 'exceptionally good' at something.
- Depending on the context, C'est bête! is often used to mean 'That's a pity!' or 'What a shame!' In this case, it describes a situation as unfortunate rather than a person as unintelligent.
- The word stupide is etymologically linked to the English word 'stupefy', as both stem from the Latin concept of being 'struck senseless'.
Examples in context
- Tu as l'air bête.You look stupid.This sentence shows how to use bête to describe someone's appearance.Tatoeba #939454 by sacredceltic, translation #1644 by CK
- Tom est-il bête ?Is Tom stupid?This sentence uses bête to ask a question about someone's intelligence.Tatoeba #8648787 by Micsmithel, translation #3507550 by CK
- Es-tu aussi bête ?Are you that stupid?This sentence uses bête to ask if someone is being that stupid.Tatoeba #4134848 by sacredceltic, translation #3730349 by CM
- Quelle conne, elle a encore tout gâché !What a stupid [female]! She messed up again!
- Ce type est vraiment débile, il ne comprend rien !This guy is truly stupid, he doesn't understand anything!
- C'est un comportement totalement imbécile.It's a completely foolish behavior.
- 415 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are discussing a movie they just saw.
- ManonLe film était vraiment stupide.The movie was really stupid.
- NathanJe suis d'accord, l'histoire était nulle.I agree, the story was bad.
- ManonNathan, tu as trouvé ça amusant ?Nathan, did you find it funny?
- NathanNon, c'était juste un mauvais film.No, it was just a bad movie.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stupid” translations and entries stupide, bête, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bête, stupide, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
