Tu pues le caca
The English phrase "you smell like poop" is translated into French as Tu pues le caca.
This is a blunt statement used to tell someone that they have a bad odor resembling feces.
Which one should you use?
While Tu pues le caca addresses a single person informally, you should use Vous puez le caca if you are addressing more than one person or if you wish to use the formal vous to be ironically polite while insulting them.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The use of tu and the word caca makes Tu pues le caca an informal and blunt phrase.
Did you know?
- The word caca is an example of an onomatopoeic root found in many languages, derived from the Latin verb cacāre meaning 'to defecate'.
- If an adult wanted to express this same sentiment without sounding like a child, they would likely replace caca with more vulgar terms like merde.
- In French, the verb puer can be used figuratively to mean that a situation or a person's behavior 'stinks' or is morally corrupt, much like the English 'that stinks'.
Example conversation
Two children are playing in a garden.
- LéaGabriel, ne t'approche pas de moi.Gabriel, don't come near me.
- GabrielPourquoi, Léa ?Why, Léa?
- LéaParce que tu pues le caca !Because you smell like poop!
- GabrielC'est pas vrai !That's not true!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries caca, le, tu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
