Discover the French word "Tais-toi"

Get prepared to find out everything you have to know about the funny French word “Tais-toi”.

Are included a full explanation of what it is and how to use it in a dialogue with an audio example. And also the useful informations we sprinkled like dialogue example, synonym, slow pronunciation audio and more!

Finally, you will find more of these words tutorials on this page and all our guides about French words on this page. Wish you a happy learning!

Table of Contents

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Translation in English

Audio pronunciation

Slow pronunciation

Normal pronunciation

What does tais-toi mean?

Definition

The literal meaning is:

  • Tais → Shut
  • Toi → You/Yourself

How to use it

There are many ways to say “Shut up” in French and even if it’s never a pleasant thing to say, some ways are (much) more harsh than others.

You can find all the possibilities in the section “Synonyms” below, but basically if you want to say it “Politely” you can say: “Arrête de parler” or “Chut” or “Silence“.

To say it “Vulgarly” use instead: “La ferme” or “Ta gueule” or “Ferme ta gueule

But… What about “Tais-toi“? Well, it’s right between these two groups: neither super polite, nor very vulgar. That’s why it’s better to use it with people you are comfortable with and definitely not in a work environment.

Synonyms and similarities

  • Arrête de parler. (“Stop talking“)
  • Chut. (“Shh“)
  • Silence. (“Silence“)
  • Ferme-la. (“Shut up → Literally: Close it“)(Vulgar)
  • La ferme. (“Shut up → Literally: Close it“)(Vulgar)
  • Ta bouche. (“Shut up → Literally: Your mouth“)(Vulgar)
  • Ferme ta bouche. (“Shut up → Literally: Close your mouth“)(Vulgar)
  • Ta gueule. (“Shut up → Literally: Your muzzle“)(Very vulgar)
  • Ferme ta gueule. (“Shut up → Literally: Close your muzzle“)(Very vulgar)

Everyday life dialogue example with audio

Audio dialogue from French people

Dialogue audio

Dialogue script

À mon avis, la terre est plate “
” In my opinion, earth is flat “
” Tais-toi, bolosse
” Shut up, loser “
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