# bonasse



## burqagirl

Why is this word pejorative? In America one pays a lot of lip service to the idea of being "nice" (even if affected) to the point of discounting other qualities like interesting, brainy, honest, etc.


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## Papalote

Hi,

Bonasse doesn`t exactly mean _nice _ in the American way. It is more like dumb-nice, naive-nice. The type of nice that other people, not so nice, will take advantage of. The ATILF gives the following definition: _Bonasse - Qui a bon caractère, qui se montre très complaisant dans ses relations avec autrui, souvent jusqu'à l'excès, par simplicité d'esprit, faiblesse de tempérament _

Hope this helps,

P


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## Monsieur Hoole

When you add "asse" to a word in French, it generally gives that word a clearly pejorative meaning.

M. H.


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## edwingill

i think it means meek in the sense of submissive


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## danielle_davout

bête _>bêtasse, 
blonde ->blondasse,
bidasse (fam)
poufiasse (vulg)
pétasse  (vulg)
connasse (vulg)
jaune ->jaunasse,
lavasse
mou -> molasse
et j'en passe !
la désinence "asse" est très souvent péjorativehttp://forum.wordreference.com/editpost.php?do=editpost&p=740566


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## Ray 1/2

Hahaha... You could ! But it's an adjective. And I think it's "mollasse" actually. So I guess you would say "Il est un peu mollasse"... 

 But we would use "mollasson" rather than "mollasse"... I've never heard "mollasse" in my life but "mollasson" is pretty common. I mean, referring to other people, not to me ! Don't get me wrong...


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## JimboFr

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but a good expression for this in English is "bimbo"


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## P22T33

JimboFr said:


> Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but a good expression for this in English is "bimbo"



Is (bimbo) pejorative?  (Bonasse) is definitely so.


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## parisgirl

bimbo/dumbo don't seem _that _perjorative to me....


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## JimboFr

Yes - it has the same connotation of a dumb blonde....


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## P22T33

JimboFr said:


> Yes - it has the same connotation of a dumb blonde....



(Bimbo) blondes sounds like a baby-face girl, displaying naive external features (other than facial), sort of a Lolita … but wouldn't apply to character or personality features suggestive of naive.  I may be wrong, though! 

However, I'd be reluctant to use "une fille bonasse", except if she's really a stupid idiot.


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## Micia93

Pamela Anderson is a bimbo (not really naive actually ! )
"bonasse" could be a stupid idiot or a girl accepting everything she's required to do (we also say "une pauvre fille")
I agree that "un sourire bonasse" looks very much like "un sourire idiot"


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## ZarLa

"bonasse" means "good to fuck"... It's the very best translation.


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## Micia93

ZarLa said:


> "bonasse" means "good to fuck"... Really.


 
ho ! that's the first time I've heared of this meaning ! 
it should be a very new expression


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## JiPiJou

Micia93 said:


> ho ! that's the first time I've heared of this meaning !
> it should be a very new expression



Really ? I thought « Elle est bonne » meant precisely that. So « bonnasse » would logically be the same, but... worse.


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## Micia93

JiPiJou said:


> Really ? I thought « Elle est bonne » meant precisely that. So « bonnasse » would logically be the same, but... worse.


 
All right, but let's say that the first meaning is not that one, which could confuse non-natives


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## JiPiJou

Micia93 said:


> All right, but let's say that the first meaning is not that one, which could confuse non-natives



And, for *that *type of vocabulary, I consider myself as a non-native


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## françois p

I'm french (but no parisian, perhaps the meaning have a variation) and I have never heard the word "bonasse" used in an other way that Zarla explain.


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## Micia93

Bienvenue François 

il est vrai que "bonasse" dans le sens "gentillet, ballot" est peut-être moins usité actuellement
pour te donner un exemple, on disait de Bourvil dans certains de ses films qu'il jouait un personnage bonasse, un peu baziot, quoi !


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## P22T33

JiPiJou said:


> Really ? I thought « Elle est bonne » meant precisely that. So « bonnasse » would logically be the same, but... worse.



Elle est "bonne" is a very (intentionally) ambiguous expression in French, just like you'd say in English:  That's a good one!

You could then use it to say:

- Elle est bonne (cette bière) to signify that it's a good brand.

- Elle est bonne (cette bière) to signify that it's at the right temperature.

- Elle est bonne (cette bière) to signify that it came on time, because you're thirsty, or the weather is hot, etc.

- Elle est bonne (cette anecdote) to signify that it's a good joke.

- Elle est bonne (cette petite) to signify that she's a good student.

- Elle est bonne (cette fille) to signify that she's a nice lay.

This makes the term usable for objects and people in a variety of situations, the ambiguity allowing the listener imagination to run wild.

(Bonasse) - I still insist - is pejorative and only applies to people.


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## P22T33

Micia93 said:


> Bienvenue François
> 
> il est vrai que "bonasse" dans le sens "gentillet, ballot" est peut-être moins usité actuellement
> pour te donner un exemple, on disait de Bourvil dans certains de ses films qu'il jouait un personnage bonasse, un peu baziot, quoi !



Tout à fait!  J'associe le mot plus au sens de "niais" que "naif".


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## françois p

Micia93 said:


> Bienvenue François
> 
> il est vrai que "bonasse" dans le sens "gentillet, ballot" est peut-être moins usité actuellement
> pour te donner un exemple, on disait de Bourvil dans certains de ses films qu'il jouait un personnage bonasse, un peu baziot, quoi !


 
Hum...en fait il y aurait bo*n*asse et bo*nn*asse ? Une distinction de sens en fonction de l'ethymologie ou du genre ?


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## P22T33

françois p said:


> Hum...en fait il y aurait bo*n*asse et bo*nn*asse ? Une distinction de sens en fonction de l'ethymologie ou du genre ?



Bonne remarque!  Les différences d'orthographe seraient celles de l'ancien français et du français moderne.


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## KatishaKat

I have always heard of this word in the context of "highly f--kable", in the modern, colloquial contexte. It was perhaps used to mean simpleton but most words ending in an asse are derogatory to the point of being insulting. 
I would not say someone is a bonasse if i wanted to say she was a simpleton...


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## Mille00

Giving life to an old thread! I was curious of this as a Norwegian living in France. I have never been told that word to my face (fortunately) but I saw this picture on someone's facebook (attachment), and I did not know it was so crude! 

It is supposedly Europe seen through the eyes of France.


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## Eagle1

I think that, nowadays, boys are saying this "bonasse" with no bad meanings
however girls will take it as "mean" because it reduce them to their body (because bonasse is more about the body than the face) and appearance .

At least coming from me, it's a very nice compliment.


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## Druide au jardin

Maybe you could say a goody-two-shoes.  A sychophant even.  A groupie possibly in some context.

I have this context:  'Il posa une grosse tape sur le bras d'Antoinette et en soupirant, avec l'air d'un vaincu bonasse et conciliant qui a perdu aux des et qui n'en fait pas une histoire, emporte et brave gars...'


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## DJ_RocherEtoile

Hi,

Bringing back to life a very old yet funny thread... sorry 

"Bonasse" is a slang adjective or noun, meaning "very sexy", "very attractive" probably exclusively used by youngsters, with an almost "whore / sexual object at men's disposal" meaning.
Therefore, while it is OK to use this term between boys when talking about attractive girls, it is strongly advised to refrain from using it when talking to any girl.

I would translate it by "hot" or "hottie" whether it's an adj. or n., though I'm not sure that it conveys the offensive "sexual object" meaning right.



If I were at a bar, chillin' with ma homies  , and a very attractive girl passed by, I would say:

_- Putain, regarde la bonasse là-bas !
- Damn, look at that hottie over there !
_
or if I'd want to use a noun:

_- Oh mon Dieu, mais qu'est-ce qu'elle est bonasse celle-là !
- Oh my God, that girl is so damn hot !

_
lol


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## joelooc

To puzzle everybody a little more here's a quotation from "Jules & Jim" by Henri Pierre Roché (1953)" ....she brought along a pleasant silly girl for Jules- and Jules found her pleasant but silly". The original French version goes:"Elle amena pour Jules une amie bonasse mais Jules la trouva bonasse".


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