# connasse



## hamer1970

Sorry for the foul language but does "connasse" translate to cunt?


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## xtrasystole

Yes, but that's no longer its main meaning nowadays.


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## Cath.S.

hamer1970 said:


> Sorry for the foul language but does "connasse" translate to cunt?


It could, but then it could be slightly milder and translate to 
_stupid bitch / cow._
It depends on the tone of voice - but it is always very insulting when said in earnest.


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## hamer1970

So if one were called that in a verbal attack, it is meant to truly insult, no question about it?


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## Cath.S.

hamer1970 said:


> So if one were called that in a verbal attack, it is meant to truly insult, no question about it?


Oh yes, I'm afraid so.


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## teabaggg

Bonjour,

I was wondering about the nuance egueule mentioned in his post. When could _connasse_ be slightly milder?

I ask because I'm attempting a translation of Michel Houellebecq's "Extension du domaine de la lutte", from the French to American English. Here's the excerpt in question:

"Vendredi soir, j'étais invité à une soirée chez un collègue de travail. On était une bonne trentaine, rien que des cadres moyens ages de 25 à 40 ans. À un moment donné, il y a une connasse qui a commencé à se déshabiller. Elle a ôté son t-shirt, puis son soutien-gorge, puis sa jupe, tout ça en faisant des mines incroyables.... D'ailleurs, c'est une fille qui ne couche avec personne, ce qui souligne bien l'absurdité de son comportement."

In the current English version _connasse_ is translated to "stupid bitch", but I wonder if this really captures the feel of the French version. Plus, there is also the matter of this being a British English translation, and although words like "cunt" and "bitch" are usually used in a similar fashion on either side of the pond, there are sometimes subtle differences. Here's my version of the above passage:

"...At one point in the evening some dumbshit started taking off her clothes..." 

  Although _dumbshit_ doesn't indicate the female gender like _connasse_ does, in this context I wonder if it might be more accurate for American English. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


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## xtrasystole

teabaggg said:


> À un moment donné, il y a une connasse qui a commencé à se déshabiller...


Yes, in that context, _'connasse'_ has no sexual connotations and is just the feminine of _'connard'_ (asshole, fucking idiot). As for _'dumbshit'_, that sounds better than _'stupid bitch'_ to me, but I'm no native anyhow . What would _'dumbcunt'_ sound like here?


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## teabaggg

I agree with you xtrasystole, it seems to me that in this context connasse isn't really used with any gender specificity, it's more to express the narrator's annoyance. I think that's the point I'm trying to make by using _dumbshit_ (this word could also be a generational/regional thing, even among Americans- I'm 30, from the West Coast, and I think 99% of my peers would know the word _dumbshit_, I'm betting it's as common everywhere else in the States). I was also thinking _dumbass_ might work, for the same reasons. Par contre,_ dumbcunt_ in this context would seem to play upon the sex of the individual a little bit, plus my American brain can't help but think that anything with the c-word in it sounds British


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## xtrasystole

How about _'fucking idiot'_ then? Is it restricted to males only?


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## Gil

How about "twit"?


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## Nicomon

xtrasystole said:


> How about _'fucking idiot'_ then? Is it restricted to males only?


 Wouldn't that be another register than « connasse »?   

Dumb chick?  Dimwit? Twit?

Edit : I hadn't seen Gil's last post.


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## teabaggg

xtrasystole: "fucking idiot" is definitely not restricted to men, but do you think it's too harsh for this context? For me to think that about someone in English they'd have to do something really stupid, like almost running over a pedestrian or making the same ridiculous mistake over and over and over. I'd even go so far as so say it implies willful stupidity.

Gil: To me, "twit" seems very British- the first thing I thought of was the Monty Python sketch "Upper Class Twit of the Year". That said, I think it perfectly captures what I read as the non-sex specific, mean-but-not-overly-vindictive use of _connasse_ in Houellebecq's novel. _Dumbshit/dumbass_ is probably a little harsher than _twit_, but I can't really think of anything better at the moment.


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## Cath.S.

Some stupid broad?


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## uniqueamour

Gil said:


> How about "twit"?


 Perfect! Twit it is.


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## ljosalfar

If you want to preserve the 'con'notation, how about 'twat'?


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## honeybfly

Silly cow, moron, idiot


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## honeybfly

Twat is harsher than twit.


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## ljosalfar

Yes, twat's harsher than twit, and it's also non-gender-specific (in English), in the same way that connard/connasse is essentially the same word.
But twat isn't very harsh at all on the scale of harsh words. This is why I suggested it - because it feels to me around the same level of harsh/dismissive as connard/connasse. A twit is an idiot - a twat is closer to a fucking idiot, but not as strong. Language is weird.


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## teabaggg

Language is indeed weird. Watch out though, because in American English "twat" is most definitely gender specific in that it's also (mainly) a lewd designation for female bits.


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## ljosalfar

Yes, twat is a (now somewhat dated) crude term for vagina in British English. It also locates the speaker geographically - southerners say 'twot' (rhymes with 'cot') and northerners say 'twat' (rhymes with 'cat').
When I said it was non-gender-specific, I meant that you can comfortably call a man or a woman a twat (assuming you're comfortable with calling anyone that).


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## jb0284

I've never heard anyone say 'twot' and I've lived in the south my entire life! I think 'twat' would be the perfect translation for this if it was British English. 'Cunt' in British English would be far too extreme/radical, but I know its usage in the States is a lot less restrictive than over here.


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## Hi There

hamer1970 said:


> Sorry for the foul language but does "connasse" translate to cunt?


It means vagina and it's used as an insult, if that's what you're asking. It comes from "con." Using slang terms for vagina as expletives and insults in various contexts is very typical in the UK, Spain, and France (and to a lesser extent in the US, and probably other countries of course). Asshole means anus, and to say "asshole" in French would be "trou du cul."


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## tartopom

I heard 'a jerk-off' - don't know if there's a hyphen and if the word as a noun exists.


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## Hi There

tartopom said:


> I heard 'a jerk-off' - don't know if there's a hyphen and if the word as a noun exists.


Perhaps it can be used as that, but to jerk off refers to male masturbation, so that would not be the literal translation.


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## wildan1

tartopom said:


> I heard 'a jerk-off'


That would be very odd to use about a silly woman. Figuratively it can describe an idiotic male without any sexual connotation.


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## tartopom

Oh, thank you, Hi There and wildan.


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## Hi There

wildan1 said:


> That would be very odd to use about a silly woman. Figuratively it can describe an idiotic male without any sexual connotation.


Both "connard" and "connasse" come from "con" and have a perjorative suffix added. "Con" literally refers to female genitalia even if you're not using it that way. Also, the point of a vulgar swear word (connard/connasse in this case) is that it refers to something "dirty," typically sexual or related to genitalia (more often female than male as men have invented the language and don't want to insult themselves). The French use "con" without any sexual connotation like the Spanish use "coño" but the actual, literal meaning is exactly the same. In English, if someone calls someone else a "twat", it's like saying "jerk" but twat literally refers to the vagina.


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## Michelvar

I see what you mean, Hi There, but, as a French native, I must emphasize that nowadays nobody uses "connard" or "connasse" to refer to genitalia. Those words are used to say that you are knowingly acting in a selfish, rude, inconsiderate, often aggressive, often malicious way.


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## Hi There

Michelvar said:


> I see what you mean, Hi There, but, as a French native, I must emphasize that nowadays nobody uses "connard" or "connasse" to refer to genitalia. Those words are used to say that you are knowingly acting in a selfish, rude, inconsiderate, often aggressive, often malicious way.


I see what you're saying, but the root is that literal meaning (and not meaning "penis" of course). I know I don't speak for the majority, but personally, I like to be aware of what I'm actually saying as language not only reflects a culture's values, it simultaneously reinforces them. "Bastard" for example, refers to a person born out of wedlock, but of course we're not using it literally that way.


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## LARSAY

It is the *feminine *of "connard", derived from "con" ("prick"), but it is a stronger insult than "con" (to make that one stronger, we generally add an adjective such as "gros con", "sale con", etc.). The English equivalent would be "cunt"


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## Hi There

LARSAY said:


> It is the *feminine *of "connard", derived from "con" ("prick"), but it is a stronger insult than "con" (to make that one stronger, we generally add an adjective such as "gros con", "sale con", etc.). The English equivalent would be "cunt"


"Prick" actually refers to the penis.


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## Topsie

LARSAY said:


> ...The English equivalent would be "cunt"


I'm sorry @LARSAY, but the *C-word * in English is extremely offensive, whereas "con" in French is much less so.
Context is everything, of course, but if you were to laughingly say to a (male) friend "Qu'est-ce que t'es con !", he would probably laugh with you.
In English you would NEVER call someone a C*** if you didn't want your face smashed in!


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## LARSAY

What is the "C-word in Ehnglish ? I nezver heard an English-peaking person saying "You are a con ! " Con" is not translated by "cunt", so I do not understand your intervention, all the more so than I have clearly written that "connasse" is a stronger insult than "con" !


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## trellis

I see in #6 that  Houellebecq refers to a woman as a 'connasse' (which I would translate as 'twat' or 'silly bitch').
On the other hand, I have never heard a man refer to a woman as a 'cunt'. This level of vulgarity is a sport between males..
Is it my imagination, or do these words originate in the Latin 'cunnus'?


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## wildan1

trellis said:


> On the other hand, I have never heard a man refer to a woman as a 'cunt'. This level of vulgarity is a sport between males..


That reflects BE interpretation and usage as I have heard it while in the UK, although Topsie above seems to think otherwise.

This term as used  in AE is only applied as a very vulgar criticism of a female and if directed personally at a woman, it is one of the most highly insulting terms one can use.

No "sport" involved in AE as males do not use it to or about another male.


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## Topsie

Perhaps I wasn't being clear in my post #32
In English "cunt" is one of the worst things you can call someone (male _or _female) - there is nothing funny or affectionate about it.
In French "con"/"conne" can mean anything from a bit silly to a complete cretin...  (for some reason it seems more insulting when directed at a woman!)
The word "connasse", like most words ending in "-asse" is an insult. I wouldn't call a girlfriend (a) "connasse", whereas I _might _just say "Qu'est-ce que tu peux être conne parfois!" - tone of voice being of paramount importance!


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## Nicomon

LARSAY said:


> What is the "C-word in English ?


  Did you click on the link that Topsie provided?


LARSAY said:


> " Con" is not translated by "cunt"


  It is, in its literal meaning of _con = chatte (pussy). _However as an insult,  _cunt = salaud / salope._

As confirmed on this page :  French Translation of “cunt” | Collins English-French Dictionary

There is also this one from the WR dictionary :  cunt - English-French Dictionary WordReference.com
With this added note :  





> _Note_: Many people consider this one of the most offensive words in the English language and never say or speak it, even when referring to it as a word. Instead they refer to it as 'the c-word.'



Lu sur ce fil du forum espagnol - français : Con et connard


> Un con est bête, stupide, voire les deux. Un connard est méchant, en plus [...]
> - On dit souvent: qu'il est con! (qu'il est bête, qu'il est stupide).
> - Mais on ne dit pas: qu'il est connard.
> - On dirait plutôt: quel connard! à la façon de : quel enfoiré!


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