# Je suis un âne



## lmhelp

Hi,

Would you know how to translate:
"Je suis un âne"
in English.

I thought about "I am dumb".
What do you think about that?

Thanks and regards,
--
Lmhelp


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## wildan1

You could actually say _I am an ass_ (or_ jackass)_, or _I am a fool_

_I am dumb_ sounds more like _Je suis bête_ (close but not exactly the same)


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## lmhelp

Hi,

Thank you for your quick answer.
I would prefer "I am a fool".
The other one is a bit too familiar no?

Thanks and regards,
--
Lmhelp


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## miyamoto.musashi

I'm so silly.


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## wildan1

lmhelp said:


> Hi,
> 
> Thank you for your quick answer.
> I would prefer "I am a fool".
> The other one is a bit too familiar no?
> 
> Thanks and regards,
> --
> Lmhelp


 
You are right that _ass/jackass_ sounds more insulting than _fool--_but as a self-insult, maybe that is less problematic...


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## Keith Bradford

_I am dumb_ could be misunderstood in writing - it does mean "_je suis muet_" after all.
I'd go for _*I am a fool / I am an idiot.*_


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## Míde

In Ireland we would say "I'm such an eejit!" or "I am so thick!" but a universal phrase that would work is "I am so stupid".  The "So" softens the self inflicted insult and shows there is a sense of humour behind what you are saying.


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## roi2verlan

If you use "jackass", understand that it not only implies being dumb, but doing dumb things as well. I personally like the sentence "I'm such a jackass", but the register is certainly a bit lower.


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## Míde

"Jackass" is also very American, not universally used.


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## lmhelp

eejit! What a strange word!
It is Irish but what is that?
Is it a kind of animal?

And jackass is close to ass, no?
So very familiar...

Thank you for your answers.
Sincerely,
--
Lmhelp


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## ledudu33

May be you could say "I'm nuts"?

Not sure, if a native could confirm, or disapprove!!!


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## wildan1

ledudu33 said:


> May be you could say "I'm nuts"?
> 
> Not sure, if a native could confirm, or disapprove!!!


 
That's more like _je suis dingue_ -- it might fit or not, depending on your situation.


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## roi2verlan

I'm nuts = Je suis fou 

Not exactly the same thing...


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## Míde

"Eejit" veut dire un peu bete(excusez-moi- clavier anglais).  C'est un mot anglais mais utilise en Irlande surtout(l'Ecosse aussi je pense).

De toute facon, la traduction qui vous echappe est "I'm so stupid" pas "I'm nuts"


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## juliobenjimino

I would suggest 'I'm an idiot'.

Not as strong as 'stupid', or as American as 'ass/jackass' - we don't use those words in the UK, but they are common currency in the US.

Vive la difference 

PS 'eejit' is the irish version of 'idiot', n'est-ce pas?


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## roi2verlan

juliobenjimino said:


> I would suggest 'I'm an idiot'. Not as strong as 'stupid'


 
Really? Idiot and stupid are pretty much the same to me, but if I had to say one was stronger I would actually opt for "idiot".

Comme tu dis, vive les différences!


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## Pedro y La Torre

lmhelp said:


> eejit! What a strange word!
> It is Irish but what is that?
> Is it a kind of animal?



Not at all. It comes from the way idiot is/was pronounced by Hiberno-English speakers, over time it has morphed into its own word.
In Ireland you might also hear "amadan" as well, amadán being the Gaelic word for idiot/fool.



juliobenjimino said:


> PS 'eejit' is the irish version of 'idiot', n'est-ce pas?



Yes, but it's usually much less strong.


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## lmhelp

Do you think we can use "eejit" with any English speeking interlocutor
and be understood?

Is it pronounced like "Egypt" without the "p" at the end?

All the best,
--
Lmhelp


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## Momerath

I would say "I'm such an idiot!", bits of which have already been suggested.  Statements like "I'm an idiot/fool/stupid etc." sound less like exclamations and more like opinions about oneself.


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## Keith Bradford

Most people in Britain would understand _eejit_, but only the Irish would use it. It's really the same word as _idiot_, just a matter of pronunciation. Imhelp's description of the pronunciation is correct.

As Momerath says, the intonation is important.  _Oh, I am a fool_ is also possible.


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## Pedro y La Torre

lmhelp said:


> Do you think we can use "eejit" with any English speeking interlocutor
> and be understood?



I presume so. You can certainly use it with any Irish person in any case.



lmhelp said:


> Is it pronounced like "Egypt" without the "p" at the end?




The same E sound as in Egypt, with "jit" following.


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## Arrius

*'ass/jackass' - we don't use those words in the UK*, *juliobenjimino*

You're right about *jackass,* which is American and as unlikely as_ burro_ in BE, but *ass *is very British in the sense of _(silly) donkey,_ and smacks of a higher social register, e.g. the frequently heard "_The Law's an ass"._ However, I have never understood how they got this reputation (cf the derogatory adjective _asinine_), as the way they occasionally go on strike seems to indicate intelligence.
My suggestion:* Oh dear, what a daft thing for me to do!*


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## Momerath

I personally would not understand "eejit", although I've known many Irish people quite well. I suspect that its currency is extremely limited.


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## akaAJ

"Ass" = "donkey" => "fool".  USE would use "jackass" (male donkey) because USE "ass" also = BE "arse".


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## Arrius

*ass* in BE is mostly pronounced with a soft A as in cat but may also be pronounced with a long open a as in car, depending on region and social class. If Prince Philip were to call his son Charles a silly ass (as no doubt he has done on numerous occasions), I am confident that he would pronounce it /ɑ:s/, i.e identical to _arse._


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## Momerath

Arrius said:


> *ass* in BE is mostly pronounced with a soft A as in cat but may also be pronounced with a long open a as in car, depending on region and social class. If Prince Philip were to call his son Charles a silly ass (as no doubt he has done on numerous occasions), I am confident that he would pronounce it /ɑ:s/, i.e identical to _arse._



Quite right. French dubbing translators take note! In Blackadder 4, for example, General Melchett would frequently refer to somebody as a "silly ass" (pronounced arse), meaning "silly fool", and it would invariably be translated as "trou du cul".


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## franc 91

How about - I've been a complete fool ( that's when he's realised what he's just done) 
....


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## roi2verlan

I've only encountered "eejit" once or twice in the States and it was always in an Irish pub...I seriously doubt your average joe (in the US) would understand it. I certainly had no clue what it meant until I asked.


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## mungolina

As an English English-language speaker, my natural phrase would probably be 'I'm such an idiot!' - but I would equally use 'I'm so daft', or silly or dumb. Stupid is indeed, to my ears, stronger than silly; if I were to use fool in this phrase, then to me it would carry the conotation of having been duped (fooled) by something/someone.

However, I must say - I havn't heard anyone French say 'je suis un âne' - so, it is possible that if we want to give a good translation that fits the contextual style, we may need to say 'I am an ass'. Any more context available, please?


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## Chimel

mungolina said:


> However, I must say - I havn't heard anyone French say 'je suis un âne' - so, it is possible that if we want to give a good translation that fits the contextual style, we may need to say 'I am an ass'. Any more context available, please?


It's something you can say before admitting you made a mistake, you didn't understand something, you didn't succeed in doing an easy thing...
"Excuse-moi, je suis un âne: je n'ai pas réussi à mettre en marche cet appareil".

So actually you don't mean it (who thinks he or she is stupid?), but you say it yourself before the other one says or perhaps thinks so (the same way some people might say "I'm not a racist, but..." ).


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## mungolina

Thanks Chimel - as I say, I've not heard it used, but I would translate your example as "Excuse me, I'm sure I'm being stupid/dumb, but I can't get this machine to work."


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## amberleena

Another possibility I haven't seen.  "I am a moron"

Also, everyone I know is familiar with the term "idget" which I assume comes from "eejit".  It is said as digit sans the first d.


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## Míde

Chimel said:


> It's something you can say before admitting you made a mistake, you didn't understand something, you didn't succeed in doing an easy thing...
> "Excuse-moi, je suis un âne: je n'ai pas réussi à mettre en marche cet appareil".
> 
> So actually you don't mean it (who thinks he or she is stupid?), but you say it yourself before the other one says or perhaps thinks so (the same way some people might say "I'm not a racist, but..." ).


Do the French admit to making mistakes?  Just a  joke (with a poke)

"Moron" would be way too strong in my opinion
I'm so stupid(in Great Britain, Ireland or Australia) and I'm so Dumb (in the U.S. and Canada).


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## Arrius

From a recent comment in a blog on the John Malkovich film "In Tranzit" (sic) on the IMDb website. The writer would appear to be American:

You did not even get what this movie is about in the first place. 
Go on hating everyone and rot on your couch. 
(but please shut up while doing it,* eejit.)*


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## windsmith

lmhelp said:


> Do you think we can use "eejit" with any English speeking interlocutor
> and be understood?
> 
> Is it pronounced like "Egypt" without the "p" at the end?
> 
> All the best,
> --
> Lmhelp



I may hereby risk placing too much attention on variations of the word 'idiot', however I just can't resist pointing out that in the northeastern U.S., I've heard 'ijit' (pronounced exactly like the word 'digit' only without the 'd'), which is widely understood to mean 'idiot'.  It is often preceded by some slang and/or vulgar intensifier, e.g. "_i can't believe that guy .. what a freakin' ijit!_"  
'Ijit' is very much a slang type of pronunciation; I can't conceive of anybody actually using it in writing.


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## Pedro y La Torre

windsmith said:


> I may hereby risk placing too much attention on variations of the word 'idiot', however I just can't resist pointing out that in the northeastern U.S., I've heard 'ijit' (pronounced exactly like the word 'digit' only without the 'd'), which is widely understood to mean 'idiot'.  It is often preceded by some slang and/or vulgar intensifier, e.g. "_i can't believe that guy .. what a freakin' ijit!_"
> 'Ijit' is very much a slang type of pronunciation; I can't conceive of anybody actually using it in writing.



That's interesting.


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## lucas-sp

windsmith said:


> I can't conceive of anybody actually using it in writing.


You may be surprised, then, to find:





> Aunt Polly, recalled from her happy thoughts by the plaint, put down her pipe and asked kindly: "Why, honey, did I call you a _ijit_?"
> "Yes'm, you did," whimpered Liz. "You called me a plumb _ijit_." (http://books.google.com/books?id=t0...BQ&ved=0CEMQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=ijit&f=false)


There are more. You can also find the spelling "idjit":





> I decide quick: I step out and fire. well over the _idjit's_ head but not so well that he don't feel a little breeze l'rom the pellets. (http://books.google.com/books?id=uL7WscJdbUYC&pg=PA105&dq=idjit&hl=en&sa=X&ei=M4zsT8VGxKytAcL7peYF&ved=0CFUQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=idjit&f=false)


Here you have examples in which "ijit" is considered dialect pronunciation in Black American speech, and Southern American speech in general. I would suggest that it's more American to say it with a short i-sound rather than a long e-sound.


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## sound shift

My father would say, "I'm (such a) mug."


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## windsmith

very interesting.  

I noticed that the author of the book that you provided a link to happens to be from the northeastern U.S.  (Poughkeepsie, NY and New England) and the setting of at least part of her book is apparently New Jersey.  These facts seem to corroborate my earlier statement about having heard "ijit" in that region.  

thanks for sharing!


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## brookter

Other suggestions: 
"I'm such a muppet." 
"I'm so thick."
"I'm such a thickie/thicko."

And my new personal favourite (adapted from a football commentary I heard last week): "If brains were petrol, I'd never get out of the garage."

Yes, I know it doesn't really fit here: I just like the expression!


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