# enfant roi



## Sandraille

Hi there,

how would you translate "enfant roi" in English? I can't seem to find a similar expresssion in my numerous (but sometimes useless) dictionaries!!

"A spoilt child" wouldn't be strong enough, as "un enfant roi" is really a king at home, ruling over his family.

Thanks for helping me out.


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## dohnut

I understand that _l'enfant roi _is a stubborn child who always gets his way - in which case I would say they are a "spoilt brat!"


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## petitsfilous

Yes, I agree with 'spoilt brat'


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## Cath.S.

petitsfilous said:


> Yes, I agree with 'spoilt brat'


I don't. 
Spoilt brat is very derogatory while _enfant roi_ isn't overtly so.
I suggest you keep the image and use king child, Sandraille.


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## Sandraille

Thanks everyone,

I tend to picture a *spoilt brat* throwing tantrums to get what he wants until his parents give in.

Whereas *"un enfant roi"* is a child whose parents are overprotective. Their whole world turns around their child (which can lead the kid to be a brat as well, unfortunately!!).

So, if there's no way of saying that in English I'll stick to *king child*, then.

Thanks again.


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## watergirl

I think I might use "little emperor" or the "little lord of the manor" but I freely admit neither one is as zingy or as fixed an expression as the wonderful "enfant roi"....


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## Franglais1969

I think "mollycoddled" would be a good adjective to describe "un enfant roi."

It fits in with the description Sandraille gave:

A mollycoddled child.


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## Cath.S.

Franglais1969 said:


> I think "mollycoddled" would be a good adjective to describe "un enfant roi."
> 
> It fits in with the description Sandraille gave:
> 
> A mollycoddled child.


That's a wonderful word, Franglais!


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## Franglais1969

egueule said:


> That's a wonderful word, Franglais!


 
Merci.


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## Venusia

watergirl said:


> I think I might use "little emperor" or the "little lord of the manor" but I freely admit neither one is as zingy or as fixed an expression as the wonderful "enfant roi"....


 
_Little emperor_ is what is used in China to describe the only child (b/c of government policy) who has 2 parents and 4 grandparents at his beck and call, and is thus quite spoilt.

Mollycoddled means overprotected and doesn't have the ruler of the roost connotation of enfant-roi.


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## Franglais1969

Venusia, I selected that word "mollycoddled" because "enfant roi" was defined thus:

*"un enfant roi"* is a child whose parents are overprotective. Their whole world turns around their child


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## Venusia

In that context your suggestion makes sense, Franglais.

However, I disagree with the definition of enfant-roi as solely overprotected. An enfant-roi is one step away from an enfant-tyran; the line of authority between parents and child are blurred.


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## dohnut

Venusia said:


> Mollycoddled means overprotected and doesn't have the ruler of the roost connotation of enfant-roi.



In which case maybe its the child that wears the trousers


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## Cath.S.

Venusia said:


> In that context your suggestion makes sense, Franglais.
> 
> However, I disagree with the definition of enfant-roi as solely overprotected. An enfant-roi is one step away from an enfant-tyran; the line of authority between parents and child are blurred.


" An enfant-roi is one step away from an enfant-tyran"
That's from a book title, isn't it, Venusia? 
I agree it is a clever title, but I'm afraid that's all it is. Un enfant roi means a pampered child, whose parents treat him like a king, a fussed over child. I still think Franglais's translation is very apt. Do you have a suggestion yourself?


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## Franglais1969

egueule said:


> " An enfant-roi is one step away from an enfant-tyran"
> That's from a book title, isn't it, Venusia?
> I agree it is a clever title, but I'm afraid that's all it is. Un enfant roi means a pampered child, whose parents treat him like a king, a fussed over child. I still think Franglais's translation is very apt. Do you have a suggestion yourself?


 
Pas seulement une déesse, elle est chevalier en plus! MDR


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## Venusia

Is it, egueule?  I did a google search and the term popped up many times, but I didn't know it stemmed from a book.  I was trying to find a French version of little emperor, which I still think is most fitting (see my post no. 10).


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## Monsieur Hoole

il y a aussi le terme:

golden child 

M.H.


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## dohnut

hmmm, a child that can do no wrong - peut-être


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## jemappellekelly

Monsieur Hoole said:


> golden child


 
My boyfriend's siblings call him "the golden boy", because he really can do no wrong in his parents' eyes. Oddly, I've never heard the phrase "golden girl", but that might be because of the television show _Golden Girls_.

Est-ce qu'on dit toujours "enfant roi" si on parle d'une fille? Est-ce que l'expression "enfant reine" existe?


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## Cath.S.

jemappellekelly said:


> Est-ce qu'on dit toujours "enfant roi" si on parle d'une fille? Est-ce que l'expression "enfant reine" existe?


Bonne question, Kelly. Je n'ai jamais entendu _enfant-reine_, probablement parce qu'enfant signifie child en général, garçons et filles, mais est un nom masculin - dans la plupart des cas ; on dit parfois _une enfant_ en parlant d'une petite fille mais c'est de plus en plus rare, plutôt poétique aussi à ma connaissance.


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## dohnut

It seems the actual definition for golden boy is "_a man who is unusually successful at an early age_".  Not what I would use the term for.


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## Qcumber

Yes, or *little king*. The expression is used in many languages, e.g. Chinese siao wang.


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## Sandraille

I can see you did a lot of thinking on that one.
Thank you, I appreciate it.


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## maxlee

For a girl it would be "princess"


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## Kelly B

My favorite so far is watergirl's _little emperor._


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## little_squeakers

maxlee said:


> For a girl it would be "princess"



Yeah then in this case you could also use prince for a male.


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## little_squeakers

I just thought of another one.  I watch cartoons all the time.  What about young master.


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## Imza

Now I know your discussion is a bit old, but I needed a translation for *"enfant roi"* myself and I was wondering if anyone else has heard of *"little pacha"*. In my mind it's a pretty good equivalent because I think that a _Pacha _(or Pasha) is from the Persian word (Persian or somewhere that conjures up a beautiful and exotic picture to me)for _King_, and is someone who deserves honor... So to call a child a _little pacha_ would be to put him on a pedestal, no matter his behaviour (spoilt brat or not).

So I like this translation... But I've been having my doubts as to whether I've heard it in English or in French? I may just have automatically translated it . 

So... has anyone heard this in English before?


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## Pedro y La Torre

I haven't heard it before, and to be honest if I didn't know something about Turkey (Pasha being the Ottoman word for a Lord), I probably wouldn't understand it.
That said, knowing what it means, it certainly seems as a good a translation as any other. Unless leaving it untranslated (which is what I'd be inclined to do), I'd say ''little emperor'' is still the best bet though.


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## Imza

Pedro y La Torre said:


> I haven't heard it before, and to be honest if I didn't know something about Turkey (Pasha being the Ottoman word for a Lord), I probably wouldn't understand it.
> That said, knowing what it means, it certainly seems as a good a translation as any other. Unless leaving it untranslated (which is what I'd be inclined to do), I'd say ''little emperor'' is still the best bet though.


 
thanks for the feedback Pedro y La Torre, I'll stick with the "little emperor" then ... It's no good liking a word if no-one else knows what I'm talking about! Thanks again!


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## Keith Bradford

Don't use _king child_ - it would be meaningless. _Little emperor_ would be understood, though hardly current. Perhaps _*blue-eyed boy*_ as a polite way of saying _spoilt brat_?


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## Cath.S.

Imza said:


> Now I know your discussion is a bit old, but I needed a translation for *"enfant roi"* myself and I was wondering if anyone else has heard of *"little pacha"*. In my mind it's a pretty good equivalent because I think that a _Pacha _(or Pasha) is from the Persian word (Persian or somewhere that conjures up a beautiful and exotic picture to me)for _King_, and is someone who deserves honor... So to call a child a _little pacha_ would be to put him on a pedestal, no matter his behaviour (spoilt brat or not).
> 
> So I like this translation... But I've been having my doubts as to whether I've heard it in English or in French? I may just have automatically translated it .
> 
> So... has anyone heard this in English before?


En anglais, non, mais en français, oui, quoique je ne l'aie pas entendu depuis un bout de temps.


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## Nicomon

Hello,

This probably isn't the solution, but I wonder if "_child king_" - built on the same pattern as "_little king/emperor_" - wouldn't work better than "_king child_"? 

As a side note, I've always heard _spoiled brat_, as opposed to _spoilt brat._ So I wondered if it was a BE/AE difference?  

Thought I'd share the answer I found on this page:


> American English uses the form *spoiled* as the past tense and past participle. British English uses either *spoiled* or *spoilt.*


 
I thought of "_little prince_" but then, I assume we'd immediately think of Saint-Exupery's « _Le Petit Prince_ ».


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## L'irlandais

Imza said:


> ...So I like this translation... But I've been having my doubts as to whether I've heard it in English or in French? I may just have automatically translated it .
> 
> So... has anyone heard this in English before?


Hello Imza,
I would like to suggest "Little Lord Fauntleroy" as a translation of "enfant roi".  (From an 1980 Film - UK)
However while I hadn't heard "little  Pasha".before, I do think you idea the best option.


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