Meanings
present singular third person pardons my French · participle present pardoning my French · participle past pardoned my French · past pardoned my French
- humorousidiomaticintransitiveoftenTo excuse the speaker's frankness of expression or profanity.
That computer is a worthless piece of shit, if you’ll pardon my French.
3 more examples
'Have you been in England long?' / 'A damned sight too long—if you'll pardon my French,' she answered.
1960, Diana Holman-Hunt, chapter 6, in My Grandmothers and I, London: Hamish Hamilton, published 1988, →ISBN, page 162Pardon my French, but Cameron is so tight that if you stuck a lump of coal up his ass, in two weeks you'd have a diamond.
1986 June 11, John Hughes, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, spoken by Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick)Look, now it's the dolly, not Parton / But pardon my French / Give no fucks about no nigga / Give no fucks about no bitch
2018 July 16, “Check”, in The Vault, performed by Kash Doll [pseudonym; Arkeisha Antoinette Knight]Synonyms: excuse my français, excuse my French, forgive my French, pardon mon français, pardon my français, pardonnez mon français, pardonnez my French
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo excuse the speaker's frankness of expression or profanity.
Origin
From the use of French to mean “vulgar language”, ostensibly because the words used are not in English.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic لَا تُؤَاخِذْنِي, أَسْتَمِيحُكَ عُذْرًا
- لَا تُؤَاخِذْنِي (lā tuʔāḵiḏnī)to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- أَسْتَمِيحُكَ عُذْرًا (ʔastamīḥuka ʕuḏran)to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- اُعْذُرْنِي (uʕḏurnī)to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
Danish undskyld mit franske, undskyld sproget
- undskyld mit fransketo excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- undskyld sprogetto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
Finnish anteeksi kielenkäyttöni
- anteeksi kielenkäyttönito excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
French passez-moi l'expression
- passez-moi l'expressionto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
German auf Deutsch gesagt, auf gut Deutsch
- auf Deutsch gesagtto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- auf gut Deutschto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- entschuldigen Sie meine Ausdrucksweiseto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- mit Verlaubto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- verzeihen Sie den Ausdruckto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- wenn Sie den Ausdruck erlaubento excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- wenn ich offen sprechen darfto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
Greek συγγνώμη για τα γαλλικά μου!
- συγγνώμη για τα γαλλικά μου! (syngnómi gia ta galliká mou!)to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
Hungarian bocsásson meg a világ, ha szabad így kifejeznem magam
- bocsásson meg a világto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- ha szabad így kifejeznem magamto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- ha szabad így mondanomto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- már bocsánatto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- már elnézéstto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
Italian scusate il francesismo, con rispetto parlando
- scusate il francesismoto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- con rispetto parlandoto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- mi si passi l'espressioneto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
Japanese 下品な言い方で恐縮だけど…
- 下品な言い方で恐縮だけど… (gehin na iikata de kyōshuku da kedo …)to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
Norwegian unnskyld språket mitt
- unnskyld språket mittto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
Polish za przeproszeniem, z przeproszeniem
- za przeproszeniemto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- z przeproszeniemto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
Portuguese com o perdão da palavra, desculpa o palavreado
- com o perdão da palavrato excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- desculpa o palavreadoto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
Romanian scuză-mi limbajul, scuzați-mi limbajul
- scuză-mi limbajulto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- scuzați-mi limbajulto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
Russian извини́те за мо́й францу́зский, извини́те за выраже́ние
- извини́те за мо́й францу́зский (izviníte za mój francúzskij)to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- извини́те за выраже́ние (izviníte za vyražénije)to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
Spanish perdona mis garabatos, perdona mi francés
- perdona mis garabatosto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
- perdona mi francésto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
Swahili ashakum
- ashakumto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
Swedish ursäkta språket
- ursäkta språketto excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
Ukrainian вибачте за мою французьку
- вибачте за мою французьку (vybačte za moju francuzʹku)to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with pardon my French
Cite this entry
pardon my French. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pardon%20my%20French
“pardon my French.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pardon%20my%20French. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pardon my French,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pardon%20my%20French.
Source: pardon my French on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.