How do you use "Pardon my French" in a sentence?

That meeting was a complete disaster — pardon my French. He's a total jerk, if you'll pardon my French. Pardon my French, but that was the dumbest decision I've ever seen.

Pardon my French

Q: What does "Pardon my French" mean?

Excuse my bad language; sorry for swearing. A humorous apology said before or after using profanity. Jokingly pretends the swear word was actually a French word. Often used to acknowledge that cursing might be inappropriate in the current company.

American Slang Term American ★★★★☆ Common Casual

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Meaning: Excuse my bad language; sorry for swearing.

请原谅我说了粗话；不好意思骂脏话了。

Perdona por el vocabulario; disculpa las palabrotas.

汚い言葉でごめんなさい。悪口を言ってすみません。

험한 말 해서 미안해; 욕해서 죄송.

A humorous apology said before or after using profanity. Jokingly pretends the swear word was actually a French word. Often used to acknowledge that cursing might be inappropriate in the current company.

在说脏话之前或之后的一种幽默式道歉。开玩笑地假装那个脏话其实是法语单词。通常是为了表示在当前场合骂脏话可能不太合适。

Una disculpa humorística que se dice antes o después de usar una palabrota. En broma, finge que la palabra malsonante era en realidad una palabra en francés. Se usa para reconocer que decir tacos puede ser inapropiado delante de ciertas personas.

悪い言葉を使う前後に言うユーモラスな謝罪。汚い言葉が実はフランス語だったと冗談で装う。その場にいる人たちに対して、悪態が不適切かもしれないと認める時によく使われる。

욕설을 사용하기 전이나 후에 하는 유머러스한 사과이다. 욕이 사실은 프랑스어였다고 농담처럼 가장하는 것이다. 현재 함께 있는 사람들 앞에서 욕이 부적절할 수 있음을 인정할 때 자주 사용한다.

Examples

That meeting was a complete disaster — pardon my French.
那个会议简直是一场灾难——恕我直言。
Esa reunión fue un desastre total — con perdón de la expresión.
あの会議は完全に大惨事だったよ——お下品でごめん。
그 회의는 완전 대참사였어 — 말이 거칠어서 미안.
He's a total jerk, if you'll pardon my French.
他真是个混蛋，请原谅我说话粗鲁。
Es un completo imbécil, con perdón.
彼は本当に最低なやつだ、言葉が悪くて申し訳ないけど。
그 사람 진짜 최악이야, 거친 말 해서 미안하지만.
Pardon my French, but that was the dumbest decision I've ever seen.
恕我直言，那是我见过最蠢的决定。
Con perdón, pero esa fue la decisión más estúpida que he visto en mi vida.
お下品でごめんだけど、あれは今まで見た中で一番バカな判断だった。
말이 거칠어서 미안한데, 그건 내가 본 것 중 가장 멍청한 결정이었어.

Pronunciation

Usage Guide

Context: profanity, humor, apologies

Tone: humorous, apologetic

✓ Do Say

Pardon my French.
Pardon my French.
Con perdón de la expresión.
お下品でごめん。
말이 좀 거칠어서 미안.
If you'll pardon my French.
If you'll pardon my French.
Con perdón.
言葉が悪くて申し訳ないけど。
거친 말 좀 해도 될까.

✗ Don't Say

Doesn't really make the profanity any more acceptable.
说了这句话并不能真的让脏话变得更能被接受。
En realidad no hace que la palabrota sea más aceptable.
実際には、この表現を使っても悪い言葉遣いが許されるわけではない。
이 표현을 써도 욕이 더 용납되는 것은 아니다.

Origin & History

Dating back to the 19th century when English speakers would use French words in conversation and apologize to those who didn't understand. The humorous modern usage of pretending profanity is 'French' became popular in 20th-century American English.

Cultural Context

Era: Classic — still current

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Regional notes: All regions