Native French speakers, how bad of a word is "con"?

I request only native French speakers to answer this one, please, because I'm not only asking about the meaning of a word but what French speakers think of it.

I've watched some French movies, and there have been times when "con" was translated in the subtitles to "idiot". But I've also seen it translated to "******". Google Translate suggests all sorts of bad words as a translation.

So, is it an offensive word or just rather strong? Would you say it at work? A job interview? At church? Would you ever hear it in a children's cartoon?

Bonus question, what about "connerie"?

2014-05-19T11:05:52Z

The "******" is supposed to be a certain hole that starts with "a".

?2014-05-19T11:58:36Z

Favorite Answer

It has different meanings but it mostly means idiot. In an informal conversation, it's not really vulgar. But never use it in a job interview. I never set foot in a church but I don't think you would be frowned upon for saying it unless it's about someone in the church or related. You would not hear it used in a child cartoon but you can in a lot of films. For me, as long as it stays in an informal context, it's completly ok. But there are of course people who think differently.

Con can mean stupid :
- Mais il est complètement con ! (This guy is completly stupid)
- Elle est un peu conne sur les bords (She is a little stupid)

It can mean as*hole/jerk (or any generic insult) :
- Quel con ! (What an as*hole! (guy))
- Quel connard ! (Same)
- Quelle conne ! (What an as*hole! (woman))
- Quelle connasse ! (Same)
- Gros/sale con ! (you jerk! This one is insulting)
- Grosse/sale conne! (female version)

It can mean too bad :
- C'est con qu'il pleuve (It's too bad it rains)

It can mean funny :
- Rha t'es trop con ! (Ha, you're so stupid/funny)

It can mean easy :
- C'est tout con en fait (It's actually super easy)

And many other meanings but I can't think of all of them. It's not used in the same way at all but it has the same flexibility than f*ck while being less vulgar.

"Connerie" means stupidness, mistake or bullsh*t and has the same status than con

Betty B2014-05-19T15:27:23Z

You got a good answer from Tangi.
Con/conne, conard/connasse, conneries have many, many different meanings, depending on the context.
That’s the beauty of the French language.

You would not say any of those words in a workplace environment, usually (unless you work on a movie set).
Once I did, as a bank employee, I even shouted it when somebody pissed me off (or should I say "bothered me enough" as to not get asterisks?), adding even more to it and everybody, even the customers froze.
I was forgiven as that guy was really “un petit con” (which really means a big one).

Some expressions are not insults, like saying “c’est trop con” (it’s too bad) not directly at the person to whom you’re talking.

Of course, don’t rely on movie subtitles as I find some translations hilarious, from French movies subtitled in English and vice-versa.

When you learn English and want to know about what “not to say”, you get translations like “ce n’est pas con du tout” translated by “that’s a damn good idea” or “je ne suis pas plus con qu’un autre” translated by “screw it! I’m no dumber than the rest, if they can do it so can I. Or “il a fait le con” translated by “he made an a$* of himself”

I don’t like the US censorship of bad words like replacing the “F-word with fark in movies, or replacing motherf… (I even have to censure myself in here) by motherfather (they used to bleep bad words) and using WTF, annoying asterisks…making foreigners having a hard time learning them.

Once, I was in a group of nice American ladies to learn English and for them to practice their French.
The first hour, we would talk one language and the second hour the other one, correcting each other.
I asked what the “C-word” was and I think the American ladies’ jaws dropped.
They could not even say it (out of context, just so I would know), they could not even write it.

?2016-11-11T08:49:32Z

Bad Word In French