While 'ennuyé' (or 'je m'ennuie' for 'I'm bored') is the most common way to express boredom in French, there are many other nuanced expressions. As you learn French, you'll undoubtedly encounter situations where you need to describe this feeling, perhaps with a bit more flair or specificity than a simple 'I'm bored'. Let's explore 9 different ways to say 'bored' (and similar sentiments) in French, helping you express yourself like a native speaker!

The standard 'bored' – ennuyé/ennuyée

Ennuyé(e) is the most common and direct way to say 'bored' in French, functioning as an adjective.

As an adjective, ennuyé(e) must agree in gender and number with the subject it describes. You'll see it as: ennuyé - masculine singular (e.g., Il est ennuyé. - He is bored.) ennuyée - feminine singular (e.g., Elle est ennuyée. - She is bored.) ennuyés - masculine plural or mixed group (e.g., Ils sont ennuyés. - They are bored.) ennuyées - feminine plural (e.g., Elles sont ennuyées. - They are bored.)

You use ennuyé(e) directly after a form of être (to be) to express a state of boredom, similar to 'I am bored' in English. For example, Je suis ennuyé(e) (I am bored).

While ennuyé(e) is an adjective, the concept of 'being bored' or 'getting bored' is very frequently expressed using the reflexive verb s'ennuyer. This verb literally means 'to bore oneself'.

It's crucial to distinguish s'ennuyer (to be/get bored) from the non-reflexive verb ennuyer (to bore someone or to annoy/trouble someone). The adjective ennuyé(e) is the past participle of ennuyer and describes the state of being bored.

Use the adjective ennuyé(e) when you want to describe someone's current state of being bored. For example, Les enfants sont ennuyés par le film (The children are bored by the film).

Use s'ennuyer to express the action of getting bored or the ongoing state of being bored. For instance, Je m'ennuie (I'm bored/I'm getting bored) or Ils s'ennuient pendant les vacances (They get bored during the holidays).

Use the transitive verb ennuyer when something or someone bores or annoys another person. For example, Ce livre m'ennuie (This book bores me) or Tu m'ennuies avec tes plaintes (You bore/annoy me with your complaints).

You might also encounter other expressions related to boredom, such as s'ennuyer à mourir (to be bored to death) or un ennui (boredom as a noun, a nuisance, a problem).

💡 * Je suis ennuyée par cette conférence. (I am bored by this conference.)

Les étudiants étaient ennuyés pendant le cours. (The students were bored during the class.)

Elle s'ennuie souvent le dimanche. (She often gets bored on Sundays.)

Ce livre m'ennuie beaucoup. (This book bores me a lot.)

Nous nous sommes ennuyés à la fête hier soir. (We were bored at the party last night.)

The common 'I am bored' – je m'ennuie

When you want to express the feeling of 'I am bored' in French, the most common and direct phrase you'll hear and use is je m'ennuie. This phrase comes from the reflexive verb s'ennuyer, which means 'to bore oneself' or 'to get bored'.

The key to understanding je m'ennuie is recognizing its reflexive nature. The verb s'ennuyer literally translates to 'to bore oneself.' This is different from the non-reflexive verb ennuyer, which means 'to bore someone else' or 'to bother/annoy someone'.

Here's how s'ennuyer is conjugated in the present tense, showing how the reflexive pronoun changes with the subject:Je m'ennuie (I am bored)Tu t'ennuies (You are bored)Il/Elle/On s'ennuie (He/She/One is bored)Nous nous ennuyons (We are bored)Vous vous ennuyez (You are bored - plural/formal)Ils/Elles s'ennuient (They are bored)

You'll use je m'ennuie in a variety of everyday situations where you lack stimulation or interest. For example, if you're waiting for a long time, watching a dull presentation, or simply have nothing to do on a rainy afternoon, this is the perfect phrase to convey your state of mind.

It's important to differentiate je m'ennuie (I am bored) from phrases using the non-reflexive ennuyer. For instance, if you want to say 'This movie bores me,' you would use Ce film m'ennuie. Here, the movie is the subject doing the boring, and 'me' is the direct object being bored. With je m'ennuie, the subject is both the one doing the action and receiving it.

While often translated simply as 'I am bored,' s'ennuyer can carry a deeper nuance in French, sometimes implying a sense of loneliness, idleness, or even mild melancholy due to a lack of meaningful activity or company. It's more than just a passing feeling; it's a state of being.

💡 * Je m'ennuie à mourir. (I'm bored to death.)

Tu t'ennuies souvent quand tu es seul ? (Do you often get bored when you're alone?)

Pendant les vacances, nous nous sommes ennuyés sans nos amis. (During the holidays, we got bored without our friends.)

Ce film m'ennuie. (This movie bores me.)

Elle s'ennuie au travail. (She gets bored at work.)

The 'weary' or 'fed up' – lassé/lassée

The French adjective lassé (masculine singular) or lassée (feminine singular) translates to 'weary,' 'tired of,' or 'fed up with' in English. It describes a state of mental or emotional exhaustion, often due to repetition or annoyance.

As an adjective, lassé must agree in gender and number with the noun or pronoun it modifies. So you'll encounter: lassé (masculine singular), lassée (feminine singular), lassés (masculine plural), and lassées (feminine plural).

It is almost always used with the verb être (to be) to express a state of being weary or fed up. For example, Je suis lassé (I am weary/fed up).

When you want to specify what someone is tired of or fed up with, lassé/lassée is consistently followed by the preposition de (of/with). For instance, Elle est lassée de son travail (She is fed up with her job).

While lassé can mean generally 'weary' or 'tired' (often in a more profound, mental sense than fatigué), its stronger and more common connotation is 'fed up,' implying annoyance, boredom, or exasperation with a situation, activity, or person.

💡 * Il est lassé de toujours faire la même chose. (He is fed up with always doing the same thing.)* Elle semblait lassée par la conversation. (She seemed weary of the conversation.)* Nous sommes lassés de ces retards constants. (We are fed up with these constant delays.)* Après une longue journée, je suis complètement lassée. (After a long day, I am completely weary/tired.)* Les enfants étaient lassés d'attendre. (The children were tired/fed up of waiting.)

The 'jaded' or 'unimpressed' – blasé/blasée

The 'jaded' or 'unimpressed' – blasé/blasée

Blasé (masculine) and blasée (feminine) are French adjectives used to describe someone who is 'jaded,' 'unimpressed,' or 'indifferent due to excessive exposure or experience.'

It conveys a sense of having 'been there, done that,' leading to a lack of enthusiasm or surprise, often implying a certain world-weariness or sophistication.

Like all French adjectives, blasé changes its ending to agree with the gender of the noun it describes: blasé for masculine singular, and blasée for feminine singular.

💡 * Il est complètement blasé par les films d'action. (He's completely jaded by action movies.)

Elle a l'air blasée, rien ne l'impressionne. (She looks unimpressed, nothing fazes her.)

Après tant de voyages, il est devenu un peu blasé. (After so many trips, he's become a bit jaded.)

Ne sois pas si blasée, c'est une opportunité incroyable ! (Don't be so unimpressed, it's an incredible opportunity!)

The 'idle' or 'with nothing to do' – désœuvré/désœuvrée

The 'idle' or 'with nothing to do' – désœuvré/désœuvrée

Désœuvré (masculine) or désœuvrée (feminine) is an adjective used to describe someone who is idle, unoccupied, or has nothing to do.

Beyond simply being 'not busy,' désœuvré carries a connotation of feeling a bit lost, bored, or without a clear purpose or activity. It suggests a state of idleness that can lead to ennui.

As an adjective, désœuvré must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Use désœuvré for masculine singular, désœuvrée for feminine singular, désœuvrés for masculine plural, and désœuvrées for feminine plural.

This term is generally used in a slightly formal or literary context, though it can appear in everyday speech to describe someone who is visibly bored or has too much free time on their hands, often implying a negative state.

To avoid being désœuvré, one might seek out hobbies, tasks, or social engagements. It's the opposite of being actively engaged or busy with meaningful work.

💡 *Il se sentait désœuvré pendant les vacances. (He felt idle/with nothing to do during the holidays.)
*Elle passe ses journées désœuvrée depuis qu'elle a perdu son emploi. (She spends her days idle/with nothing to do since she lost her job.)
*Les jeunes désœuvrés traînaient dans la rue. (The idle/unoccupied young people were hanging out in the street.)
*Ne restez pas désœuvrés, trouvez quelque chose à faire ! (Don't stay idle, find something to do!)

The 'bored to death' – s'ennuyer à mourir

The expression s'ennuyer à mourir literally translates to “to bore oneself to death” and is the perfect French equivalent for “bored to death” or “bored out of one's mind.”

It uses the reflexive verb s'ennuyer (to get bored/to bore oneself), which means you need to conjugate it with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se). The phrase à mourir (to die) acts as an intensifier, similar to how we use “to death” in English.

You can use s'ennuyer à mourir in various situations where boredom is extreme. Whether it's a long, dull meeting, a rainy day stuck indoors, or a particularly uninteresting lecture, this expression conveys a strong sense of exasperation due to lack of stimulation.

Remember to conjugate s'ennuyer according to the subject. For example, “I am bored to death” is Je m'ennuie à mourir, and “They are bored to death” is Ils s'ennuient à mourir.

💡 *Je m'ennuie à mourir devant ce film. (I'm bored to death watching this movie.)
*Pendant les vacances, les enfants s'ennuyaient à mourir. (During the holidays, the children were bored to death.)
*Ce cours est tellement long, je crois que je vais m'ennuyer à mourir. (This class is so long, I think I'm going to be bored to death.)
*Elle s'ennuie à mourir quand elle est seule. (She gets bored to death when she's alone.)

The 'bored stiff' – s'ennuyer comme un rat mort

The French expression s'ennuyer comme un rat mort literally translates to 'to be bored like a dead rat'. This vivid idiom is a popular way to describe a profound state of boredom.

While the literal translation is quite morbid, the phrase is used to describe feeling utterly lifeless, without anything to do, and extremely unengaged. It's the equivalent of being 'bored stiff' or 'bored to death' in English.

This is a strong, informal way to express a high degree of boredom, far beyond just being a little bored. You would use it when you're truly desperate for something to occupy your time or attention, emphasizing the intensity of your lack of interest or activity.

💡 * Je m'ennuie comme un rat mort ici sans rien faire. (I'm bored stiff here doing nothing.)

Le film était tellement long, je me suis ennuyé comme un rat mort. (The movie was so long, I was bored to death.)

Quand il pleut tout le week-end, les enfants s'ennuient comme des rats morts à la maison. (When it rains all weekend, the kids are bored stiff at home.)

Elle déteste les réunions d'affaires, elle s'y ennuie toujours comme un rat mort. (She hates business meetings, she's always bored stiff there.)

The exclamation 'how boring!' or 'what a drag!' – la barbe !

The exclamation la barbe ! is a wonderfully informal and expressive way in French to declare something is incredibly boring or a complete drag.

Literally translating to 'the beard!', this phrase is used to convey a strong sense of tedium or annoyance, equivalent to 'how boring!' or 'what a bore!' in English.

The imagery behind la barbe ! is thought to come from the idea of a beard growing long while one is waiting or enduring something incredibly monotonous. It's an old-fashioned yet still common expression.

You'll often hear this phrase in casual conversations among friends or family when someone wants to express their exasperation with a dull situation or task.

💡 *Ce film est vraiment long, la barbe ! (This movie is really long, what a drag!)
*Encore une réunion sur le budget ? La barbe ! (Another meeting about the budget? How boring!)
*Il pleut tout le temps, la barbe ! (It's raining all the time, what a drag!)
*Faire la vaisselle tous les soirs, la barbe ! (Doing the dishes every night, how boring!)

1. The expression 'it's boring' or 'it's tedious' – c'est barbant

The French expression c'est barbant is a common and informal way to say 'it's boring' or 'it's tedious.' It describes something that is dull, uninteresting, or tiresome, often implying a sense of annoyance or weariness.

While c'est ennuyeux is a more standard and universally accepted way to express boredom, c'est barbant carries a more colloquial, slightly stronger, and often more exasperated tone. It's typically used in casual conversations among friends or family, rather than in formal settings.

The word barbant comes from the French noun barbe (beard). The idea behind it is that something is so boring or lengthy that you could grow a beard while enduring it. This imagery highlights the tedious and drawn-out nature of what is being described.

Closely related is the verb barber, which means 'to bore' or 'to annoy' someone. For example, Tu me barbes! translates to 'You're boring me!' or 'You're annoying me!' It's a strong, informal way to express exasperation.

💡 * Ce film est vraiment barbant, je n'en peux plus. (This movie is really boring, I can't take it anymore.)

Le cours d'histoire était un peu barbant aujourd'hui. (The history class was a bit tedious today.)

Ces réunions sont toujours barbantes. (These meetings are always boring.)

Il trouve que faire la vaisselle est barbant. (He finds washing dishes tedious.)

Ne me barbez pas avec vos histoires! (Don't bore me with your stories!)

Are there other ways to say 'bored' in French?

Our list features the most common ways to express 'bored' in French. However, the French language, like any other, is rich with nuances, including regional expressions, slang, and more formal terms that convey different shades of boredom.

To dive deeper, you can perform an online search for 'comment dire ennuyé en ___' followed by a specific Francophone country or region to discover local variations.

As you explore, you might find interesting synonyms for ennuyé or s'ennuyer. Always make sure to check a word’s definition and observe its usage in context before incorporating it into your vocabulary.

Immerse yourself by reading, watching, and listening to French media. You'll naturally encounter different expressions for feeling bored, which will enrich your understanding and usage.

For a comprehensive look at ennuyer and related terms, the WordReference entry for ennuyer is an excellent starting point, offering various conjugations, synonyms, and contextual examples.

I hope this article has helped you navigate the nuances of expressing boredom in French. To conclude, here’s a thought from Voltaire that, while not directly about boredom, speaks to the value of engaging with life: "Le travail éloigne de nous trois grands maux: l'ennui, le vice et le besoin." (Work keeps us from three great evils: boredom, vice, and need.)

9 ways to say "bored" in French