"Fatigué" is probably the first word that comes to mind when you want to say "tired" in French. And while it's perfectly correct, the French language, much like English, offers a rich tapestry of expressions to convey just how exhausted you might be. Learning these nuances can make your conversations more natural and help you express yourself with greater precision.

Whether you're feeling a little sleepy or completely drained, knowing a variety of ways to describe your state of tiredness will significantly boost your fluency. So, let's dive into 9 different ways to say "tired" in French and add some new vocabulary to your repertoire!

The standard and most common way to say 'tired' – fatigué(e)

The standard and most common way to say 'tired' – fatigué(e) is the go-to word for expressing fatigue in French.

Whether you're physically exhausted, mentally drained, or just feeling a bit weary, fatigué(e) is the most natural and widely understood term.

Like many French adjectives, fatigué(e) must agree in gender and number with the subject it describes. Here's how it changes: * fatigué: for a singular masculine subject (e.g., Il est fatigué. - He is tired.) * fatiguée: for a singular feminine subject (e.g., Elle est fatiguée. - She is tired.) * fatigués: for a plural masculine subject or a mixed group (e.g., Ils sont fatigués. - They are tired.) * fatiguées: for a plural feminine subject (e.g., Elles sont fatiguées. - They (fem.) are tired.)

The most common way to use fatigué(e) is with the verb être (to be), forming the phrase être fatigué(e). This translates directly to 'to be tired'.

You can easily express different levels of tiredness by adding adverbs before fatigué(e): * très fatigué(e): very tired * un peu fatigué(e): a little tired * vraiment fatigué(e): really tired * complètement fatigué(e): completely tired

Fatigué(e) is highly versatile and can describe tiredness from various causes: physical exertion, lack of sleep, emotional stress, or even boredom. Its broad applicability makes it an essential word in your French vocabulary.

While English uses 'I am tired,' directly translating 'I have tiredness' is incorrect in French. Always use the verb être (to be) with fatigué(e). For example, say Je suis fatigué(e), not J'ai fatigue (which is not a common or correct construction for expressing personal tiredness).

💡 * Je suis fatigué après une longue journée de travail. (I am tired after a long day of work.)

• Elle est très fatiguée parce qu'elle n'a pas beaucoup dormi. (She is very tired because she didn't sleep much.)
• Nous sommes fatigués de toujours faire la même chose. (We are tired of always doing the same thing.)
• Mes enfants sont fatigués après avoir joué toute l'après-midi. (My children are tired after playing all afternoon.)
• Es-tu fatigué(e) ? (Are you tired?)

To be completely 'exhausted' or 'worn out' – épuisé(e)

When you're not just tired, but utterly drained, the French word you're looking for is épuisé(e), meaning 'exhausted' or 'worn out'.

While fatigué(e) covers general tiredness, épuisé(e) conveys a much stronger sense of depletion, both physically and mentally. Think of it as being completely empty of energy.

As an adjective, épuisé(e) must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. So, it's épuisé for a masculine singular subject, épuisée for feminine singular, épuisés for masculine plural, and épuisées for feminine plural.

You'd use épuisé(e) after a grueling workout, a sleepless night, a demanding work project, or even an emotionally draining experience. It implies a state where you have no more reserves left.

Beyond people, épuisé(e) can also describe things that are depleted or used up, such as resources. For example, les ressources sont épuisées (the resources are exhausted).

Remember, using épuisé(e) communicates a significant level of fatigue, much more intense than simply saying je suis fatigué (I am tired). It's a powerful word for a powerful feeling.

💡 * Après le marathon, il était complètement épuisé. (After the marathon, he was completely exhausted.)

• Elle est épuisée par son travail et a besoin de vacances. (She is worn out by her work and needs a vacation.)
• Nous étions épuisés après avoir marché toute la journée. (We were exhausted after walking all day.)
• Les piles de ma lampe de poche sont épuisées. (The batteries of my flashlight are dead/exhausted.)
• Je me sens épuisée mentalement après cette semaine difficile. (I feel mentally exhausted after this difficult week.)

A very common informal way to say 'dead tired' or 'knackered' – crevé(e)

When you're really tired, beyond just fatigué, the French have a wonderfully expressive and common informal way to describe it: crevé(e).

Crevé(e) translates to 'dead tired,' 'knackered,' or 'exhausted.' It's much stronger than simply fatigué (tired).

As an adjective, crevé(e) must agree in gender and number with the noun or pronoun it describes.

Here are its forms: crevé (masculine singular), crevée (feminine singular), crevés (masculine plural or mixed group), crevées (feminine plural).

This term is highly informal and is used frequently in everyday spoken French, among friends, family, or colleagues in a casual setting.

Interestingly, the literal meaning of crever is 'to burst,' 'to puncture,' or 'to die' (informal, for animals). So, being crevé(e) is like feeling completely 'burst' or 'flat'.

While fatigué(e) is a general term for 'tired,' crevé(e) implies a much higher degree of exhaustion, often after a long day, intense activity, or lack of sleep.

💡 *Je suis crevé après cette longue journée de travail. (I'm dead tired after this long day of work.)
*Elle est complètement crevée, elle n'a pas dormi de la nuit. (She's completely knackered, she didn't sleep all night.)
*Nous étions crevés après la randonnée. (We were exhausted after the hike.)
*Les enfants étaient crevés après leur journée à la plage. (The children were worn out after their day at the beach.)
*Tu as l'air crevé, va te reposer. (You look knackered, go rest.)

To feel 'drained' or 'washed out' of all energy – lessivé(e)

The French adjective lessivé(e) literally means 'washed' or 'laundered', but figuratively, it describes a state of extreme exhaustion – feeling utterly 'drained,' 'washed out,' or 'wiped out' of all energy.

Like all French adjectives, lessivé(e) must agree in gender and number with the noun or pronoun it modifies. Use lessivé for masculine singular, lessivée for feminine singular, lessivés for masculine plural, and lessivées for feminine plural.

This expression goes beyond simple tiredness; it conveys a deep sense of depletion, often after intense mental or physical effort, stress, or lack of sleep. It implies a total lack of vitality, as if one has been 'squeezed dry' or 'run through the wringer'.

💡 * Après une longue semaine de travail, je suis complètement lessivé. (After a long week of work, I'm completely drained.)

• Elle s'est sentie lessivée après son marathon. (She felt washed out after her marathon.)
• Les enfants étaient lessivés après avoir joué toute la journée. (The kids were wiped out after playing all day.)
• Nous sommes tous lessivés par le déménagement. (We're all drained from moving house.)

To be 'extremely tired' or 'worn out' physically or mentally – exténué(e)

To be 'extremely tired' or 'worn out' physically or mentally – exténué(e)

Exténué(e) is a French adjective used to describe someone who is extremely tired, exhausted, or worn out, both physically and mentally.

It conveys a much stronger degree of fatigue than simply being fatigué(e) (tired). Think of it as being 'drained' or 'profoundly weary'.

As an adjective, exténué must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Use exténuée for a feminine singular subject, exténués for masculine plural, and exténuées for feminine plural.

This word is often used after intense physical exertion, a long day of work, lack of sleep, or even significant emotional stress.

When 'tired' just isn't strong enough, exténué(e) is the perfect word to express profound exhaustion.

💡 * Après le marathon, il était complètement exténué. (After the marathon, he was completely exhausted.)

• Elle est rentrée du travail exténuée par la journée. (She came home from work worn out by the day.)
• Nous étions exténués après avoir déménagé tous les meubles. (We were extremely tired after moving all the furniture.)
• Les étudiants étaient exténués après leurs examens. (The students were worn out after their exams.)
• Je suis tellement exténuée que je pourrais dormir debout. (I am so exhausted I could sleep standing up.)

Another informal expression for being 'wiped out' or 'knackered' – claqué(e)

Another very informal and widely used expression for being utterly exhausted or 'wiped out' in French is claqué(e). Think of it as the French equivalent of 'knackered,' 'dead tired,' or 'spent'.

Literally, claqué comes from the verb claquer, which means 'to clap,' 'to slam,' or 'to hit.' However, in its colloquial usage, it describes a state of extreme fatigue where you feel utterly 'slammed' or 'beaten' by tiredness.

As an adjective, claqué(e) must agree in gender and number with the subject it describes. So you'll hear: claqué (masculine singular), claquée (feminine singular), claqués (masculine plural), and claquées (feminine plural).

You'd use claqué(e) when you're beyond just fatigué (tired). It's for those moments after a particularly grueling day at work, an intense workout, or a sleepless night. It conveys a strong sense of physical or mental depletion.

The most common way to use it is with the verb être (to be): être claqué(e). This expression is firmly in the realm of informal, everyday French. While not vulgar, it's best reserved for casual conversations with friends and family, rather than formal settings.

💡 * Je suis claqué après cette longue journée de travail. (I'm wiped out after this long day of work.)

• Tu as l'air claquée, tu devrais te reposer. (You look knackered, you should rest.)
• Les enfants étaient claqués après le parc d'attractions. (The kids were exhausted after the amusement park.)
• On était claqués après avoir marché toute la journée. (We were dead tired after walking all day.)

Similar to 'lessivé', meaning to be 'drained' or 'wiped out' – rincé(e)

In French, when you're utterly exhausted or 'wiped out', you can use the informal expression rincé(e). It's very similar in meaning to another common term, lessivé(e), both conveying a sense of being completely drained of energy.

Literally, rincer means 'to rinse'. So, rincé(e) figuratively implies that you've been 'rinsed out' or 'washed out' of all your energy, leaving you feeling empty and depleted. It's a vivid way to describe extreme fatigue after physical or mental exertion.

As an adjective, rincé(e) must agree in gender and number with the noun or pronoun it modifies. You'll say rincé for masculine singular, rincée for feminine singular, rincés for masculine plural, and rincées for feminine plural.

💡 *Après cette longue journée de travail, je suis complètement rincé. (After this long day of work, I'm completely drained.)
*Les enfants étaient rincés après avoir joué toute l'après-midi. (The children were wiped out after playing all afternoon.)
*Elle a couru un marathon et maintenant elle est rincée. (She ran a marathon and now she is completely exhausted.)
*Nous étions rincées après l'examen. (We were drained after the exam - feminine plural.)

An idiom meaning 'at the end of one's strength' or 'worn out' – à bout de forces

The idiom à bout de forces literally translates to 'at the end of one's strength' and is used to describe someone who is completely exhausted, both physically and mentally, or 'worn out'.

Here, 'forces' refers to a person's physical and mental energy. When someone is à bout de forces, they have no more energy left to continue, implying a state of utter depletion.

This expression conveys a sense of extreme and complete exhaustion, often after a long period of effort, stress, or a demanding situation. It's stronger than simply being 'tired'.

You'll often hear this idiom in situations where someone has pushed themselves to their limits, whether it's from work, a difficult personal situation, or intense physical activity.

💡 * Après une semaine de travail intense, j'étais à bout de forces. (After a week of intense work, I was at the end of my strength.)

• Elle s'est occupée de ses enfants malades et était complètement à bout de forces. (She took care of her sick children and was completely worn out.)
• Les secouristes ont travaillé sans relâche et étaient tous à bout de forces. (The rescuers worked tirelessly and were all at the end of their strength.)
• Ne me demande plus rien, je suis à bout de forces. (Don't ask me for anything else, I'm worn out.)

A colloquial expression meaning 'on one's last legs' or 'completely worn out' – sur les rotules

The French colloquial expression sur les rotules translates literally to 'on the kneecaps,' but its actual meaning is 'on one's last legs,' 'completely worn out,' or 'exhausted.'

The term rotules refers to the kneecaps. So, being sur les rotules evokes the image of someone so tired or weak that they are practically crawling on their knees, unable to stand or function properly.

This expression is commonly used in informal settings to describe extreme fatigue, either physical or mental, and can apply to both people and sometimes even objects or situations that are failing or nearing their end.

It strongly emphasizes a state of utter exhaustion, beyond just being tired. Think of it as being completely spent, having pushed oneself to the absolute limit.

💡 *Après cette longue journée de travail, je suis sur les rotules. (After this long day of work, I'm on my last legs.)
*Le marathonien était sur les rotules à l'arrivée. (The marathon runner was completely worn out at the finish line.)
*Mon vieil ordinateur est sur les rotules, il faut que j'en achète un nouveau. (My old computer is on its last legs, I need to buy a new one.)
*Elle a étudié toute la nuit, elle était vraiment sur les rotules ce matin. (She studied all night, she was really exhausted this morning.)

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

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

Our list features the most common ways to say 'tired' in French, like fatigué and épuisé. But the French language, like any other, is rich with nuances! You might encounter old-fashioned expressions, regionalisms, or even new slang terms to describe being tired.

For a deeper dive, you can also do an online search for 'comment dire fatigué en ___' followed by a specific Francophone country or region to discover local idioms.

You might find some interesting synonyms or expressions for fatigué on this list. Of course, make sure to check a word’s definition and try to see it used in context before you use it yourself.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French — you may discover different, colorful ways to talk about feeling tired.

And if you’re looking for a comprehensive list of synonyms for 'tired' or expressions related to fatigue, the WordReference entry for fatigué is an excellent place to start!

I hope you found this article helpful and that you now feel more confident expressing fatigue in French. As the French proverb says: La nuit porte conseil (The night brings counsel), implying that rest often brings clarity. So, get some rest if you're feeling fatigué!