Learning how to say “funny” in French can add charm and emotion to your conversations. Whether you want to describe a hilarious joke, a funny story, or a person who makes you laugh, knowing the right words helps express yourself better.
French has several ways to say “funny,” depending on the situation. Some words are casual, while others fit formal or polite conversations. In this article, you will learn different ways to say “funny” in French, how to use them in sentences, and practice exercises to help you remember them. By the end, you’ll be ready to add humor to your French conversations.
Ways to Say “Funny” in French
French offers several words for “funny,” each with a unique tone. Some are informal and great for jokes among friends, while others fit polite or literary conversations. Here are 25 ways to say “funny” in French, with pronunciation, meaning, and sentence examples:
1. Drôle
Pronunciation: drohl
Meaning: Funny, amusing
In a Sentence:
- Ce film est vraiment drôle. (This movie is really funny.)
- Tu es si drôle quand tu racontes des blagues! (You are so funny when you tell jokes!)
2. Amusant
Pronunciation: ah-myoo-zahn
Meaning: Entertaining, funny
In a Sentence:
- Cette histoire est amusante. (This story is funny.)
- Mon cousin est très amusant. (My cousin is very entertaining.)
3. Comique
Pronunciation: koh-meek
Meaning: Comic, humorous
In a Sentence:
- Son spectacle était comique. (His show was humorous.)
- J’adore lire des bandes dessinées comiques. (I love reading comic books.)
4. Marrant
Pronunciation: mah-rahnt
Meaning: Funny (informal)
In a Sentence:
- Ce garçon est vraiment marrant! (This boy is really funny!)
- Tu as vu cette vidéo marrante? (Did you see that funny video?)
5. Rigolo
Pronunciation: ree-goh-loh
Meaning: Funny, amusing (informal)
In a Sentence:
- Ce chien est rigolo quand il joue. (That dog is funny when it plays.)
- Quelle histoire rigolote! (What a funny story!)
6. Humoristique
Pronunciation: ew-moh-ree-steek
Meaning: Humorous
In a Sentence:
- Ce film est humoristique. (This film is humorous.)
- Elle écrit des articles humoristiques pour un magazine. (She writes humorous articles for a magazine.)
7. Cocasse
Pronunciation: koh-kass
Meaning: Comically absurd, amusing
In a Sentence:
- La situation était vraiment cocasse. (The situation was really funny.)
- Cette scène de théâtre était cocasse. (That theater scene was hilarious.)
8. Burlesque
Pronunciation: byoor-lesk
Meaning: Absurdly funny, farcical
In a Sentence:
- Le film burlesque a fait rire tout le monde. (The burlesque film made everyone laugh.)
- Cette pièce de théâtre est très burlesque. (This play is very farcical.)
9. Ironique
Pronunciation: ee-roh-neek
Meaning: Ironic, sarcastically funny
In a Sentence:
- Sa réponse ironique m’a fait rire. (His ironic answer made me laugh.)
- L’article était plein d’humour ironique. (The article was full of ironic humor.)
10. Hilarant
Pronunciation: ee-lah-rahnt
Meaning: Hilarious
In a Sentence:
- Ce sketch était hilarant! (That skit was hilarious!)
- Nous avons regardé un film hilarant hier soir. (We watched a hilarious movie last night.)
11. Blagueur
Pronunciation: blah-gur
Meaning: Jokester, funny person
In a Sentence:
- Mon oncle est un vrai blagueur. (My uncle is a real jokester.)
- Cet élève est connu pour être blagueur en classe. (That student is known for being a jokester in class.)
12. Plaisant
Pronunciation: pleh-zahn
Meaning: Pleasant, amusing
In a Sentence:
- C’était une conversation très plaisante. (It was a very pleasant conversation.)
- Son discours était à la fois sérieux et plaisant. (His speech was both serious and amusing.)
13. Loufoque
Pronunciation: loo-fok
Meaning: Absurdly funny, goofy
In a Sentence:
- Leur comportement était complètement loufoque! (Their behavior was completely goofy!)
- J’adore les émissions loufoques. (I love silly TV shows.)
14. Facétieux
Pronunciation: fah-say-syuh
Meaning: Playfully mischievous
In a Sentence:
- L’enfant facétieux a fait une blague à son professeur. (The mischievous child played a joke on his teacher.)
- Son sourire facétieux m’a fait rire. (His mischievous smile made me laugh.)
15. Déjanté
Pronunciation: day-zhahn-tay
Meaning: Crazy, over-the-top funny
In a Sentence:
- Le spectacle était complètement déjanté! (The show was totally crazy!)
- Ils adorent les films déjantés. (They love wacky movies.)
16. Caricatural
Pronunciation: kah-ree-kah-tyoo-rahl
Meaning: Cartoonish, exaggeratedly funny
In a Sentence:
- Son imitation était caricaturale. (His imitation was cartoonish.)
- Le personnage principal était caricatural. (The main character was exaggeratedly funny.)
17. Satirique
Pronunciation: sah-tee-reek
Meaning: Satirical, humorous with a critical tone
In a Sentence:
- L’émission satirique critique les politiciens. (The satirical show criticizes politicians.)
- Ce roman est une satire sociale très drôle. (This novel is a very funny social satire.)
18. Farfelu
Pronunciation: fahr-feh-loo
Meaning: Eccentric, funny in a strange way
In a Sentence:
- Il a toujours des idées farfelues. (He always has eccentric ideas.)
- Ses habits étaient vraiment farfelus! (His clothes were really quirky!)
19. Délicieusement drôle
Pronunciation: day-lee-syuhz-mahn drohl
Meaning: Delightfully funny
In a Sentence:
- Son spectacle était délicieusement drôle. (His show was delightfully funny.)
- Le comédien était délicieusement drôle sur scène. (The comedian was delightfully funny on stage.)
20. Moqueur
Pronunciation: moh-kur
Meaning: Mocking, teasing in a funny way
In a Sentence:
- Il a fait un commentaire moqueur, mais c’était drôle. (He made a teasing comment, but it was funny.)
- Son ton moqueur m’a fait sourire. (His mocking tone made me smile.)
21. Absurd
Pronunciation: ab-surd
Meaning: Ridiculously funny
In a Sentence:
- Le film était totalement absurde! (The movie was totally ridiculous!)
- Leur excuse était tellement absurde que nous avons ri. (Their excuse was so absurd that we laughed.)
22. Joyeux
Pronunciation: zhwa-yuh
Meaning: Cheerful, lightheartedly funny
In a Sentence:
- C’était un moment joyeux et amusant. (It was a cheerful and fun moment.)
- Elle a un rire joyeux qui fait sourire tout le monde. (She has a cheerful laugh that makes everyone smile.)
23. Satirique
Pronunciation: sah-tee-reek
Meaning: Satirical, making fun in a clever way
In a Sentence:
- L’émission télévisée est connue pour son humour satirique. (The TV show is known for its satirical humor.)
- Il écrit des articles satiriques dans un journal. (He writes satirical articles in a newspaper.)
24. Comédien
Pronunciation: koh-may-dyan
Meaning: Comedian, funny performer
In a Sentence:
- Ce comédien est très populaire en France. (This comedian is very popular in France.)
- Le comédien a fait rire toute la salle. (The comedian made the whole room laugh.)
25. Drôlatique
Pronunciation: droh-lah-teek
Meaning: Amusing in a peculiar way
In a Sentence:
- Cette histoire est vraiment drôlatique. (This story is truly amusing.)
- Leur aventure dans la forêt était drôlatique. (Their adventure in the forest was amusing.)
Other Ways to Say “Funny” in French
Here are additional ways to say “funny” in French with pronunciation, meanings, and example sentences:
| Other Ways to Say | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example Sentences |
| Gai | geh | Cheerful, lighthearted | Il est toujours gai et plein d’humour. (He is always cheerful and humorous.) |
| Piquant | pee-kahnt | Witty, sharp | Son humour piquant fait rire tout le monde. (His sharp wit makes everyone laugh.) |
| Jovial | zhoh-vyal | Jolly, good-humored | Il a un caractère jovial et amical. (He has a jolly and friendly personality.) |
| Délirant | day-lee-rahn | Wildly funny, crazy | Le spectacle était délirant et hilarant. (The show was wildly funny and hilarious.) |
| Souriant | soo-ree-ahn | Smiling, cheerful | Elle a toujours un visage souriant et accueillant. (She always has a smiling and welcoming face.) |
| Facétie | fah-say-see | Prankish, playful joke | Sa dernière facétie nous a fait beaucoup rire. (His latest prank made us laugh a lot.) |
| Taquin | tah-keen | Teasing, playful | Mon frère est toujours taquin avec moi. (My brother is always teasing me.) |
| Humoriste | ew-moh-reest | Comedian, funny person | Cet humoriste est célèbre pour ses sketches. (This comedian is famous for his skits.) |
| Bouffon | boo-fohn | Clownish, silly person | Arrête de faire le bouffon en classe! (Stop being silly in class!) |
| Excentrique | eks-sahn-treek | Eccentric, odd-funny | Ses idées excentriques font toujours sourire. (His eccentric ideas always make people smile.) |
| Chaleureux | shah-luh-ruh | Warm, friendly | Son accueil chaleureux nous a mis à l’aise. (His warm welcome made us feel comfortable.) |
| Jovialité | zhoh-vyah-lee-tay | Jolliness, good spirits | La jovialité de l’équipe a rendu le voyage agréable. (The team’s good spirits made the trip enjoyable.) |
Responses to “Funny” in French
When someone calls something “funny” in French, you can respond in various ways based on context. Whether you agree, are surprised, or want to continue the conversation, here are some common responses:
1. C’est vrai?
Pronunciation: say vray
Meaning: Is that true?
In a Sentence:
- C’est vrai? Je ne l’avais pas remarqué! (Is that true? I hadn’t noticed!)
2. Tu crois?
Pronunciation: tew krwah
Meaning: Do you think so?
In a Sentence:
- Tu crois? Moi, je trouve ça normal. (Do you think so? I find it normal.)
3. Trop drôle!
Pronunciation: troh drohl
Meaning: So funny!
In a Sentence:
- Trop drôle! Je ne peux pas arrêter de rire. (So funny! I can’t stop laughing.)
4. C’est hilarant!
Pronunciation: say ee-lah-rahnt
Meaning: It’s hilarious!
In a Sentence:
- C’est hilarant! Je n’en reviens pas. (It’s hilarious! I can’t believe it.)
5. Sérieusement?
Pronunciation: say-ree-uhz-mohn
Meaning: Seriously? (often used humorously)
In a Sentence:
- Sérieusement? Tu as vraiment fait ça? (Seriously? Did you really do that?)
6. Pas possible!
Pronunciation: pah poh-see-bluh
Meaning: No way!
In a Sentence:
- Pas possible! Tu plaisantes! (No way! You’re joking!)
7. Quelle blague!
Pronunciation: kel blagh
Meaning: What a joke!
In a Sentence:
- Quelle blague! Je n’y crois pas. (What a joke! I don’t believe it.)
8. C’est génial!
Pronunciation: say zhay-nyahl
Meaning: That’s awesome!
In a Sentence:
- C’est génial! Raconte-moi encore! (That’s awesome! Tell me more!)
9. Incroyable!
Pronunciation: an-krwah-yah-bluh
Meaning: Incredible!
In a Sentence:
- Incroyable! Comment est-ce arrivé? (Incredible! How did that happen?)
10. Je n’en peux plus!
Pronunciation: zhuh nahn puh plew
Meaning: I can’t take it anymore! (from laughing)
In a Sentence:
- Je n’en peux plus! Cette histoire est trop drôle! (I can’t take it anymore! That story is too funny!)
Exercise to Practice Saying “Funny” in French
Complete the sentences below using the correct French word for “funny.” Choose from the provided options or use your knowledge to fill in the blanks.
Fill-in-the-Blanks (French Sentences):
- Le film que nous avons regardé hier soir était très ________. (Options: drôle, rigolo)
- Mon cousin est toujours ________ quand il raconte des histoires. (Options: marrant, humoristique)
- Cette situation est tellement ________ que je ne peux pas arrêter de rire. (Options: cocasse, burlesque)
- L’acteur principal était vraiment ________ dans cette comédie. (Options: hilarant, comique)
- Ses idées sont parfois un peu ________, mais elles sont amusantes. (Options: farfelues, déjantées)
- Ce sketch est absolument ________, tout le monde a ri. (Options: hilarant, absurde)
- Mon professeur a un style ________ qui rend les cours intéressants. (Options: ironique, plaisant)
- Cette pièce de théâtre est très ________ avec ses blagues inattendues. (Options: burlesque, cocasse)
- L’humoriste sur scène était tellement ________ que la salle était en pleurs. (Options: comique, rigolo)
- Sa réponse ________ a surpris tout le monde. (Options: ironique, moqueuse)
- Son comportement ________ nous a fait éclater de rire. (Options: loufoque, déjanté)
- Leur histoire était ________ et a égayé notre journée. (Options: amusante, cocasse)
Answers:
- drôle (The movie we watched last night was very funny.)
- marrant (My cousin is always funny when he tells stories.)
- cocasse (This situation is so funny that I can’t stop laughing.)
- hilarant (The main actor was truly hilarious in this comedy.)
- farfelues (His ideas are sometimes a bit eccentric, but they are fun.)
- hilarant (This skit is absolutely hilarious; everyone laughed.)
- ironique (My teacher has an ironic style that makes the classes interesting.)
- burlesque (This play is very farcical with its unexpected jokes.)
- comique (The comedian on stage was so funny that the audience was in tears.)
- ironique (His ironic response surprised everyone.)
- loufoque (His goofy behavior made us burst out laughing.)
- amusante (Their story was amusing and brightened our day.)
Conclusion
Learning how to say “funny” in French can make conversations more lively and enjoyable. Whether you are describing a humorous moment, reacting to a joke, or sharing a funny story, knowing these words helps express yourself clearly and naturally.
Keep practicing the different words and responses covered in this guide. Use them in daily conversations, watch French comedies, and try writing your own funny stories in French. With practice, you’ll soon be able to add humor to your French-speaking adventures with ease!