Bouche bée

Old-Fashioned French Expression

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Meaning	open-mouthed, agape
Literally	mouth open
Register	normal but old-fashioned
Pronunciation		[boosh bay]
IPA		[buʃ be]

Usage notes: The French expression bouche bée indicates tremendous surprise, either good or bad: the person is so astonished that they’re standing open-mouthed and staring at the source of the surprise. Bouche bée has numerous possible translations:

• to be agape
• to be astonished
• to be flabbergasted
• to be stunned
• to drop one’s jaw
• to stand agape
• to stand gaping
• to stand open-mouthed

Bouche bée can be used on its own or with the verbs être, rester, or regarder.

Par exemple…

Bouche bée, il a regardé fixement le tableau étonnant pendant 10 minutes.		He stared, gaping, at the astonishing painting for 10  minutes.
J’en suis bouche bée !		I’m flabbergasted (about it)!
Elle m’a regardé bouché bée.		She stared at me in amazement.

 The word bée is the feminine past participle of the literary verb béer – to be wide open.

 The expression bouche bée is a bit old-fashioned, so you should use it sparingly.

Synonyms

• abasourdi – stunned
• ahuri – stupefied
• béant – wide open
• choqué – shocked
• ébahi – astounded
• étonné – astonished
• sans voix – speechless
• stupéfié – stupefied
• surpris – surprised
   
  Informal
• baba – astonished
• sidéré – staggered, dumbfounded
  

 Related lessons

• Être conjugations
• Regarder conjugations
• Rester conjugations
• Past participles
• Parts of the body

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