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Informal French Expression
| Meaning | Be careful! Watch out! | |
| Literally | Make mistake! | |
| Register | informal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[feh gahf] |
| IPA | [fɛ gaf] | |
Usage notes: The informal French expression fais gaffe is very minimal, as the negation is only implied.* Une gaffe is a blunder or mistake, so literally fais gaffe means "make [a] mistake" – indeed, if you use the expression faire une gaffe in anything other than the imperative, it means "to make a mistake."
Par exemple…
| Il a vraiment fait gaffe hier. | He really messed up yesterday. | |
| J’espère ne pas faire gaffe. | I hope I don’t mess up. |
But fais gaffe means just the opposite: it implores you to be careful, to not make a mistake.
Par exemple…
| Il y a beaucoup de vent, fais gaffe ! | It’s very windy, be careful! | |
| L’échelle a l’air branlante – fais gaffe ! | The ladder looks rickety – be careful! | |
| Fais gaffe en traversant la rue. | Pay attention while crossing the street. |
You can use faites gaffe when talking to more than one person in an informal situation.
Variations
- Fais gaffe à toi – Watch yourself
- Faites gaffe à vous – Watch yourselves
Synonyms
- Attention – Pay attention, Be careful
- Fais / Faites attention – Pay attention
- Méfie-toi / Méfiez-vous – Look out, Be careful
- Mets-toi sur tes gardes / Mettez-vous sur vos gardes – Put yourself on guard
- Sois sur tes gardes / Soyez sur vos gardes – Be on your guard
- Reste sur tes gardes / Restez sur vos gardes – Stay on your guard
- Tiens-toi sur tes gardes / Tenez-vous sur vos gardes – Stay on your guard
* There are two other expressions with "missing" negation: t’inquiète and t’occupe.
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