# What language(s) do you swear in? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 5, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226 "2020-05-05T20:51:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/1 "2020-05-05T20:51:15Z")
I can’t be the only person who swears in different languages depending on how upset I am, can I? Mine tend to go: 1 - Carnac 3 - German and/or Russian w/a _horrendous_ accent & pronunciation 5 - Arabic 7 - Italian 10 - Spanish It’s only when we hit 11 on the scale that I switch to English. The other languages offer only a limited selection of curses remembered, mainly due to my advancing age and massive alcohol consumption over the years. 😛 So, a few questions. What languages do you curse in? Are you a native speaker of that language? How did you acquire your knowledge of such inappropriate speech, young man? “Don’t let your grandma here you say that!” “Why? She’s the one who taught it to me!” ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/2 "2020-05-05T21:09:06Z")
I know some swears in Yiddish (likely via _MAD_), Spanish (picked up from various places) and German (likewise) but don’t recall using anything other than English. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/3 "2020-05-05T21:48:35Z")
I know the Swedish and French words for shit, and occasionally use the Swedish word. ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/4 "2020-05-05T21:49:21Z")
I use a couple of German swear words that I picked up from Raiders of the Lost Ark. And the occasional French one picked up one summer long ago. But if I’m really mad, English is the only way to go. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/5 "2020-05-05T22:07:41Z")
Maya Spanish English If it is something really intense, and I don’t have time to think about the audience. English comes roaring out. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/6 "2020-05-05T22:10:24Z")
English (native speaker) Hebrew Spanish Yiddish Yidbrew Spanglish ASL ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/7 "2020-05-05T22:13:45Z")
English mainly. Fairly proficient in Thai swearing. Some German. A smattering of Spanish and French. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/8 "2020-05-05T22:20:44Z")
English when I’m feeling lazy. I’ve been known to use a bit of Russian or French. Klingon when I just want to confuse people. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/9 "2020-05-05T23:39:21Z")
Klingon. But people worry that I am having a stroke. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/10 "2020-05-05T23:41:47Z")
Mostly English, but occasionally Klingon. Qu’vatlh! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/11 "2020-05-06T00:05:03Z")
German, French and Spanish on occasion. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/12 "2020-05-06T01:21:03Z")
English and Yiddish, probably equally. The sad part is that 75% of the Yiddish I know is swearing although it was the everyday language of all 4 grandparents growing up. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/13 "2020-05-06T01:22:32Z")
English Spanish French Yiddish ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/14 "2020-05-06T01:26:01Z")
Spanish English very ocassionally orcish (at least I think “Garn!” is orcish, it’s used by orcs in LOTR) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/15 "2020-05-06T03:29:05Z")
English, particularly “Bugger!”. But with the occasional “Tabernouche!” ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/16 "2020-05-06T05:08:02Z")
English Polish ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/17 "2020-05-06T05:21:45Z")
English Spanish Italian (from having grown up in an Italian neighborhood in the Bronx) Yiddish (also New York) French German ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/18 "2020-05-06T05:29:08Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > very ocassionally orcish (at least I think “Garn!” is orcish, it’s used by orcs in LOTR) I’m sorry to have to inform you that it is not an Orcish word, nor Black Speech, nor anything of the kind. It’s a real-world British interjection “used to express disbelief or ridicule”. The OED says it’s a Cockney pronunciation of “go on”. > **[Definition of GARN](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garn)** > > yarn… See the full definition ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/19 "2020-05-06T05:32:46Z")
Mandarin, Shanghaiese, Cantonese. Occaisionally “kuso” or “bakatare” in Japanese Of course English, I’m a preachers kid ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226/20 "2020-05-06T05:38:37Z")
English ASL Slovak Yiddish Hebrew Russian A few Spanish words I picked up in Costa Rica. A few French words I picked up doing theater. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-do-you-swear-in/853226.md?page=2)