Dictionary / French / I'm embarrassed
How to Say "I'm embarrassed" in French
Je suis gêné(e)
/ʒə sɥi ʒɛ.ne/
Literally: I am bothered
Je
I
suis
am
gêné(e)
embarrassed, uncomfortable
Good to know
A woman writes je suis gênée. It sounds exactly the same. J'ai honte uses avoir, not être, and it is stronger: it means I'm ashamed. Said casually, j'ai trop honte is also how people react to a cringe moment. In Quebec, je suis gêné(e) often means I'm shy. In France, shy is je suis timide. To say that a situation is embarrassing, use gênant: c'est gênant, that's awkward. Among friends, c'est la honte means how embarrassing.
Correct
Je suis gêné(e)
What people say wrong
Je suis embarrassé(e)
I'm in an awkward spot, unsure what to do
The mistake to avoid. Embarrassé looks like the obvious match, and it is real French. But its centre is different. Je suis embarrassé(e) can mean embarrassed too, but it often means you are in an awkward position, unsure what to do or say, or uncomfortable with a request. It does not carry the red face of the English word as clearly. For that feeling, the everyday word is gêné(e). If you feel you did something wrong, say j'ai honte, I'm ashamed. So gêné is the blush, honte is the guilt, and embarrassé is the tricky spot.
In context
Je suis un peu gênée, j'ai oublié ton prénom.
I'm a bit embarrassed, I forgot your name.
J'ai trop honte, je suis tombé devant tout le monde.
I'm so embarrassed, I fell over in front of everyone.
Je suis embarrassé, je ne sais pas quoi lui répondre.
I'm in an awkward spot, I don't know what to say to him.