c'est quoi ce bordel
What does “c'est quoi ce bordel” mean in English?
It means 'what the hell is going on?' or 'what is this mess?'. The literal translation is 'what is this brothel?', but that’s not how it’s used in context.
Literally “what is this brothel”
You’d use it in situations of frustration or confusion, similar to saying 'what the fuck is this?' in English. It's informal and can express annoyance or surprise.
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Related French words
c'est des conneries
3/5 · VulgarThis means to dismiss something as bullshit or nonsense. It literally translates to 'it is stupid things.'
foutoir
3/5 · VulgarIt refers to a complete mess or a chaotic place. Despite its origin, it’s usually not sexual in nature.
bordel
3/5 · VulgarIt’s used to express annoyance or frustration, and can also refer to a mess or chaotic situation. Literally, it means 'brothel.'
déconner
2/5 · CoarseIt means to talk nonsense or mess around, and can also refer to something malfunctioning. The context usually clarifies whether it's joking or something going awry.
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via Viddexa SafeText (MIT). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.