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I'm told that the phrase "mauvais ton" should be translated into English as "in bad taste."

Is this true?

If so, is it popular in today's French?

Also: I know that in standard French, the adjective normally follows the noun it modifies, and not the other way around. So, why isn't it "ton mauvais" rather than "mauvais ton"?

Ricky
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    Most of the time, French adjectives follow the noun, but there are some, like bon and mauvais, that almost always come before the noun. – Peter Shor Mar 21 '24 at 10:57
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    See also https://french.stackexchange.com/questions/319/quand-peut-on-mettre-un-adjectif-avant-ou-apr%c3%a8s-un-nom-when-do-adjectives-go – jlliagre Mar 21 '24 at 12:36
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    "in bad taste" is "de mauvais goût". The other phrase, "de mauvais ton", is much rarer and has a more specific meaning, I would say, so I wouldn't translate it as "in bad taste". – Stef Mar 21 '24 at 18:44
  • @Stef: Okay, so: de mauvais goût applies to things characterized by such words as "tacky," "corny," "platitudinous," and so forth? Garish garments, jarring music, sugary snacks, atrocious architecture, and so forth? – Ricky Mar 22 '24 at 18:58
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    @Ricky Yes, you got it. – Frank Mar 23 '24 at 14:27
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    I was so worried this was about the literal translation of "my bad" for how many kids I've had to tell that "mon mauvais" n'existe pas. – livresque Mar 23 '24 at 16:30

1 Answers1

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In this case, we would say mauvais ton only, never ton mauvais, supposing that's the entirety of the phrase. I don't know that it's a "popular" sentence, but it's definitely in use, and it means something like "breaking the etiquette".

It's the opposite of the most common (de) bon ton, that would even less support to be reversed (de ton bon).

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For "in bad taste", we have "de mauvais goût", but of course there is some possible overlap between "mauvais ton" et "de mauvais goût", depending on the context.

See also: When do adjectives go before or after a noun?

jlliagre
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Frank
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    and we even less say de ton bon! :-) By the way, de mauvais ton usually means 'breaking the etiquette' more than referring to the literal tone of a voice/text. – jlliagre Mar 21 '24 at 09:49