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sale

dirty, filthy

adjective SAL Common

Also means

nasty, lousy (placed before noun)

Usage Note

Sale placed after a noun means physically dirty (les mains sales = dirty hands); placed before a noun it becomes an intensifier conveying contempt or displeasure (un sale menteur = a rotten liar, sale temps = lousy weather). This pre/post-noun distinction is important. The related verb salir means 'to dirty' or 'to soil'.

Examples

"Tes chaussures sont sales, enlève-les."

Natural Translation

Your shoes are dirty, take them off.

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