Why do I need to know gâté?
If you have or are planning to have children in France, you will want to avoid them becoming this word.
What does it mean?
Gâté - roughly pronounced gah-tay - comes from the verb gâter, which means ‘to spoil’ [someone].
If your French boyfriend texts je vais te gâter ce soir (‘I’m going to spoil you tonight), it’s a green light to start fantasising about flowers, chocolate or a home-cooked meal.
If you do come home to one of the three above (or any other surprise), you could exclaim: Mais tu me gâtes! - You’re spoiling me!
Gâté (or être gâté) is often used to express your appreciation for a gesture. You might also hear young people (especially in southern France) refer to their lover or romantic partner as mon gâté (or ma gâtée), similar to mon cheri (or ma cherie).
However, gâté can also be used negatively. A common expression in France is enfant gâté, meaning 'spoiled child'.
Whiny adults can also be described this way. For example, French football star Kylian Mbappé has been called an enfant gâté by critics in the past.
Use it like this
Nous sommes gâtés avec un autre délicieux repas ! Merci d'avoir pris si bien soin de nous. - We are spoiled with another beautiful meal! Thank you for taking such great care of us.
Son fils est tellement gâté, c'est abusé! - Their son is so spoiled, it's horrendous
Je ne supporte pas des enfants gâtés qui pleurent tout le temps - I can't deal with spoiled children who cry all the time
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