Be Daring: The F-word

Be Daring: The F-word

Fuck. Having had many students and many international friends as well as correspondence and experiences of contemporary ‘Am.E’. lingo, I’ve found that the word ‘fuck’ needs some explanation to learners of the language. The word itself may seem easy to use and straightforward, but there are angles in which it can get tricky. Without further fucking about, let me show you some ways to use this magical word!

Grammatical category

Fuck can behave in a number of ways and like some English words (e.x. pull, cut, take) it takes on a new set of meaning each time it shifts grammatical categories. Being able to become a verb (both transitive and intransitive), noun, adjective and adverb (by the use of correct suffixes) it is a universal platform for a vast range of functions.

Phonetic qualities

Having no more than 3 sounds, this word is an easy-to-learn phrase. Pronunciation-wise Hungarians are not meeting a challenge: ‘f’ ‘a’  and ‘k’ can be found in our language as well (think of words like ‘fiatal’, ‘abrak’ and ‘kutya’). As you may disagree: yes, the ‘a’ is not exactly the clear and well-dropped Hungarian ‘a’, neither is  the ‘á’, but between the two. 

Use

The problematic part of the word is its proper usage. Since the original meaning was the rather impolite way of saying to copulate, the word has taken on many new possible uses and meanings. In the following we will take a look at the multitude of application; bear with me! 

Fuck as a transitive verb (tárgyas ige)

Frankie sure likes to fuck Jane. (Frankie steadily enjoys copulating with Jane)

Fuck as an intransitive verb (tárgyatlan ige)

Donna loves to fuck. (Donna takes pleasure in copulation; Donna copulates gladly)

Fuck as an adjective (melléknév)

I really hate this fucking rain. ( I truly despise the fact that it is raining – non- sexual context! )

Fuck as an adverb (határozó)

Whenever she snores it’s too fucking loud. (When she is snoring in her sleep she makes a tremendous amount of noise – non-sexual context!)  

or

She has fucking awesome tits (her breasts are considerable – adverb effecting an adjective)

Fuck as a noun (főnév)

Last night we had a great fuck. (Yesterday’s evening brought a pleasant act of copulation)

or

Who gives a fuck? (Nobody cares about that – non-sexual context!)

Fuck as an infix (bel-rag)

Next week I’m flying to Hono-fucking-lulu. (A week from now I’ll be flying to Honolulu, a place I would like to avoid - non-sexual context!)

I saw her making out with Kevin the same day we broke up: un-fucking-believable! (I saw her kissing a different man on the day our relationship was terminated: I find it very hard to believe – non-sexual context!)

You may also stack the word into a sentence using proper grammatical functions:

Fuck the fucking fuckers! (I don’t care about those inconsiderable people - non-sexual context!)

Phrasal Verb usage

Like many other English verbs, fuck can enter a good number of phrasal structures. As such, the meanings of these structures greatly vary.

Fuck about – a behavioral pattern that annoys people.

Whenever Charlie comes to the store he surely fucks about. (When Charlie visits the shop where I work at he goes into an annoying way of behaving himself)

Fuck around – much the same

Fuck off(!) – as a directional expression it means to head out to a different way

Time for me to fuck off. (I should get going)

As an imperative it is used to send someone away from you in an aggressive manner.

How many times must I tell you to fuck off? (Why don’t you understand that I’d like you to leave me be?) (possible synonym: piss off!)

Fuck up – to break the (abstract) functionality of something

We had a great future planned for us, but we managed to fuck it up. (We had positive plans, but we’ve ruined  them)

Fuck up – to make a mess out of something

She made the  clean bed and the dog fucked it up. (The bed that was neatly done has been made a mess by the dog)

Fuck with somebody’s head – to play mind tricks on somebody or to manipulate him/her

Don’t get high hopes with the church; the only things they do is fuck with your head and empty your wallet. (Don’t hope too good things from church: in exchange for money they will make you confused)

Fuck with somebody – have sex with someone

I’m going out with Jarred but I’m fucking with Thomas; this way everyone gets what they want. (I have two boyfriends: one gives me culture, the other gives me sex)

Fuck with somebody – provoke, anger or taunt somebody – non-sexual context!

Gale dared not to fuck with Dylan’s mother; she was smarter than that. (Gale understood that if she picked a fight with Dylan’s mother she may not survive it)

Fuck somebody – To be the dominant partaker of a strongly sex-oriented relationship.

I’m fucking Claire on a regular basis. (I penetrate Claire on a schedule)

Fuck somebody – to betray, disrespect or double-cross someone

My lawyer fucked me and my accountant fucked me. Hence the stripes and chain. (I’ve been double-crossed by both my lawyer and accountant so I serve time in a penitentiary institute)

Fuck somebody over – much the same

Giving a fuck – caring about a particular thing

Do you know why Kevin got an A and why you got a D-minus? Well, he gives a fuck about Chemistry, and you don’t! (Would you like to know why Kevin got a much better mark in Chemistry than you? Because he shows some interest in it and you don’t. )

Fucker – a generally bad and/or shallow person

He was an ugly fucker; not one gal took kindly to him. (He was lacking handsomeness so much that no women wanted to go out with him – non-sexual context!)

mercy-fuck – an act of coitus where one of the partakers agrees to have sex because of pity or empathy felt towards the other. Sexual arousal on the former’s end is minimal. Though my ribs ached from the fall and my shoulder was in a cast, I managed to get laid by Emma. It might have been a mercy-fuck, but it was good nonetheless. (Although I didn't look attractive, Emma and I made love. I think it was out of pity, but I enjoyed it anyway.)

I hope these examples serve as good basis as to using this wonderfully complex word in even more creative ways. If you have any other uses you wish to share, I encourage you to do so, as long as your approach is academic! :) 

Dan, the man