Looking to sound like a genuine Parisian when speaking French? Sure, you can master grammar and pronunciation from textbooks, but nothing beats the vibrancy of argot—French slang. In fact, an IFOP survey found that 80% of French speakers under 35 use slang in everyday conversations. That’s a big deal, and if you want to dive deeper into France’s cultural heart, you need to know the words locals actually use. Below, you’ll find 100 must-know French slang terms that will not only amp up your language skills but also help you connect better with native speakers.
Why French Slang Matters
Slang is more than just playful vocabulary; it’s a reflection of culture, identity, and community. By using slang, you show you’re tuned into the living, breathing side of a language—not just the static definitions found in a dictionary. Plus, sprinkling colloquial expressions into your speech immediately makes you sound more approachable and natural.
Bridging the Gap Between Textbook and Reality
Textbooks teach you phrases like “Comment allez-vous?” (How are you?) or “Je voudrais un café” (I would like a coffee). These are correct, but in a Parisian café, you might hear (and even say) “Ça roule?” or “Je prendrai un p’tit kawa.” Embracing slang transforms classroom French into living French, closing the gap between what you learn and what you actually hear on the streets of Paris.
Building Genuine Connections
Ever had that moment where you say something “too proper,” and the French person you’re talking to smirks? They’re not mocking you; it’s just that casual, everyday speech relies heavily on slang. When you drop a natural-sounding “T’inquiète!” instead of the textbook “Ne t’inquiète pas,” people instantly relate to you. That personal connection can lead to new friendships, deeper conversations, and maybe even a local’s secret restaurant recommendation.
Quick Tips for Using French Slang Confidently
- Know Your Context. Some slang words are fine among close friends but might be inappropriate at work or in polite company.
- Study Pronunciation. Slang terms often involve truncated endings or mashed-together syllables. Listen to real French podcasts, vlogs, and music to get them right.
- Keep It Current. Language evolves. Slang from the 90s may sound dated today, so tune into pop culture to stay fresh.
- Embrace Mistakes. Using slang is a learning process. If you slip up, your French friends will likely find it endearing and correct you gently.
Below is your comprehensive breakdown of 100 slang expressions. Bookmark this guide and come back to it whenever you need a refresher. We’ve sorted the expressions into categories for clarity and easy reference. Amuse-toi bien!
Category 1 – Greetings & Everyday Expressions
- Ça roule?
- Meaning: “How’s it going?” / “All good?”
- Usage: Casual check-in; respond with “Ça roule!” if everything’s fine.
- Ça bouge?
- Meaning: “What’s up?” / “Is anything happening?”
- Usage: Common among young adults, especially in Paris.
- Salut!
- Meaning: “Hi!” / “Bye!”
- Usage: Universal informal greeting/farewell among friends.
- C’est clair!
- Meaning: “For sure!” / “Exactly!”
- Usage: An enthusiastic way to agree, similar to “That’s so true!”
- La pêche?
- Meaning: “Feeling good?” (literally “Peach?”)
- Usage: “T’as la pêche?” = “You doing okay?”
- Tranquille
- Meaning: “Chill,” “All good”
- Usage: Indicates everything’s calm or you’re feeling relaxed.
- Nickel!
- Meaning: “Perfect!” / “Awesome!”
- Usage: Great way to say something is spot-on.
- Ouais
- Meaning: Informal “Yes” (like “Yeah”)
- Usage: Often used in casual conversation; “Euh ouais” shows hesitation.
- T’inquiète
- Meaning: “Don’t worry!”
- Usage: Short for “Ne t’inquiète pas,” used among friends or peers.
- C’est parti!
- Meaning: “Let’s go!” / “Here we go!”
- Usage: Common exclamation before starting something fun or important.
Category 2 – People & Relationships
- Le pote / La pote
- Meaning: “Friend / Buddy”
- Usage: “C’est mon pote.” = “He’s my buddy.”
- Un mec / Une nana
- Meaning: “A guy / A girl”
- Usage: Casual; more informal than “homme” / “femme.”
- Mon/ma chéri(e)
- Meaning: “My dear / Sweetheart”
- Usage: Term of endearment among couples, friends, or family.
- Un gosse / Une gosse
- Meaning: “A kid”
- Usage: “Mes gosses” = “My kids.”
- Les darons
- Meaning: “Parents” (slang)
- Usage: “Mes darons” = “My folks.”
- Un tonton / Une tatie
- Meaning: “Uncle / Auntie”
- Usage: Affectionate way to refer to an uncle/aunt.
- BFF
- Meaning: “Best friends forever”
- Usage: English acronym also used in French, especially among teens.
- Zinzin
- Meaning: “Crazy,” “Nutty”
- Usage: Often playful. “T’es zinzin!” = “You’re nuts!”
- BG
- Meaning: Beau gosse = “handsome guy” or “good-looking person”
- Usage: “Il est BG!” = “He’s hot!”
- Meuf
- Meaning: “Girl / Chick”
- Usage: Verlan (backwards slang) of “femme.” Casual; watch the context.
Category 3 – Verlan (Backwards Slang)
Verlan is a unique linguistic phenomenon in French where syllables are reversed. It’s popular among younger generations and in hip-hop culture. Understanding verlan opens up a whole new dimension of French conversation.
- Ouf
- Meaning: “Crazy” (from fou)
- Usage: “C’est ouf!” = “That’s crazy!”
- Relou
- Meaning: “Annoying” (from lourd, “heavy”)
- Usage: “Ce mec est relou!” = “That guy is annoying!”
- Reum
- Meaning: “Mother” (from mère)
- Usage: Youthful slang, often used jokingly.
- Reup
- Meaning: “Father” (from père)
- Usage: Similar context as reum.
- Zarbi
- Meaning: “Strange” (from bizarre)
- Usage: “C’est zarbi, ça.” = “That’s weird.”
- Teuf
- Meaning: “Party” (from fête)
- Usage: “On va en teuf ce soir?” = “Are we going to a party?”
- Oim
- Meaning: “Me” (from moi)
- Usage: Rare in casual speech, more common in rap lyrics.
- Kéblo
- Meaning: “Stuck” (from bloqué)
- Usage: “Je suis kéblo dans les bouchons.” = “I’m stuck in traffic.”
- Chanmé
- Meaning: “Wicked,” “Awesome” (from méchant)
- Usage: Ironically means something cool.
- Vénère
- Meaning: “Angry” (from énervé)
- Usage: “Je suis vénère!” = “I’m pissed!”
Category 4 – Food & Drink Slang
- La bouffe
- Meaning: “Food”
- Usage: “On se fait une bouffe?” = “Shall we grab a bite?”
- Un sandwich jambon-beurre
- Meaning: “Ham-and-butter sandwich”
- Usage: A classic found in almost every bakery/café.
- La binouze
- Meaning: “Beer”
- Usage: “On se prend une binouze?” = “Grab a beer?”
- La flotte
- Meaning: “Water” (also “rain”)
- Usage: “Il y a de la flotte.” = “It’s raining.” / “T’as de la flotte?” = “Got water?”
- Le pinard
- Meaning: “Wine” (often cheap, table wine)
- Usage: Historically a daily staple for many French people.
- La clope
- Meaning: “Cigarette”
- Usage: “T’as une clope?” = “Got a smoke?”
- Un casse-croûte
- Meaning: “Snack”
- Usage: “Casse-croûte” literally means “breaking crust.”
- Le kawa
- Meaning: “Coffee”
- Usage: From Arabic qahwa. “Prendre un kawa.” = “Have a coffee.”
- La malbouffe
- Meaning: “Junk food”
- Usage: Often used in media discussing health issues.
- Chaud(e)!
- Meaning: Literally “hot,” but also “intense” or “risky”
- Usage: “C’est chaud!” = “That’s tough!” or “That’s crazy!”
Category 5 – Money & Shopping
- Le fric
- Meaning: “Money” (like “bucks”)
- Usage: “J’ai pas de fric.” = “I have no money.”
- Avoir la dalle
- Meaning: “To be really hungry”
- Usage: “J’ai la dalle!” = “I’m starving!”
- Ça coûte un bras
- Meaning: “It costs an arm!” (very expensive)
- Usage: “Ce resto coûte un bras!” = “That restaurant is crazy expensive!”
- Être ric-rac
- Meaning: “Being tight on money”
- Usage: “Je suis ric-rac ce mois-ci.” = “I’m barely scraping by.”
- Faire du lèche-vitrine
- Meaning: “Window shopping”
- Usage: Literally “window-licking,” for browsing without buying.
- La zone
- Meaning: “A poor area” or “being broke”
- Usage: “Je suis en zone ce mois-ci.” = “I’m broke this month.”
- Un radin / Une radine
- Meaning: “Cheapskate”
- Usage: “Il est super radin.” = “He’s so stingy.”
- Être fauché(e)
- Meaning: “To be broke”
- Usage: “Désolé, je suis fauché…” = “Sorry, I’m out of money…”
- Claquer son fric
- Meaning: “To blow your money”
- Usage: “J’ai tout claqué en soldes.” = “I spent all my money at the sales.”
- Crêcher
- Meaning: “To crash (somewhere),” often cheaply
- Usage: “Je crèche chez un pote.” = “I’m crashing at a friend’s place.”
Category 6 – Emotions & Reactions
- Avoir la flemme
- Meaning: “Can’t be bothered,” “Feeling too lazy”
- Usage: “J’ai la flemme de sortir.” = “I’m too lazy to go out.”
- Avoir le cafard
- Meaning: “To be down,” “have the blues”
- Usage: Literally “to have the cockroach,” but means feeling sad.
- Bof!
- Meaning: “Meh,” showing indifference
- Usage: Perfect for a noncommittal or unimpressed reaction.
- Ça me soûle / Ça me saoule
- Meaning: “That’s annoying,” “It’s getting on my nerves”
- Usage: Literally “it’s making me drunk” with annoyance.
- Avoir les boules
- Meaning: “To be really annoyed or upset”
- Usage: “J’ai les boules.” = “I’m pissed.”
- Mort de rire (MDR)
- Meaning: “Dying of laughter,” French equivalent of “LOL”
- Usage: Common in texts or social media.
- Avoir la trouille
- Meaning: “To be scared”
- Usage: “J’ai la trouille.” = “I’m frightened.”
- Être au taquet
- Meaning: “To be at full speed,” “super motivated”
- Usage: “Je suis au taquet aujourd’hui!” = “I’m on fire today!”
- Avoir le seum
- Meaning: “To be annoyed/upset,” from Arabic origin
- Usage: Popular among younger generations. “J’ai grave le seum!” = “I’m so annoyed!”
- Triper
- Meaning: “To have fun,” “to trip out,” or “enjoy something a lot”
- Usage: “On a tripé toute la nuit.” = “We had a blast all night.”
Category 7 – Going Out & Entertainment
- Faire la fête
- Meaning: “To party”
- Usage: “On va faire la fête ce soir?” = “We gonna party tonight?”
- Soirée
- Meaning: “Evening party/gathering”
- Usage: “C’est quoi le plan pour la soirée?” = “What’s the plan tonight?”
- Une bringue
- Meaning: “A wild party,” slightly old-school
- Usage: “On va à une bringue ce week-end.”
- Faire la teuf
- Meaning: “To party hard” (teuf = fête in verlan)
- Usage: “On fait la teuf chez moi.”
- Se poser
- Meaning: “To chill out,” “to settle down somewhere”
- Usage: “On se pose au café du coin?” = “Shall we chill at the local café?”
- Chiller
- Meaning: “To chill,” borrowed from English
- Usage: “On va chiller cet après-midi?”
- Barrer / Se barrer
- Meaning: “To leave / to take off”
- Usage: “On se barre?” = “Shall we bounce?”
- Kiffer
- Meaning: “To like” or “to love” (from Arabic kaif)
- Usage: “Je kiffe ce film.” = “I love this movie.”
- Se la couler douce
- Meaning: “To take it easy,” “live the sweet life”
- Usage: Often associated with relaxing without worry.
- Un plan-cul
- Meaning: “A casual hookup / friends with benefits”
- Usage: Very informal; watch your audience.
Category 8 – Work & School Slang
- Le taf
- Meaning: “Work / Job” (short for travail à faire)
- Usage: “J’ai trop de taf.” = “I have too much work.”
- Bosser
- Meaning: “To work”
- Usage: “Je bosse demain matin.” = “I’m working tomorrow morning.”
- Le bahut
- Meaning: “School,” especially high school
- Usage: “Je rentre du bahut.” = “I’m coming back from school.”
- Un boulot
- Meaning: “A job / gig,” casual form of travail
- Usage: “Je cherche un boulot.” = “I’m looking for a job.”
- Charrette
- Meaning: “A rush or time crunch,” especially in design or architecture fields
- Usage: “Je suis en charrette avant la deadline.”
- Être surbooké(e)
- Meaning: “To be overbooked / extremely busy”
- Usage: Another anglicism. “Je suis surbooké cette semaine.”
- Avoir un coup de pompe
- Meaning: “A sudden drop in energy,” like an afternoon slump
- Usage: “J’ai un coup de pompe après le déjeuner.”
- Zapper
- Meaning: “To skip,” “to forget,” or literally “to channel-hop”
- Usage: “Désolé, j’ai zappé notre rendez-vous!” = “Sorry, I totally forgot our meeting!”
- Galérer
- Meaning: “To struggle,” “to have a hard time”
- Usage: “Je galère avec ce projet.” = “I’m struggling with this project.”
- Se planter
- Meaning: “To mess up,” “to fail”
- Usage: “Je me suis planté à l’examen.” = “I bombed the exam.”
Category 9 – Tech & Internet Slang
- Un ordi
- Meaning: “Computer”
- Usage: Short for ordinateur.
- Bugger
- Meaning: “To crash,” “to glitch” in a tech context
- Usage: “Mon ordi a buggé.” = “My computer crashed.”
- Le net
- Meaning: “The internet”
- Usage: “J’ai vu ça sur le net.” = “I saw that online.”
- Un selfie
- Meaning: “A selfie,” borrowed from English
- Usage: “On fait un selfie?”
- Un like
- Meaning: A “like” on social media
- Usage: “J’ai eu plein de likes sur Insta!”
- DM (envoyer un DM)
- Meaning: “Send a direct message”
- Usage: “Je t’envoie un DM sur Twitter.”
- Être hyper-connecté(e)
- Meaning: “To be constantly online”
- Usage: “Elle est hyper-connectée, toujours sur son smartphone.”
- Un fil d’actu
- Meaning: “News feed”
- Usage: “Check ton fil d’actu Facebook.” = “Check your Facebook news feed.”
- Faire le buzz
- Meaning: “To go viral,” “to create a buzz”
- Usage: “Cette vidéo fait le buzz sur YouTube.”
- Un troll
- Meaning: “An online troll,” someone who stirs up trouble online
- Usage: Same as in English internet culture.
Category 10 – Random but Useful Expressions
- Être en galère
- Meaning: “To be in a tough spot,” “in trouble”
- Usage: “Je suis en galère, tu peux m’aider?”
- Ça me gonfle
- Meaning: “It’s getting on my nerves,” literally “it inflates me”
- Usage: “Ça me gonfle de refaire ce boulot.” = “I’m fed up with redoing this work.”
- Ça craint
- Meaning: “That’s awful,” “That sucks”
- Usage: “Franchement, ça craint.” = “Honestly, that’s terrible.”
- Chiant(e)
- Meaning: “Really annoying” or “boring”
- Usage: Stronger than relou; “C’est chiant!” = “This is a real pain!”
- La vache!
- Meaning: “Holy cow!” or “Wow!”
- Usage: An exclamation of surprise, positive or negative.
- Carrément
- Meaning: “Absolutely,” “Totally,” “For sure”
- Usage: “Carrément d’accord!” = “Totally agree!”
- C’est pas vrai!
- Meaning: “No way!” / “You’re kidding!”
- Usage: “C’est pas vrai, t’as gagné à la loterie?” = “No way, you won the lottery?”
- Mortel
- Meaning: Literally “deadly,” but slang for “awesome”
- Usage: “Le concert était mortel!” = “The concert was awesome!”
- C’est pas tes oignons
- Meaning: “None of your business”
- Usage: Similar to “Ce n’est pas tes affaires,” but more casual/rude.
- Fais gaffe!
- Meaning: “Watch out!” / “Be careful!”
- Usage: Common caution: “Fais gaffe en traversant la route!”
Conclusion: Level Up Your French and Have Fun!
You’ve made it through 100 essential French slang terms, which means you’re no longer limited to ultra-polite, textbook expressions. The real key to sounding like a Parisian is context: know when and with whom to use these slang words. You’ll be amazed at how quickly native speakers will warm up to you, and how much more fun your conversations become.
Slang is also an ever-evolving beast. Stay curious: watch French movies, listen to local music, scroll through French social media, and chat with friends in French. Each new phrase you pick up adds another layer to your fluency.
- Ready for more? Check out the official Alliance Française to find language courses and cultural programs that can further enhance your skills.
- Try it out: Next time you’re chatting with French-speaking friends or traveling to France, sprinkle in a few expressions from this guide.
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• Which slang expressions do you find most amusing?
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Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned Francophile, practicing with real-life slang is the best way to sound confident and blend in. Bonne chance and have fun mastering the argot!
See Also: New Zealand Slang Guide: 100 Essential Terms for Sounding Kiwi
