French Slang

Arvo, brekkie, barbie, g’day … So many slang words are used every day in Australia. The French also have their own slang. Here is a brief introduction to the common slang words in French !

Verlan is a type of argot commonly used by young people or in an informal setting. It is formed by reversing the syllables in a word. The word itself is an example. Verlan is the switching of two syllables of the word envers. L’envers means the inverse, and à l’envers means the reverse.

Some examples of verlan frequently used in France:

Cimer = merci (thank you)

Meuf = femme (woman) Mostly used to talk about a girlfriend, or to refer to a woman.

Vénère = énervé (angry) Equivalent to pissed off.

Ouf = fou (crazy) Used to express surprise or intensity. Depending on context, it means crazy or amazing.

Chelou = louche (shady)

Relou = Lourd (heavy) Here, it means annoying, pushy.

Reuf = Frère (brother)

 

Other slang words frequently used in France:

Baraque = maison (house)

Bagnole = voiture (car)

Avoir le seum = avoir la rage, être déçu ou frustré (to be furious, dissapointed or frustrated)

Taff = travail (work). Also used as a verb: taffer.

Clope = cigarette (cigarette)