French Teen Slang: Speak French like a Cool Kid
Want to sound cool while speaking French? Some tips plus a list of verlan and slang words French youngsters use.
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Kids (teens, pre-teens, and even those in their early twenties) often talk to their friends using a different set of trendy slang words.
In the US, this includes “bae”, “dope” (it means good, not the drugs), “YOLO” (not sure if this is still a thing), “swag”, “turnt”, and so on.
It’s the same thing in France. The young crowd sprinkles their sentences with words that are uber cool in French, too. So if you want in on the secret to sounding young and hip, let’s take a look at some of the most common slang terms used by youngsters in French streets nowadays.
But before that, here are a few things you need to know about French slang:
- Injecting slang into your sentences would give off the vibe that you’re cool, fun, and friendly. This is especially useful for beginners. When using slang or an informal French register, you can get away with grammar mistakes because the rules are more relaxed.
- If you’re already fluent, using colloquial terms would make you seem more natural, and closer to sounding like a native speaker.
- BUT never ever use slang terms with polite company; use it only among friends or casual gatherings, and always be very careful in saying them. The French put a great deal of emphasis on politeness in their social interactions.
- A lot of French slang words are vulgar and can be considered as major insults. So always make sure to ask native French speakers first if a word can be considered offensive or if it’s safe for everyday use.
- Modern French slang is constantly evolving. So a cool slang word a few months ago might suddenly sound outdated now.
- Some teen slang words might be fun to use once in a while and it would make you sound super cool. But if you’re not interested in sounding like a teenager, that’s alright. You’d still need to know some basic words to understand it when it appears in online chats, in songs, YouTube videos, and social media.
- Slang words that the French youth use nowadays have evolved from different sources including verlan, Arabic, English, SMS shortcodes, and so much more.
Wait, let’s go back quickly. I mentioned Verlan, but you might be wondering what Verlan is.
What’s Verlan?
Verlan is a form of French slang that makes use of inverting syllables. The word verlan itself is a verlan term. How so?
The term verlan is derived from l’envers which means “the reverse”. L’envers has two syllables: l’en and vers. Now switch the two syllables and make the spelling more straightforward, and what do you get? Yup. Verlan.
Let’s get to know a few verlan words:
- Ripou comes from pourri and means rotten or corrupt.
- Reubeu was originally beur which was already a verlan term for arabe (Arab).
- Céfran comes from the word français which of course, means French.
- Chanmé is the verlan for méchant. It can mean “mean or nasty,” and is also used approvingly for something impressive or awesome.
- Ouf is the verlan for fou (crazy).
Anyway, these are just a few example words. The list above should already give you a clearer idea of how verlan plays around with the different syllables.
You don’t necessarily have to use them, but it would be good to understand how verlan works because this type of slang is quite common.
Now here are some popular modern slang words used by French youngsters.
- Archi bonreally good
- Bah non /Bah ouiOh no / Oh yeah
- Baltringuecoward
- Bolossea loser
- Casse l’ambiancemood breaker
- Chiantannoying / boring
- Débilestupid
- vachement/ carrémentreally / totally (depending on the context)
- Frérotbrother
- Grave sympareally nice / really cool
- J’avoueI agree / that’s true
- kiffer (verb)“Kif” is the Arabic word for “a sense of well-being/happiness”; now used by youngsters to say “like” or “love”
- Les rageuxhaters
- mecsthe dudes
- meufsgirls / ladies (meuf is verlan for femme, “woman”: the sounds are rearranged, with a vowel change)
- Naaanno / “I don’t believe it”
- Oh bah dis doncWell, well! / Wow
- Flipperto freak out
- péterto explode / to fart (se la péter is to be pretentious or to be a show-off)
- Ringarduncool (can be said for someone or something)
- sans déconnerno kidding
- Se péchoto hook up
- Super nulreally sucks
- Tarécrazy
- une boîteclub (short for boîte de nuit); you can picture a crowded club as “une boîte à sardines” (‘a sardine can’), but that image is not a verified origin of the word
