10 Popular French Slang Words for Everyday Life
Discover common French slang words to use in everyday French conversation.
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=== MORE ABOUT THIS LESSON ===
There are french slang for formal French language. There is the vulgar French language, with swear words etc.
Then there’s the middle ground-popular language, common slang, neither formal nor rude. And that's what we'll tackle today -- the French slang words we actually use the most for everyday life. Let's learn a few of these most common words!
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=== ABOUT GÉRALDINE ===
Bonjour ! I’m Géraldine Lepère, the founder of Comme une Française (= “Like a French woman”) and your new French best friend. :)
Each Tuesday, I share a fun, fresh and bite-sized lesson on French language and French culture-from how to avoid embarrassing mistakes to must-know pop-cultural references!
Since 2012, with more than 7 million views from students in more than 56 countries, I’ve been helping people just like you gain the confidence to really talk in French. I help you go way beyond your “textbook” French from high school, and learn to speak real, practical everyday French.
Keep in touch! You can email me with any questions or to simply say “bonjour” at geraldine@commeunefrancaise.com
Baraque aux Bahamas = Barak Obama? :)
ahah ^^
Gigla Gonashvili J'ai écouté la même chose 😂😂😂😂 . Très funny!!!
😂 😂 😂 😂 I swear I heard the same thing!
Très bizarre lol
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
being myself French, this is funny, learning not proper words is weird 😂 It is true that we use these words but it is weird to see a learning session about this
Something I heard a lot from my Parisian cousin: GRAVE !
Yes probably the most used french expression you're right hahaha
Ohhh yes that was interesting, thank you! I never really did ask my cousin to explain what it means, haha. Thank you for explaining it clearly!
+Saturnine Mercure You can also say : "Ce prof est grave sympa!"
Mais carrément!
Saturnine Mercure thank you so much
Geraldine, I would like to sincerely thank you for your KZhead videos, they are helpful even for people fluent in French. We have recently moved to Paris from Montreal, Quebec (we now have a place in the 16eme...yay!), and although we speak French fluently (and my wife is in fact a Francophone / Quebecoise pur laine), your videos have helped us understand the differences in every day expressions and some of the cultural differences between our countries. You have also helped us understand some faux pas...lol...like we have learned we can't say je suis exciter...well...not in a typical public environment anyway lol. So, please keep doing what you're doing. Peter et France (my wife's name...yes, France, like the country...a bit confusing for Parisians...but we will live!)
It's the same for me! I learned French in New England, but I'd really love to one day study in France. But it's like they speak a completely different language over there! So thank you so much for making these videos!
Instablaster.
the problem with school french is you can't watch films or listen to music without slang
"C'est pas vraiment mon truc" is my favorite!
meaning- it's not really my thing? same as in english?
Bailey Derby yes
Yes, I can see using that word and it's not hard to remember. A good place to start.
I have been learning french by my self for the past 2 years and a half. But it's people like you who teach me well without Having to go to france. Je suis mexicain mais je peux parler un peu français merci bcp ma sœur française, bjr et au revoir.
Your videos make me love French even more, they are like fresh air, thank you very much
Je veux vous dire merçi bien pour ces vidéos. Ils m'aident à garder mon français. Je suis franco-recain et j'ai pas souvent l'occasion de parler français. Thanks so much. Paul.
Bof and cannon are about the only two french slang I'd know... Le Truc was the only one already familiar to me. Merci for another excellent episode, Geraldine :))
These videos are so useful! I am going to be an exchange student in France next year, and trough these videos I learn so much that we don't learn at school :)
Thanks Géraldine, there’s always so much things to learn
Well done Geraldine! Excellent videos, keep up the good work!
Tu as déjà fait une vidéo sur l'utilisation de l'expression "du coup"?
Le saut à l’élastique est mon truc ! Merci Géraldine.
What a sweetheart! ...thanks for helping my international language deficiency. I'm so grateful when people are willing and able to converse in English. gracias
a great reminder of some of the words I had forgotten. Thanks so much for the reminder.
thank you!!! your videos are treasures!
Compliments! Il y a 37 ans, travaillant dans un lycée italien, j'utilisais un petit bouquin, SKIDIZ (= ce qu'ils disent) qui citait des dizaines de mots de français familier. J'ignore s'il existe encore. La jeune femme sur la vidéo est parfaite du point de vue pédagogique comme pour le choix des mots et expressions qu'effectivement, nous Français employons à tout bout de champ. Espérons qu'elle fasse de nombreuses vidéos sur le même sujet: les mots à expliciter ne manquent pas. C'est un vrai bonheur d'entendre des explications aussi efficaces, avec une prononciation authentique dans les deux langues. Je partage avec plein d'amis...
This was helpful! Thanks!
Un machin! I have been searching for this spelling. I have heard that word so many times. Thanks !
Géraldine tu es super ! Your videos are amazing these are all the French slang I often heard from my father in-law which I've struggled to understand before but now I know. You makes learning French easy and interesting. Merci beacoup! 😉
Merci!!! Je t'aime pour ça , Géraldine!
I learned many of these words from listening to Tryo, one of my favorite bands. Music is great for learning, and singing really helps with pronunciation.
Love your teaching dear 👍👍👍 so helpful 💖💖💋
Love it! J'adore !
Super-useful Geraldine! Finally I know what "La Bouffe du Nord" means! I love your videos, many thanks.
Your videos are so helpful! I'm living and working in Brest right now and for the next two weeks. I learned my slang in the 1970s, so I sound like everyone's grandpa. Your videos have helped me speak a more current French. Merci!
Michael Heitz hahaha thats so cute!!!- 😁😁😁
Merci, Géraldine, t'as bossé très dur pour faire ces vidéos vachement intéressants!
You have the most beautiful accent in French that I have ever heard!
I'm going to be living in France for a year, so this is very helpful! Merci, Geraldine!
I try to watch a couple of your videos when i have a little spare time. It's good to hear thè way you add a bit of culture with the vocabulary. I liked especially just now 10 slang words and how they are employed. Merci.
Vos vidéos son un trésor du point de vue de la didactique des langues !
These are great!!
Merci, Geraldine !
Merci, c'est génial! j'ai entendu beaucoup de ces trucs mais pas tous
I thank you very much you are a good teacher. I love your style of teaching especially to we the English speakers. God bless you in double fold.
Great informative videos, thank-you Geraldine. I have used truc a lot when I don’t know the word for a tool at a store or such like. I find when use truc and describe the thing French people will usually tell you the word you don’t know, so you use the french you know and learn a new word! I recommend it to anyone learning french.
cest vraiment utile pour moi, merci beaucoup, Jaime ce que tu as fait,
J'adore!! Trop utile....
Je regarde tes vidéos chaque jour et c’est très formidable !!
I didn't know la thune, filer, saper, une baraque and a few other things. I've spoken French for a long time but using more of the registre familier I've always wanted to do. Thank you so much!
Bonjour, Géraldine! Je suis nouvelle membre de votre chaine et j'ai voulu vous dire que vos vidéo sont exactement ce dont j'avais besoin. Je m'en régale fort bien. Merci et bonne continuation! Ana
Great video !
Wonderful video,and I did already know a few words like boulot,les fringues and bagnole.Now I know even more though which is great.
Merci mille fois! Je ne sais pas où j’aurais pu apprendre cette information! C’était très utile.
C'est excellent cette vidéo ! Très bon choix du sujet, du contenu, du ton, des traductions... Il y a beaucoup à prendre et à apprendre. J'y dirigerai tous les anglophones qui me posent des questions ;-)
GREAT Video!
Thank you, Geraldine! I finally know how to spell machin now. I always heard it spoken but never saw it written. Lovely dress btw, "tu te sapes bien!" :D
I like this! Thank you :)
Very good video! I'm a Brazilian living in France and I hear some of the expressions... others not so much actually, but still good to know :D
Camila Madureira really? I use these expressions very often
Salut Géraldine, merci énormément pour toutes ces vidéos, mais surtout celles sur le français authentique, celui parlé dans la rue par tout le monde! ça fait la différence quand on part en France pour la première fois! Tous mes vœux pour vos autres projets, merci à nouveau :-)
merci!
Merci pour tes leçon argot
Very helpful, thank you. Les pompes for leisure footwear is similar to and, perhaps, the origin of another name for plimsolls - often called pumps in Britain.
more of these please
Apart from the useful information that you give, I love your dresses
Merci Rozhan! This one is from Claudie Pierlot.
I wonder if "se barrer" is from the Arabic word "barra", meaning "outside". For high heel shoes I have heard "escarpins" in French, which also resembles the corresponding name in Lebanese: "scarbineh". Being a fashion term I would imagine Lebanese borrowed this word from the French language. A very common French slang expression I have heard is "mais qu'est ce qu'il fout?", which is used where we would say "what the hell is he doing?".
The principle meaning of "barrer" in Spanish is "to sweep"(the floor);"clear out";"throw out". There are also other meanings depending of the content it's being used, for example, "sweep away"; "dispel";"do away with" and when used in the compounds forms, it has another meaning, one example:" barrer hacia adentro, barrer para adentro" = look out for number one. P.S. There are more. :)
@Victor Velazquez. Thank you for pointing out the Spanish origin of "se barrer". So now I know one more word of Spanish, which is among the languages I want to learn better. I have been trying to learn too many languages at once, and am now concentrating on Arabic and Turkish because they are the ones which presented the biggest challenge. Thank you also for pointing out the use of compound forms in Spanish. When I read something in Spanish I often encounter situations where I understand the words, yet still have no idea what they are talking about.
Barra ... barrio
Great content
Hi. Again a super vid even for native French speakers like me. Bravo Géraldine.
Thank you JR.
J'admire ton optimisme et prendre ton temps pour expliquer les choses. Courage Gégé ! :)
Merci pour votre vidéo! Je savais déjà le mot "truc," mais les autres étaient nouveaux pour moi. Je vais utiliser "le mec." C'est très utile!
Funny, I already leant about half of these in my school French book (in Germany) almost 20 years ago :) I often feel our French classes were much closer to real spoken French to what people learnt in school in other countries.
What book did you have?
This was incredibly useful! I thought I would have known the majority of these, but I was only familiar with about half! Thank you for creating these videos!
Love it
As a foreigner speaking French, I plan on using 'truc, machin, chose" alot!
la flotte (l'eau); par exemple: passe-moi de la flotte, j'ai soif !
Zack Oesterreicher c'est pas familier c'est beauf
non c'est pas beauf, c'est familier.
you could also use the verbal phrase "il flotte" for "it's raining" (impersonal third person)
Non on dit ça partout je t'assure x) (je suis de région parisienne et j'ai entendu moulte gens dirent ce genre de chose)
Justine Semidea moulte 😂? je connais pas cette expression moi
I just came to France I often made mistakes take you have explained here I have subscribed to your channel and I would like to learn more I don’t speak at all except couple of sentences
C'est ouf!!!!! I like this slang.
J’aime bien le verbe Taffer. Un taf, etc. « On s’appelle. On fait une bouffe. » je n’avais pas connu ces mots/expression avant. Merci!
Merci bien! I do use le truc et in machin. It is useful to know the other terms. I also knew about La Grande Bouffe.
De plus, I knew le mec, but not one meuf.
7:28 Barack Obama :D
je sais mdr :P
hahaha
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhahaha
Yes, I'm french and we have lots of puns about house Obama :')
If only Trump were a trompe l'oeil!
Merci mille fois pour ce video Géraldine 💕 tu es toujours comme un diamond 💎😍 pouvez vous me recommander un bon thésaurus svp ?
I will use le truc!
I love your video, but more explanation about the history or reasoning behind the slang or phrases would be useful.
Bonjour Madame, How to get the link of 10 day free learning course? Merci Beaucoup
Lovely background...
Bonsoir Géraldine!!! Je pense que vos vidéos sont très précises, utiles et intéressantes. Je pense également à la recommandation de certaines de vos vidéos à mes lycéens/lycéennes en Jamaïque à l'avenir pour qu'ils/elles puissent mieux comprendre la grammaire et la culture française. La plupart d'entre eux sont des débutants.
C'est une bonne idée!
Hello professor Bonjour professeur Thanks a lot for your your help and advice. Merci beaucoup pour votre aide et vos conseils. Je vous souhaite une longue vie pleine de bonheur et paix sous le ciel de prospérité.
Le fric, c'est chic! It's amazing how few people realize what that song was about...
Excellent intro to slang. Also verlan - la teuf, faire la teuf, teufeurs for la fête etc.
Asch Haa "teufeur" is more likely used to call a guy who go in rave parties or party.
Haha you were definitely trying to put the us presedent in there with House :)
L'un de mes passages favorits d'Astérix, quand Bonnemine rend visite à son frère à Lutèce. Son frère: "Galentine!, Galentine! Bonnemine et Machin sont arrivés!
j adoore ta video! j utilise comme d hab le truc "le truc" mdr
These are from my childhood in the 70s: Godasses = savates (shoes), un coup de savate is a kick. Chambre, piole (not sure of spelling) but this means bedroom and pioler is to stay in/home I think? Une Paillasse is a bed or mattress. Instead of plastique, people said plastoque: 《une bidule chouette, toute en plastoque》 meaning "a cool thingamajig made out of plastic" (chouette meant cool). Smoking (a cigarette) is Cloper, and a cig is une clope. To throw away or "chuck" something people used the verb 'balancer'. Frangin, or frangine is brother or sister
Excellent! I j'ajouterais un flic (policeman/cop), un flingue (gun). Je décolle (I've got to go/leave)
*un flingue ;)
@@f2lautus Merci ;)
Salut chère enseignante J'apprécie votre excellent travail. Merci beaucoup .j'aime votre importante méthode d'enseignement .vraiment elle est très intéressante surtout est sous-titré. Enfin veiller recevoir mes meilleures salutations les plus distinguées.
I am another Camille, also! [I'm 3gen Franco-American. I hardly ever hear my name, awesome! Thanks for all your vids! ⚜😻
I knew quelque chose which means something and thats about it booboo 😭😂 j'adore le langue de français et I hope to apprendre completement quelque jour! Thank you btw
When I lived in Montpellier in the 90’s I heard ‘tracasseries’ a lot (for ‘worries’ or ‘hassles’, is it still in use and is it or was it mainly a southern thing?
Ton vídeo est super-cool!!! Ça me plaît!
RAYZA LOUREIRO ta* :)
I thing,.. I will use le buffer and Un marchin. Merci Beacoup
Salut Géraldine, une expression que j'ai entendue pour la première fois à la TV est "Lâche-moi la grappe". J'avoue que je n'avais jamais entendu cette expression avant. Il paraît que l'équivalent anglais est "Give me a break" ou bien "You've got to be kidding"
Great video ! You could also mention "machiner" which derivates from "machin", as in "machiner un truc". Not that common but quite funny. Now I think about it, "ficher" is also very common for "faire".
I guess the English machinate has something to do with machiner.
I didn't know it, but considering the meaning of machinates, you must be right ! But it could be more negative than the French word.
A couple of years ago when I was studying French and when I didn't know the proper slang word for woman friend, I decided to say "Une mequette". Gauthier, the teacher, thought it was amusing.
I first became aware of "machin" from a Miles Davis number, "Petits Machins."
When people greet others and ask "ca va bien?" they say nickel. I've always thought this sounded odd.
Taf and thunes are familiar from Stromae's song. It was a nice video
MERCI!!! ♥♥
Great