French Slang 50 Common Words You’ll Actually Hear

French slang is everywhere: in cafés, on the metro, in texts, in TV shows, and in that slightly dramatic voice message someone sends after midnight. If you learn only textbook French, you’ll understand a lot—but real everyday speech can still hit you like a baguette to the face.

This guide teaches common argot and informal French words you’ll actually hear in modern France. Some are casual and harmless. Some are a bit rude. A few are very slangy, so you’ll want to understand them before you start throwing them around like you grew up in Marseille.

One small warning: understanding slang is always more important than using it.

If you want a broader path beyond slang, start with the main Learn French hub, then check your level with the French placement test or your word power with the French vocabulary test.

Table of Contents

What Counts As French Slang?

Argot means slang. In real life, though, French people mix standard French, casual spoken French, youth slang, old slang, and regionally popular expressions all in one conversation. So this article includes:

casual words used all the time
verlan words, where syllables are flipped
common texting and spoken shortcuts
a few mildly rude words you’ll definitely hear

Unless noted otherwise, these are mainly standard modern France French usage patterns.

50 Common French Slang Words And Phrases

Here come the useful ones first: the words people actually say all the time, not dusty museum-slang nobody under 87 uses anymore.

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
un mec	uhn mehk	a guy	C’est un mec sympa.	He’s a nice guy.	Very common, casual.
une meuf	oon muhf	a woman, girl	La meuf à gauche, c’est ma sœur.	The girl on the left is my sister.	Verlan from femme. Casual.
un pote	uhn poht	a friend, buddy	Je sors avec des potes ce soir.	I’m going out with some friends tonight.	Very common spoken word.
un boulot	uhn boo-loo	a job	J’ai trouvé un nouveau boulot.	I found a new job.	Casual for travail/emploi.
bosser	boh-say	to work	Je dois bosser demain matin.	I have to work tomorrow morning.	Very common informal verb.
bouffer	boo-fay	to eat	On va bouffer au resto ?	Are we going to eat at the restaurant?	Informal. Fine with friends.
la bouffe	lah boof	food	La bouffe ici est super bonne.	The food here is really good.	Casual noun.
fric	freek	money	J’ai plus de fric à la fin du mois.	I’ve got no money left at the end of the month.	Casual, common.
un truc	uhn trook	a thing, stuff	Tu peux me passer ce truc ?	Can you pass me that thing?	Extremely common filler word.
un bidule	uhn bee-dool	thingamajig	Le bidule pour ouvrir la bouteille est où ?	Where’s the thing for opening the bottle?	Playful, vague object word.

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
un gosse	uhn gohs	a kid	Quand j’étais gosse, je jouais ici.	When I was a kid, I used to play here.	Common informal word.
un gamin / une gamine	gah-man / gah-meen	kid	Les gamins courent partout.	The kids are running everywhere.	Casual, everyday.
un flic	uhn fleek	a cop	Il y avait des flics devant la gare.	There were cops in front of the station.	Informal, not polite.
la bagnole	lah ban-yohl	car	Ma bagnole est encore en panne.	My car is broken down again.	Casual, slightly rough.
la baraque	lah bah-rak	house, place	On se retrouve à ma baraque.	Let’s meet at my place.	Casual for house/home.
un appart	uhn ah-part	apartment	Elle a un appart en centre-ville.	She has an apartment downtown.	Short for appartement.
le taf	luh tahf	work, job	J’ai trop de taf cette semaine.	I’ve got too much work this week.	Very common spoken slang.
une boîte	oon bwat	company, club	Il bosse dans une grosse boîte.	He works at a big company.	Can also mean nightclub in context.
un patron	uhn pah-trohn	boss	Mon patron est en vacances.	My boss is on vacation.	Not slang exactly, but very everyday.
crever	kruh-vay	to be exhausted, to die	Je suis crevé après le boulot.	I’m exhausted after work.	Je suis crevé = I’m wiped out.

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
être crevé	etr kruh-vay	to be exhausted	On rentre, je suis crevée.	Let’s go home, I’m exhausted.	Add -e if the speaker is female in writing.
ça marche	sah marsh	that works, okay	On se voit à huit heures ? Ça marche.	See you at eight? Works for me.	Very useful casual agreement phrase.
ça roule	sah rool	all good, works for me	Demain à midi ? Ça roule.	Tomorrow at noon? Sounds good.	Friendly casual tone.
ça baigne	sah beny	all’s good	—Ça va ? —Oui, ça baigne.	“How are you?” “Yeah, all good.”	More slangy, less universal.
ça craint	sah kran	that sucks, that’s bad	Franchement, ça craint.	Honestly, that sucks.	Very common reaction phrase.
nickel	nee-kel	perfect, great	Ton idée est nickel.	Your idea is perfect.	Very common casual praise.
top	tohp	great, excellent	Le resto était top.	The restaurant was great.	Modern casual approval word.
génial	zhay-nee-al	great, awesome	Le concert était génial.	The concert was awesome.	Not pure slang, but very common spoken French.
grave	grahv	totally, seriously	—Tu viens ? —Grave.	“Are you coming?” “Totally.”	Can mean “serious” in standard French too.
carrément	kah-ray-mahn	totally, absolutely	Tu veux sortir ? Carrément.	Do you want to go out? Absolutely.	Very common emphatic agreement.

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
ouais	weh	yeah	—Tu viens ? —Ouais.	“Are you coming?” “Yeah.”	Casual version of oui.
bah	bah	well, uh	Bah, je sais pas.	Well, I don’t know.	Common filler in speech.
genre	zhahnr	like, kind of	Il était genre super en retard.	He was like really late.	Modern spoken filler.
bof	bawf	meh	Le film ? Bof.	The movie? Meh.	Excellent for mild disappointment.
ben	behn	well	Ben oui, évidemment.	Well yes, obviously.	Spoken form of eh bien.
euh	uh	uh, um	Euh… j’ai oublié.	Um… I forgot.	Classic hesitation sound.
vas-y	vah-zee	go ahead, come on	Vas-y, explique.	Go ahead, explain.	Very common spoken command.
laisse tomber	less tahm-bay	forget it, never mind	Laisse tomber, c’est trop compliqué.	Forget it, it’s too complicated.	Super useful real-life phrase.
n’importe quoi	nahm-port kwah	nonsense, ridiculous	Ce qu’il raconte, c’est n’importe quoi.	What he’s saying is nonsense.	Very common criticism.
ça me saoule	sah muh sool	it annoys me, it’s getting on my nerves	Les retards, ça me saoule.	Delays annoy me.	From saouler. Casual, common.

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
chiant / chiante	shee-ahn / shee-ahnt	annoying, a pain	Ce devoir est vraiment chiant.	This homework is really annoying.	Mildly rude. Very common.
relou	ruh-loo	annoying, shady, sketchy	Ce type est relou.	That guy is annoying.	Verlan from lourd.
chelou	shuh-loo	weird, suspicious	Son excuse était chelou.	His excuse was weird.	Verlan from louche.
ouf	oof	crazy, amazing	Ce match était ouf.	That match was crazy.	Verlan from fou.
un truc de ouf	uhn trook duh oof	something insane	Son appart, c’est un truc de ouf.	His apartment is insane.	Very common modern phrase.
kiffer	kee-fay	to really like, love	Je kiffe cette chanson.	I love this song.	Very common youth/casual slang.
un kif	uhn keef	a pleasure, something you love	Le café le matin, c’est mon kif.	Coffee in the morning is my thing.	Casual noun.
mater	mah-tay	to watch, look at	On mate un film ce soir ?	Are we watching a movie tonight?	Informal spoken verb.
mater quelqu’un	mah-tay kel-kun	to check someone out	Il arrête pas de la mater.	He keeps checking her out.	Context can make it flirtier.
draguer	drah-gay	to flirt, hit on	Il essaie de draguer la serveuse.	He’s trying to flirt with the waitress.	Common spoken verb.

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
pécho	pay-shoh	to hook up with, pick up	Il pense qu’il va pécho ce soir.	He thinks he’s going to hook up tonight.	Very slangy. Use with care.
un plan	uhn plahn	a plan, hookup situation, deal	J’ai un plan pour des places moins chères.	I’ve got a plan for cheaper tickets.	Meaning depends on context.
un plan galère	uhn plahn gah-lair	a bad situation	Le train annulé, c’est un plan galère.	The canceled train is a nightmare situation.	Galère = hassle, struggle.
galère	gah-lair	hassle, struggle	Trouver un appart à Paris, c’est la galère.	Finding an apartment in Paris is a nightmare.	Super useful complaint word.
la honte	lah ont	so embarrassing	Je suis tombé devant tout le monde, la honte.	I fell in front of everyone, so embarrassing.	Very natural spoken reaction.
se planter	suh plahn-tay	to mess up, be wrong	Je me suis planté de date.	I got the date wrong.	Very common reflexive verb.
rater	rah-tay	to miss, mess up	J’ai raté mon bus.	I missed my bus.	Not slang, but everyday useful.
se barrer	suh bah-ray	to leave, get out	On se barre ?	Shall we get out of here?	Casual and a bit rough.
se casser	suh kah-say	to get lost, leave	Je me casse, il est tard.	I’m out, it’s late.	Rougher than partir.
foutre le camp	footr luh kahn	to get out, clear off	Fous le camp !	Get out!	Rude. Understand it; use carefully.

Quick Notes On The Most Useful Slang Patterns

A few patterns make French slang much easier to decode once you spot them.

1. Verlan Flips Syllables Around

Verlan is a classic French slang system where syllables get reversed. That is how you get:

meuf from femme
ouf from fou
chelou from louche
relou from lourd

You do not need to produce verlan naturally right away. Just recognizing it already helps a lot.

2. Spoken French Loves Shorter Words

French speakers cut words down constantly:

appart for appartement
taf for travail
aprem for après-midi if you hear it in real life

This is not laziness. It is efficiency. Very stylish efficiency, obviously.

3. Slang Can Change The Tone Fast

Compare these:

Je suis fatigué. = I’m tired.
Je suis crevé. = I’m exhausted.
Je me casse. = I’m out / I’m leaving.

The meaning may be similar, but the vibe changes. That is the whole game with slang.

Best learner rule: use slang one level more carefully than the people around you.

Common Mistakes English Speakers Make With French Slang

Using slang too early with strangers. Un mec is usually fine. Fous le camp is not how you charm the baker.
Thinking slang always means rude. Plenty of these words are just casual, not offensive.
Overusing verlan. If you sprinkle meuf, ouf, and chelou into every sentence, it can sound forced.
Ignoring register. Bosser is fine in conversation. In a formal cover letter, maybe choose travailler.
Forgetting gender. Il est chiant, but elle est chiante. Spoken French may blur endings, but the written form still matters.

Mini Table Of Safe Vs Less Safe Slang

Safer Everyday Slang	Use	Less Safe / Rougher	Use
un pote	friend	flic	cop
bosser	work	chiant	annoying, mildly rude
un appart	apartment	se casser	get out, leave
ça marche	works for me	foutre le camp	clear off, rude
nickel	perfect	pécho	hook up, very slangy

Useful Real-Life Sentences With Mixed Slang

These are the kinds of things you might actually hear in everyday conversation:

Je bosse trop, je suis crevé. = I work too much, I’m exhausted.
On va bouffer un truc ? = Shall we grab something to eat?
Ce film est trop chelou. = This movie is super weird.
Ta bagnole est où ? = Where’s your car?
Laisse tomber, c’est la galère. = Forget it, it’s a nightmare.
Ce resto est top, je kiffe. = This restaurant is great, I love it.
On se barre ? = Shall we get out of here?
Il raconte n’importe quoi. = He’s talking nonsense.
Demain, ça marche pour toi ? = Does tomorrow work for you?
C’est un truc de ouf. = It’s insane.

France French Vs Quebec French

This article focuses on France French slang. If you go to Quebec, you will still hear some of these, especially through media, but everyday slang there can be very different. Words like taf, meuf, or chelou are strongly associated with France usage.

So yes, French slang travels. But not always with the same passport.

How To Learn Slang Without Sounding Weird

Learn to recognize slang before trying to use it.
Start with safe, common items like pote, boulot, bosser, ça marche, and nickel.
Copy the register of the people around you.
Use rougher slang only when you are sure of the tone.
Notice which words appear in texting, shows, and casual speech again and again.

If you want more everyday expressions, this guide pairs well with popular French idioms. And if you want to revisit this page later, yes, the full guide is also at common French slang.

Quick Reference Summary

mec, meuf, pote = guy, girl, friend
boulot, taf, bosser = job, work, to work
bouffer, bouffe = to eat, food
crevé, chiant, chelou, relou = exhausted, annoying, weird, annoying/sketchy
ça marche, ça roule, grave, carrément = okay, sounds good, totally, absolutely
laisse tomber, n’importe quoi, ça craint = forget it, nonsense, that sucks
se barrer, se casser = to leave, get out
ouf, kiffer, un truc de ouf = crazy/amazing, to love, something insane

Yak takeaway: you do not need to speak like a Parisian teenager in a crime series. But if you can understand Je suis crevé, on va bouffer un truc ?, you are already much closer to real French than the person still bravely asking where the library is.