The first time someone called me un mec cool /œ̃ mɛk kul/ — a cool guy — in France, I was extremely proud… and also completely lost. I’d learned homme /ɔm/ — man — in class, not mec. Ten minutes later someone complained that the métro was relou /ʁə.lu/ — annoying — and that the movie we’d seen was ouf /uf/ — crazy. My textbook French quietly packed its bags and left.
Real-life French is full of argot /aʁ.ɡo/ — slang. The good news: you don’t need all of it. A small set of super common words will suddenly make your Netflix, group chats, and café conversations much easier to follow.
By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to:
- Recognize and use the most common slang for people, money, food, and reactions
- Understand what’s going on when French friends switch into verlan /vɛʁ.lɑ̃/ — reversed-syllable slang
- Know when slang is fun… and when it’s too strong for the situation
We’ll stick to useful, everyday argot that you can actually use without sounding like a 14-year-old TikToker from 2012 or a gangster from a bad movie.
Quick Primer: Argot, Register, And When To Use It
First, two key words:
- l’argot /laʁ.ɡo/ — slang
- le langage familier /lə lɑ̃.ɡaʒ fa.mi.lje/ — informal language
Most of what we’ll do here is familier: super common in conversations with friends, in series, on social media. Some words are more “pure” argot and can feel stronger or rougher.
Golden rule:
- With friends, same age, informal vibe → slang is normal.
- With a boss, teacher, or stranger in a shop → standard French first, maybe a tiny bit of soft slang later.
Think of slang as your “upgrade pack.” You don’t need it to survive, but it makes everything feel more real once you know when to click it on.
People Words: Friends, Guys, Girls
These are everywhere. If you learn only one section from this article, make it this one.
| French | IPA | English |
| un mec | œ̃ mɛk | a guy |
| une meuf | yn møf | a girl (informal) |
| un pote | œ̃ pɔt | a mate / buddy |
| la bande | la bɑ̃d | the gang / friend group |
| un vieux | œ̃ vjø | an old guy / “the old man” (can be about your dad) |
| une vieille | yn vjɛj | an old woman |
Usage notes:
- un mec is the most common slang for “guy.” You can safely use it with friends.
- une meuf is very common, but more colloquial. Use it only in relaxed situations, never in formal speech about someone important.
- un pote is neutral-friendly: not rude, just informal.
Examples:
- C’est un mec sympa.
/sɛ œ̃ mɛk sɛ̃.pa/
He’s a nice guy. - Je sors avec mes potes ce soir.
/ʒə sɔʁ a.vɛk me pɔt sə swaʁ/
I’m going out with my friends tonight. - Tu connais cette meuf ?
/ty kɔ.nɛ sɛt møf/
Do you know that girl?
Everyday Life Slang: Work, Food, Clothes, Money
This is the vocabulary that makes you sound like you live in French, not just study it.
Work And Study
On first mentions:
- bosser /bɔ.se/ — to work (instead of travailler)
- un boulot /œ̃ bu.lo/ — a job (instead of travail)
| French | IPA | English |
| bosser | bɔ.se | to work |
| le boulot | lə bu.lo | job / work |
| être en galère | ɛtʁ ɑ̃ ɡa.lɛʁ | to be struggling (money, work, situation) |
Examples:
- Je dois bosser demain.
/ʒə dwa bɔ.se də.mɛ̃/
I have to work tomorrow. - Je cherche un nouveau boulot.
/ʒə ʃɛʁʃ œ̃ nu.vo bu.lo/
I’m looking for a new job.
Food And Eating
On first mentions:
- la bouffe /la buf/ — food (informal)
- bouffer /bu.fe/ — to eat (informal, like “to stuff your face”)
| French | IPA | English |
| la bouffe | la buf | food (slang) |
| bouffer | bu.fe | to eat (slang) |
| un truc à bouffer | œ̃ tʁyk a bu.fe | something to eat |
Examples:
- On va chercher de la bouffe ?
/ɔ̃ va ʃɛʁ.ʃe də la buf/
Want to go get some food? - J’ai trop bouffé.
/ʒe tʁo bu.fe/
I ate way too much.
Use manger /mɑ̃.ʒe/ in normal situations; bouffer is very informal.
Clothes
On first mention:
- les fringues /le fʁɛ̃ɡ/ — clothes
| French | IPA | English |
| les fringues | le fʁɛ̃ɡ | clothes |
| une tenue | yn tə.ny | outfit |
Example:
- J’adore tes fringues !
/ʒa.dɔʁ te fʁɛ̃ɡ/
I love your clothes!
Money
On first mentions:
- le fric /lə fʁik/ — money
- la thune /la tyn/ — money
| French | IPA | English |
| le fric | lə fʁik | money |
| la thune | la tyn | money / cash |
Examples:
- J’ai pas de fric.
/ʒe pa də fʁik/
I don’t have any money. - Il a beaucoup de thune.
/il a bo.ku də tyn/
He has a lot of money.
Use l’argent /laʁ.ʒɑ̃/ in neutral French; fric and thune are casual, not for job interviews.
Reactions, Feelings, And Opinions (Grave, Ouf, Relou)
Now the fun expressive stuff.
Saying Something Is Cool, Crazy, Or Lame
On first mentions:
- ouf /uf/ — crazy (from fou, reversed)
- grave /ɡʁav/ — literally “serious,” here: totally / for sure
- nul /nyl/ — lame / rubbish
| French | IPA | English |
| C’est ouf ! | sɛ uf | That’s crazy / insane (good or bad) |
| C’est grave bien. | sɛ ɡʁav bjɛ̃ | It’s really good. |
| C’est nul. | sɛ nyl | It sucks / It’s lame. |
| C’est top. | sɛ tɔp | It’s great. |
Examples:
- Ce film est ouf !
/sə film ɛ uf/
This movie is crazy / amazing! - Ce restaurant est grave bon.
/sə ʁɛs.to.ʁɑ̃ ɛ ɡʁav bɔ̃/
This restaurant is really good. - Franchement, c’était nul.
/fʁɑ̃ʃ.mɑ̃ sɛ.tɛ nyl/
Honestly, it was lame.
“So Annoying” And “So Weird”
On first mentions:
- relou /ʁə.lu/ — annoying, a pain (from lourd)
- chelou /ʃə.lu/ — weird, shady (from louche)
| French | IPA | English |
| C’est relou. | sɛ ʁə.lu | It’s annoying / a hassle. |
| C’est chelou. | sɛ ʃə.lu | It’s weird / sketchy. |
Examples:
- Le métro est relou ce matin.
/lə me.tʁo ɛ ʁə.lu sə ma.tɛ̃/
The metro is such a pain this morning. - Ce type est un peu chelou.
/sə tip ɛ ɛ̃ pø ʃə.lu/
That guy is a bit weird.
“Can’t Be Bothered” And “I’m So Annoyed”
On first mentions:
- avoir la flemme /a.vwaʁ la flɛm/ — to be too lazy / can’t be bothered
- avoir le seum /a.vwaʁ lə sœm/ — to be really annoyed / pissed off (youth slang, stronger)
Examples:
- J’ai la flemme de sortir.
/ʒe la flɛm də sɔʁ.tiʁ/
I can’t be bothered to go out. - Il a le seum parce qu’il a raté son examen.
/il a lə sœm paʁs kil a ʁa.te sɔ̃n ɛɡ.za.mɛ̃/
He’s really annoyed because he failed his exam.
Le seum is pretty strong emotionally; avoid using it with people you don’t know well.
Conversation Glue: Yeah, Nope, Whatever, Don’t Worry
These little words appear in almost every French conversation.
| French | IPA | English |
| ouais | wɛ | yeah |
| nan | nɑ̃ | nah / no |
| bof | bɔf | meh / so-so |
| t’inquiète | tɛ̃.kjɛt | don’t worry (informal) |
| vas-y | va.zi | go ahead / go for it |
| laisse tomber | lɛs tɔ̃.be | forget it / never mind |
Examples:
- Ouais, pourquoi pas.
/wɛ puʁ.kwa pa/
Yeah, why not. - Nan, j’ai pas envie.
/nɑ̃ ʒe pa ɑ̃.vi/
Nah, I don’t feel like it. - Bof, c’était moyen.
/bɔf sɛ.tɛ mwa.jɛ̃/
Meh, it was so-so. - T’inquiète, ça va aller.
/tɛ̃.kjɛt sa va a.le/
Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. - Vas-y, raconte !
/va.zi ʁa.kɔ̃/
Go on, tell me! - Laisse tomber, c’est pas important.
/lɛs tɔ̃.be sɛ pa ɛ̃.pɔʁ.tɑ̃/
Forget it, it’s not important.
Verlan 101: When French Flips Its Words
Le verlan /lə vɛʁ.lɑ̃/ is a type of slang where you reverse the syllables of a word. The name itself comes from l’envers /lɑ̃.vɛʁ/ — “backwards” — flipped. It started as a secret code but now some words are completely mainstream.
Some super common verlan words you’ll hear:
| French (verlan) | IPA | Standard French | English |
| ouf | uf | fou | crazy |
| meuf | møf | femme | girl / woman (informal) |
| relou | ʁə.lu | lourd | annoying / heavy |
| chelou | ʃə.lu | louche | weird / suspicious |
| cimer | si.mɛʁ | merci | thanks (very slangy) |
| teuf | tœf | fête | party |
Examples:
- C’était une teuf de ouf.
/sɛ.tɛ yn tœf də uf/
It was a crazy party. - Merci ! → Cimer ! (with friends, very slangy)
Usage advice:
- These words are common, but they mark you as very informal.
- Start by understanding them. Use ouf, chelou, relou, meuf carefully and only with people your age in relaxed contexts.
- Avoid cimer and more aggressive verlan until your ear is really comfortable with the group’s vibe.
Region Notes: Paris Youth Slang Vs The Rest
Slang moves fast and can be regional.
- In Paris and big cities, you’ll hear more verlan and words from North African Arabic like kiffer /ki.fe/ — to love something — and avoir le seum.
- In smaller towns, you’ll still hear mec, pote, bof, fric, bouffer, but maybe less intense verlan.
- Some slang becomes old quickly. ouf is still common; other words from the 90s sound dated now. Don’t stress about being perfectly “up to date” — just aim for understanding.
If you stick to the core items in this article, you’ll sound informal but not ridiculous almost anywhere in France.
Mini Dialogues: Slang In Real-Life Chats
Each line: French sentence, IPA line, then natural English.
Dialogue 1: Making Plans
Tu fais quoi ce soir ?
/ty fe kwa sə swaʁ/
What are you doing tonight?
Je sors avec mes potes, on va à une teuf.
/ʒə sɔʁ a.vɛk me pɔt ɔ̃ va a yn tœf/
I’m going out with my friends, we’re going to a party.
Grave, je viens !
/ɡʁav ʒə vjɛ̃/
Totally, I’m coming!
Vas-y, on se retrouve devant le métro à huit heures.
/va.zi ɔ̃ sə ʁə.tʁuv də.vɑ̃ lə me.tʁo a ɥit œʁ/
Cool, let’s meet in front of the metro at eight.
Dialogue 2: Long Day At Work
Ça va ? Tu as l’air crevé.
/sa va ty a lɛʁ kʁə.ve/
You okay? You look exhausted.
Ouais, j’ai trop bossé aujourd’hui.
/wɛ ʒe tʁo bɔ.se u.ʒuʁ.dɥi/
Yeah, I worked way too much today.
Je te jure, ce projet est relou.
/ʒə tə ʒyʁ sə pʁɔ.ʒɛ ɛ ʁə.lu/
I swear, this project is so annoying.
Allez, on va chercher un truc à bouffer.
/a.le ɔ̃ va ʃɛʁ.ʃe œ̃ tʁyk a bu.fe/
Come on, let’s go get something to eat.
Dialogue 3: Clothes And Opinions
T’as vu les fringues de cette meuf ?
/ta vy le fʁɛ̃ɡ də sɛt møf/
Did you see that girl’s clothes?
Ouais, c’est grave stylé.
/wɛ sɛ ɡʁav sti.le/
Yeah, they’re really stylish.
Bof, moi j’aime pas trop.
/bɔf mwa ʒɛm pa tʁo/
Meh, I don’t really like them.
T’inquiète, chacun son style.
/tɛ̃.kjɛt ʃa.kɛ̃ sɔ̃ stil/
No worries, everyone has their own style.
Quick Reference: Core French Slang To Screenshot
| French | IPA | English |
| un mec | œ̃ mɛk | a guy |
| une meuf | yn møf | a girl (informal) |
| un pote | œ̃ pɔt | a buddy / mate |
| bosser | bɔ.se | to work (slang) |
| le boulot | lə bu.lo | job / work |
| la bouffe | la buf | food (slang) |
| bouffer | bu.fe | to eat (slang) |
| les fringues | le fʁɛ̃ɡ | clothes |
| le fric / la thune | lə fʁik / la tyn | money |
| ouais / nan | wɛ / nɑ̃ | yeah / nah |
| bof | bɔf | meh / so-so |
| t’inquiète | tɛ̃.kjɛt | don’t worry |
| vas-y | va.zi | go ahead / go for it |
| laisse tomber | lɛs tɔ̃.be | forget it, never mind |
| C’est ouf. | sɛ uf | It’s crazy. |
| C’est grave bien. | sɛ ɡʁav bjɛ̃ | It’s really good. |
| C’est nul. | sɛ nyl | It sucks. |
| C’est relou. | sɛ ʁə.lu | It’s annoying. |
| C’est chelou. | sɛ ʃə.lu | It’s weird. |
| avoir la flemme | a.vwaʁ la flɛm | to be too lazy / can’t be bothered |
| avoir le seum | a.vwaʁ lə sœm | to be really annoyed (strong) |
| une teuf | yn tœf | a party |
| l’argot | laʁ.ɡo | slang |
| le verlan | lə vɛʁ.lɑ̃ | reversed-syllable slang |
Five-Minute Practice Plan: Make These Slang Chunks Automatic
- Yes/No/Meh Trios (1 minute)
Say these trios out loud several times:
Ouais… Nan… Bof…
Then build tiny answers:
Ouais, pourquoi pas. / Nan, j’ai la flemme. / Bof, c’est nul. - Opinion Sandwich (1 minute)
Pick three things you know (a film, a series, a restaurant) and say:
- Ce film est ouf.
- Cette série est grave bien.
- Ce resto était nul.
- Ce film est ouf.
- Life Status Update (1–2 minutes)
Describe your day using at least three slang words:
- Je bosse beaucoup en ce moment.
- Mon projet est relou.
- J’ai la flemme de sortir ce soir.
- Je bosse beaucoup en ce moment.
- Mini Verlan Drill (1 minute)
Practise these pairs aloud:
- fou → ouf
- lourd → relou
- louche → chelou
- fête → teuf
Then create one sentence: C’était une teuf de ouf, mais le retour en métro était relou.
- fou → ouf
- Real-Life Listening Mission (30 seconds + later)
Next time you watch a French series or scroll French TikTok/YouTube, keep an ear out for:
mec, meuf, pote, ouais, relou, chelou, grave, ouf.
Every time you hear one, pause and repeat the sentence once out loud.
When these little words start popping into your head automatically — bof, relou, ouais, laisse tomber — that’s your French stepping off the page and onto the street. Just remember: argot is like hot sauce. A few drops make everything better; half the bottle is… un truc de ouf for all the wrong reasons.
