Common French Slang Every Visitor Should Know

50 words and phrases that you'll hear from real Parisians on the street, in cafés, and in casual conversation. None of this is in your textbook.

Reactions and exclamations

Genre !
Right? / No way!
C'est ouf.
That's wild. (verlan of fou)
Carrément !
Totally! / For sure!
Grave !
Seriously / 100%
Putain !
Damn! (very common, mild)
Je rêve !
I can't believe this!
Mince !
Darn! (clean version of zut)
N'importe quoi !
That's nonsense!

Everyday people and things

Un mec
A guy
Une meuf
A girl / woman (verlan of femme)
Un pote
A buddy / friend
Mon gars
Bro / dude
Une caisse
A car (informal)
Un boulot
A job
Une clope
A cigarette
Un truc
A thing / a thingy

Money

Du fric
Money (cash)
Du blé
Money (literally "wheat")
Des sous
Money (cute, family-friendly)
Ça coûte un bras.
It costs an arm and a leg.
C'est cadeau.
It's free / a gift.

Time and quantity

Vachement
Really / very (cow-ly!)
Plein de
Tons of / loads of
Direct
Right away / immediately
Tout de suite
Right now
Tout à l'heure
Later today / a bit later
Tranquille
Chill / no rush / fine

Reactions to people

Il est relou.
He's annoying. (verlan of lourd)
Elle est chelou.
She's sketchy. (verlan of louche)
T'es chaud ?
You up for it?
T'es un crack.
You're a champ / killer.
Tu te fous de moi ?
Are you kidding me?
Lâche-moi !
Leave me alone!

Filler words (use these constantly)

Du coup
So / consequently
En fait
Actually
Bah / Ben
Well…
Bref
Anyway / in short
Tu vois ?
You know?
Quoi.
…you know. (sentence-final)

Eating and going out

J'ai la dalle.
I'm starving.
On se fait un resto ?
Wanna grab dinner?
On se boit un coup ?
Wanna grab a drink?
Je suis crevé.
I'm wiped out.
J'ai la flemme.
I can't be bothered.
C'est nickel.
It's perfect.

How to deploy these

Don't try to use slang for the first time in front of natives — it will sound forced. Memorize the ones you like, hear them in real audio so you have the rhythm right, then deploy one or two at a time as they come naturally. Slang is a confidence game; over-using it backfires more than under-using it.

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