20 Everyday French Slang Words and Expressions (Argot Guide)

Textbook French will get you through a bakery, but real conversations in France run on French slang words, known as argot. This is the register friends use over a coffee, in text messages, and on the metro, and it is the fastest way to stop sounding like a walking grammar exercise.

Below are 20 everyday French slang words and expressions locals really use. For each one you get the meaning, an example in context, and the English translation, so you know exactly how and when to say it.

French Slang for Greetings and People

Start here, because this is who you are talking to and how you get their attention.

1. Wesh

Meaning: Hey, what's up. A very casual greeting, common among younger speakers.

Example: "Wesh, ça va ou quoi?" ("Hey, you good or what?")

2. Mec

Meaning: Guy, dude, bloke. Everywhere in spoken French.

Example: "C'est un mec sympa." ("He's a nice guy.")

3. Meuf

Meaning: Woman, girl, or girlfriend. It is femme flipped into backslang, which the French call verlan.

Example: "Sa meuf est trop cool." ("His girlfriend is really cool.")

4. Un pote

Meaning: A mate, a buddy. Mon pote is my pal.

Example: "Je sors avec mes potes ce soir." ("I'm going out with my mates tonight.")

5. Frangin / frangine

Meaning: Brother and sister, used affectionately for real siblings or close friends.

Example: "Je te présente mon frangin." ("Let me introduce my brother.")

Verlan: French Slang Flipped Backwards

Verlan reverses the syllables of a word, and it is everywhere in France. The name itself is l'envers (the reverse) flipped around. Here are four you will hear constantly.

6. Ouf

Meaning: Crazy, wild, insane. It is fou reversed. Un truc de ouf means a crazy thing.

Example: "C'était un concert de ouf." ("That was an insane concert.")

7. Relou

Meaning: Annoying, a pain. It is lourd reversed and works for people and situations.

Example: "Il est vraiment relou aujourd'hui." ("He's really annoying today.")

8. Chelou

Meaning: Shady, weird, dodgy. It is louche reversed.

Example: "Ce plan est un peu chelou." ("This plan is a bit shady.")

9. Vénère

Meaning: Angry, worked up. It is énervé reversed.

Example: "Elle est vénère à cause du retard." ("She's angry because of the delay.")

French Slang for Reactions

The little words French speakers drop to react without thinking.

10. Bof

Meaning: Meh. A sound of indifference or being unimpressed.

Example: "Le film? Bof, pas terrible." ("The movie? Meh, not great.")

11. Grave

Meaning: Totally, seriously, for sure. On its own it is strong agreement.

Example: "C'était génial, non? Grave!" ("It was great, right? Totally!")

12. Nickel

Meaning: Perfect, spotless, all set. Handy for confirming a plan.

Example: "On se voit à midi? Nickel." ("See you at noon? Perfect.")

13. En avoir ras-le-bol

Meaning: To be fed up, to have had enough.

Example: "J'en ai ras-le-bol de ce boulot." ("I'm fed up with this job.")

French Slang for Everyday Life

The words that fill ordinary French conversation.

14. Kiffer

Meaning: To love, to really enjoy something or someone.

Example: "Je kiffe cette chanson." ("I love this song.")

Slang like this only clicks when you hear it inside real conversations. Our Short Stories in French drop this everyday argot into natural scenes, so you learn the timing and the tone, not just a list of definitions.

15. Bouffer

Meaning: To eat, to scoff. La bouffe is food or grub.

Example: "On va bouffer un truc?" ("Shall we go grab a bite?")

16. Bosser

Meaning: To work, to graft. Le boulot is the job or work.

Example: "Je dois bosser ce week-end." ("I have to work this weekend.")

17. La thune

Meaning: Money, cash. You will also hear le fric and le pognon.

Example: "Je n'ai plus de thune." ("I'm out of cash.")

18. La bagnole

Meaning: Car, motor, ride. A very common informal word for a car.

Example: "Sa bagnole est en panne." ("His car has broken down.")

19. Les fringues

Meaning: Clothes, gear, threads.

Example: "J'adore tes fringues." ("I love your clothes.")

20. Un truc

Meaning: A thing, a whatsit, a thingy. The all purpose filler for anything you cannot name.

Example: "Passe-moi ce truc, là." ("Pass me that thing over there.")

How to Use French Slang Naturally

To go from reading argot to actually using it:

1. Start with the safe staples. Mec, pote, grave, and un truc are casual but harmless, so lead with those before the edgier verlan.
2. Keep it for the right register. Argot is for friends and relaxed settings, not job interviews or formal emails. Read the room first.
3. Meet the words in context. The Short Stories in French put each expression inside a scene, which is how slang really sticks.

Keep building your French: pair this with 20 everyday French idioms and their English meanings and slow down with 25 French proverbs about life and love.