In this article, you will:
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Understand what "le seum," "bg," and "charo" mean in French slang
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Discover familiar words and slang used by French youth
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Learn 50 useful words to better understand the spoken French of young people, including Anglicisms and verlan
- Get tips for improving your understanding of these expressions
This article will help you answer the following questions:
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What is the meaning of "le seum," "bg," and "charo" in the context of French spoken by young people?
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What are the familiar words and slang commonly used by French youth?
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How do Anglicisms and verlan manifest themselves in the French spoken by young people?
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Why is it important to know these expressions to better communicate with young French people?
Swag /swaɡ/
= style, charisma (= charisma)
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Start practicing"He has a really swag look today." ("Il a un look vraiment swag aujourd'hui.")
Chill - /ʃil/
= relax, unwind (= relax)
"We're just going to chill at home tonight." ("On va juste chill à la maison ce soir.")
BG (Beau Gosse) - /be o ɡɔs/
= handsome boy (= handsome boy)
"That guy over there, he's a real BG." ("Ce mec là-bas, c'est un vrai BG.")
Ouf - /uf/
= crazy (verlan) (= crazy)
"That movie was crazy!" ("Ce film était ouf !")
Kiffer - /kife/
= to really like (= to really like)
"I really like this song." ("Je kiffe cette chanson.")
Vénère - /venɛʁ/
= angry (verlan) (= angry)
"He was angry after the match." ("Il était vénère après le match.")
Relou - /ʁəlu/
= annoying (verlan) (= annoying)
"Stop it, you're being too annoying!" ("Arrête, tu es trop relou !")
Tarpin - /taʁpɛ̃/
= very, a lot (= very, a lot)
"It's really hot today." ("Il fait tarpin chaud aujourd'hui.")
Chelou - /ʃelu/
= shady (verlan) (= shady)
"This situation is really shady." ("Cette situation est vraiment chelou.")
Gérer - /ʒeʁe/
= to handle, to succeed (= to handle, to succeed)
"You handled your exam really well." ("T'as super bien géré ton examen.")
Reuf - /ʁœf/
= brother (verlan) (= brother)
"My brother is really annoying me." ("Mon reuf m’énerve trop")
Meuf - /mœf/
= girlfriend, woman (verlan) (= girlfriend, woman)
"My girlfriend is really nice." ("Ma meuf est super sympa.")
Dar - /daʁ/
= awesome, extraordinary (= awesome)
"This party is so awesome!" ("Cette soirée est trop dar !")
Bae - /be/
= boyfriend/girlfriend (= boyfriend/girlfriend)
"He/She has been my bae for two years." ("C'est mon bae depuis deux ans.")
Boloss - /bɔlɔs/
= loser (= loser)
"Stop acting like a loser." ("Arrête de faire le boloss.")
Une teuf - /tœf/
= party (verlan) (= party)
"We're going to a party tonight." ("On va à une teuf ce soir.")
Tchoin - /ʃwɛ̃/
= easy girl (= easy girl)
"She's a bit easy, if you know what I mean." ("Elle est un peu tchoin sur les bords.")
Zarbi - /zaʁbi/
= weird (verlan) (= weird)
"That guy is really weird." ("Ce type est vraiment zarbi.")
Wam - /wɛ̃/
= me (verlan) (= me)
"It's my turn to play." ("C’est à wam de jouer.")
Cimer - /simɛʁ/
= thanks (verlan) (= thanks)
"Thanks for your help!" ("Cimer pour ton aide !")
Bref - /bʁɛf/
= anyway, in short (= anyway, in short)
"Anyway, are we going or not?" ("Bref, on y va ou pas ?")
Capter - /kapte/
= to get, understand (= to get, understand)
"Did you get it or not?" ("T'as capté ou pas ?")
Tmtc (Toi Même Tu Sais) - /twa mɛm ty sɛ/
= you already know (= you already know)
"We laughed so much, you know what I mean." ("On a trop rigolé, tmtc.")
Le bled - /blɛd/
= hometown, home country (= hometown, home country)
"I'm going back to my hometown this summer." ("Je retourne au bled cet été.")
Le seum - /sœm/
= frustration, anger (= frustration, anger)
"I'm really frustrated about that exam." ("J'ai trop le seum après cet examen.")
Bref - /bʁɛf/
= anyway, in short (= anyway, in short)
"Anyway, are we going or not?" ("Bref, on y va ou pas ?")
Capter - /kapte/
= to get, understand (= to get, understand)
"Did you get it or not?" ("T'as capté ou pas ?")
Tmtc (Toi Même Tu Sais) - /twa mɛm ty sɛ/
= you already know (= you already know)
"We laughed so much, you know what I mean." ("On a trop rigolé, tmtc.")
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Le bled - /blɛd/
= hometown, home country (= hometown, home country)
"I'm going back to my hometown this summer." ("Je retourne au bled cet été.")
Le seum - /sœm/
= frustration, anger (= frustration, anger)
"I'm really frustrated about that exam." ("J'ai trop le seum après cet examen.")
Stylé - /stile/
= stylish, cool (= stylish, cool)
"Your jacket is really stylish." ("Ta veste est vraiment stylée.")
Bouffer - /bufe/
= to eat (= to eat)
"We're going to eat at the restaurant tonight." ("On va bouffer au resto ce soir.")
Daron/Daronne - /daʁɔ̃, daʁɔn/
= dad/mom (= dad/mom)
"My parents are coming home late tonight." ("Mes darons rentrent tard ce soir.")
Cheum - /ʃœm/
= ugly (verlan) (= ugly)
"This sweater is really ugly." ("Ce pull est vraiment cheum.")
Gadjo/Gadji - /ɡadʒo, ɡadʒi/
= boy/girl (= boy/girl)
"That boy is looking at you weirdly." ("Ce gadjo te regarde bizarrement.")
Wesh - /wɛʃ/
= hey, what's up (= hey, what's up)
"Hey, how's it going?" ("Wesh, ça va ?")
Déter - /detɛʁ/
= determined, motivated (= determined, motivated)
"I am determined for this project." ("Je suis déter pour ce projet.")
C'est carré - /sɛ kaʁe/
= it's perfect, it's spot on (= it's perfect)
"The work you did is perfect." ("C'est carré le travail que tu as fait")
La miff - /mif/
= family (= family)
"How's the family doing?" ("Comment va la miff ?")
Une galère - /ɡalɛʁ/
= hassle, tough situation (= hassle, tough situation)
"It's a hassle with my computer broken." ("C'est la galère avec mon ordi en panne.")
C'est de la frappe - /fʁap/
= it's amazing, it's great (= it's amazing)
"This new song is amazing." ("C'est de la frappe cette nouvelle chanson")
Bling-bling - /bliŋ bliŋ/
= flashy, showy (= flashy, showy)
"His style is too flashy for me." ("Son style est trop bling-bling pour moi.")
Un charo - /ʃaʁo/
= womanizer, seducer (= womanizer)
"That guy is a real charmer." ("Ce gars est un vrai charo.")
S'enjailler - /sɑ̃ʒaje/
= to have fun (= to have fun)
"We're going to have so much fun at this party." ("On va trop s'enjailler à cette soirée.")
Un gow - /ɡo/
= a girl (= girl)
"She's a really nice girl." ("C’est une gow super sympa.")
Du fric - /fʁik/
= money (= money)
"I need money for the weekend." ("J'ai besoin de fric pour le week-end.")
Pécho - /peʃo/
= to kiss or to have an intimate relationship (= to kiss or to have sex)
"He hooked up with a girl at the party." ("Il a pécho une meuf à la soirée.")
Guedin - /ɡedɛ̃/
= crazy, incredible (= crazy, incredible)
"This guy is unbelievable!" ("Il est guedin ce mec !")
Un(e) pote - /pɔt/
= a friend (= friend)
"He/She is one of my friends from high school." ("C’est un de mes potes de lycée.")
Glander - /ɡlɑ̃de/
= to do nothing, to laze around (= to do nothing, to laze around)
"I lazed around all day." ("J'ai glandé toute la journée.")
Un blaze - /blaz/
= a name (= a name)
"What's your name?" ("C’est quoi ton blaze ?")
Une caillera - /kaja/
= a thug (= a thug)
"You shouldn't hang out with him, he's a thug." ("Il ne faut pas le fréquenter, c’est une caillera")
Miskine - /miskin/
= poor, pitiful (= poor, pitiful)
"Poor guy, he failed his exam again." ("Miskine, il a encore raté son exam.")
Du biff - /bif/
= money (= money)
"I need money to buy a new phone." ("J'ai besoin de biff pour acheter un nouveau téléphone.")
Sapé - /sape/
= well-dressed (= well-dressed)
"He is always dressed impeccably." ("Il est toujours sapé comme jamais.")
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