French slang: verlan, argot, and why ouf means fou
La machine à verlan · pick a word and turn it inside out
fou
⇄
ouf
→ouf
C’estit’souf !crazy
say OOF · “That’s crazy!”Why:One syllable: split the sounds, f + ou → ou + f.
Short answer: French has two layers of slang. Argot is a set of everyday informal words, used by almost everyone: le boulot (job), la bouffe (food), le fric (money), bosser (to work). Verlan is a word game that swaps the syllables of a word, from l’envers (“the reverse”): fou → ouf, femme → meuf. Spoken French also drops the ne of negatives: je sais pas. Use all of this with friends, not at work or with strangers.
Everyday argot
Le boulot, la bouffe, le fric, crevé
These words are informal but not rude: you’ll hear them from friends, family and on TV. Each sits next to its neutral equivalent.
How spoken French shrinks
Je sais pas → chais pas
In casual speech, French drops sounds and words. The written form on the left is what you learn; the right is what you hear.
Texting abbreviations
mdr, tkt, jsp, stp
French texts compress phrases into a few letters. These are the ones you see daily.
slt, cv ?salut, ça va ?
oui et toi ? jsp si je viens ce soirI don’t know if I’m coming
tkt, c pas gravedon’t worry, no big deal
mdr ok, bcp de boulotlol OK, lots of work
bon courage ! bizgood luck! kisses
mdrmort de rirelol: “dead from laughing”
tktt’inquiètedon’t worry
jspje sais pasI don’t know
stps’il te plaîtplease
bcpbeaucoupa lot
sltsaluthi
cvça vahow’s it going / fine
dsldésolésorry
pkpourquoiwhy
bizbisouskisses (sign-off)
Mild exclamations
Mince !, Zut !, La vache !, Oh là là
Safe everywhere, even in front of children. These are how French people react when something goes wrong, or surprises them.
One word, three registers
Voiture, bagnole, caisse
French has a standard word, a familiar one (familier, fine with friends) and often a slangier one (argot). Use the middle column with friends; keep the right one for very close friends.
English
Standard
Familier
Argot
car
une voiture
une bagnole
une caisse
money
l’argent
le fric
la thune
work
le travail
le boulot
le taf
food
la nourriture
la bouffe
la graille
police
la police
les flics
les keufs
friend
un ami
un pote
un poto
tired
fatigué
crevé
naze
Reacting like a native
Grave, trop bien, c’est chaud
Short reactions that young French speakers use constantly. Grave (“serious”) has become “totally”; chaud (“hot”) means “tricky” or “risky”.