Real French
Slang & Expressions
Texto slang, café phrases, verlan, and the expressions French speakers reach for instinctively. Updated with what people are actually saying right now.
All lessons
16 of 16- 01
Slang Entry 01 — wesh
An informal greeting/exclamation used to get attention; strong street/informal register.
Intermédiaire 20m - 02
Slang Entry 02 — vas-y
Literally ‘go ahead’; used to push, encourage, or resume an action.
Avancé 25m - 03
Slang Entry 03 — ouf
‘Crazy / intense / wow’ (verlan of ‘fou’).
Intermédiaire 15m - 04
Slang Entry 04 — relou
Annoying / a hassle (verlan of ‘lourd’).
Avancé 22m - 05
Slang Entry 05 — genre
Like / kind of / you know (discourse marker).
Intermédiaire 18m - 06
Slang Entry 06 — grave
Seriously / totally / intense agreement.
Intermédiaire 20m - 07
Slang Entry 07 — bof
Meh / not really / neutral dismissal.
Intermédiaire 17m - 08
Slang Entry 08 — bah
Well / um / reaction marker (obviousness, hesitation, mild surprise).
Avancé 25m - 09
Slang Entry 09 — carrément
Absolutely / totally / for real.
Intermédiaire 20m - 10
Slang Entry 10 — j’avoue
I admit / honestly / fair point.
Avancé 18m - 11
Slang Entry 11 — t’inquiète
Don’t worry.
Intermédiaire 15m - 12
Slang Entry 14 — abusé
Exaggerated / too much / unfair.
Intermédiaire 16m - 13
Slang Entry 15 — mec / meuf
Guy / girl (meuf = verlan of femme).
Intermédiaire 15m - 14
Slang Entry 12 — c’est chaud
It’s hard / it’s risky / it’s intense.
- 15
Slang Entry 13 — laisse tomber
Forget it / drop it.
- 16
Slang Entry 16 - French slang without sounding strange: register, tone, and context
Slang is not a vocabulary list. It’s a social tool. If you copy words without tone and context, you won’t sound fluent — you’ll sound like you’re performing a character.
Train this properly in the Academy
Chase in French Academy builds French from the sound up — start with The French Sound Palette.