French Slang - VERLAN | StreetFrench.org 

I'm 43 (French) and most of these words in 'verlan' were already used when I was a teenager (more than 25 years ago). I don't live and France and I'm quite surprised to see that the spoken language evolves at a slower pace than I expected. What I find interesting is that people will use certain words and expressions based on their age group, and adapt their language throughout their life. So you or I don't use certain expressions used by teenagers, not necessarily because they are new (we may have used them in the past, again language changes at quite a slow pace), but because we don't belong to that age group anymore.

I'm American. When I first started hanging out with friends in France, I had been studying French for six years, and I read and wrote it everyday, and I had had good teachers so I could speak it fairly well, but I had a lot of trouble understanding it when spoken at normal speed because in class everyone spoke slowly, there was no Netflix, no RU-vid, French movies and TV weren't available, and aside from Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour, French music wasn't to be found. (I was so excited when a friend told me about a store in Montreal that did mail order CDs - that's when I discovered Indochine and Noir Désir and Zazie and Matmatah and Mylène Farmer!) So people would speak slower for me if I asked, but of course without thinking they'd soon return to normal speed, particularly when we were in a group and most of them were French. Then with the slang, and the gros mots, and the heavy verlan on top of it (this was in the 90s), and I spoke textbook French, and I realized my oral comprehension was really awful. I remember going with a friend to her brother's girlfriend's birthday party. I could not follow a conversation at all. So I made my friend start teaching me all the slang and verlan! Lol. I had another friend who spoke really fast and he would always ask "On va chezouamouchezouat?" Like it was one word. Took me a while to work that one out. He also said "On y go?" a lot, and the first time he did it, I was like "on y quoi??" "On y go." Hein?? "Go. ... Go. Tu connais le mot 'go'?" No. I was still perplexed and trying to figure out what this French word meant. He was getting pissed off (we were all quite drunk, tbh). Finally he shouted "Mais putain, c'est de l'anglais, bordel! Tu connais pas l'anglais ?!" Oh, "GO"!!!! Why didn't you just say so?! 😁 Now 20+ years later, I'm fine, I've spent a lot of time in France, even lived there for a while, but I don't get to go as often. I was last there for my goddaughter's wedding a couple years ago. Alors tout ça pour vous dire que, bien que je pense que c'est important d'apprendre et de parler un français correct pour pouvoir communiquer avec n'importe qui, même des étrangers ou des personnes âgées, It's good to know how French is really spoken today, if for no other reason than to be able to understand when someone else is speaking. I wish I'd had someone like you guys when I was learning all those years ago! And I really like watching your videos. I sometimes tutor students in French myself (I've started teaching my baby cousin!), so you also remind me of things I should explain to them. Keep up the good work!

It's funny how some french words are spelled or sounds like some danish words, but with complete different meaning 😄

Thanks so much for this. I only found out about this a few weeks ago on my Uni course and it's going to be in my exam in a few weeks, alors merci beaucoup, c'est très utile!

Omg you took my advice on a comment! I'm so happy, thanks! :)

Hi!That's so interesting for Japanese 30's who loves slang. ♡Merci! J'adore ca channel.

Merci ❤️ This video is SO helpful!

I find it really difficult to catch everyone word when French people speak. I don't understand why there is so much emphasis on pronunciation in French classes when, at the end of the day, French people speak so fast that it doesn't seem to matter if us, second or third language speakers, pronounce French correctly or not. For example, at 7:43 "Tu peux me prete quelquechose 2spi?" What it sounds like is "chupenpretekelchos 2spi?". So, what I think I need is to listen to A LOT of street French.

The British analogue of le verlan is Cockney Rhyming slang. It's been around for ages. Instead of reversing the syllables, you say two words that rhyme with, and replace, the first word. For example, frog and toad (road), boat race (face), brown bread (dead), apples and pears (stairs), and the one that everyone gives as an example, trouble and strife (wife).

We use a lot deuspi like that : "en deuspi ". It means "en speed" or "vite fait", quickly.

Très intéressant ❤merci

(Cimer coupbeau 😉😉) Merci beaucoup Maia et Charlie. Bonne journee

J’aime cette vidéo beaucoup🤩🤩🤩 merci pour votre travail❤️

La Haine is a good film to watch with lots of Verlan slang in it. The rebellious protagonists often refer to the police as “les keufs/les flics” and they say things like “téma la vache”. The social context is really interesting.

I knew about chelou because of Zaho, but I had no idea that the French use so many verlan words.....this is so interesting, thank you

Merci Maia. Très drôle. Bon continuation.

Salut! Merci beaucoup! Jarps from Instagram. Now I know more about this topic. Bon journée!

I just stumbled across this channel and it turns out that videos are actually quite useful and informative,so merci bcp! And since it's already a video on a form of slang and you're still being active in the comments: could you tell me what the word "nabot" means? I came across this one sometime ago and have no idea what it could mean,while it also seems to me that it's some form of slang or smth. Btw it'd also be interesting to see some videos on other forms of slang in the future. Louchébem for example. If you'd be eager to make them of course

Wow!! I learned a lot!!

Ah yes. Une meuf and une tof (photo) I had heard from French friends (in 2003). UPDATE: Where I live is "technically" verlan, but definitely wasn't when it was made. J'habite au Vermont (aux États-Unis). Les MONTagnes VERTes. Voilà, Vermont. (some people say it came from > (versmont -> vermont) but I prefer the septième siècle verlan xD

i learnt some I never heard before : reuch, mifa, turfu, téma, ché ap, deuspi (I suddenly feel old :D )…

One of my favourite answers on the French version of ‘The Weakest Link’ (Le Maillon Faible) was a French woman, who when asked what the verlan of ‘à fond’ was, responded with a panicked ‘fond à?!’. I’ve never used or heard used ‘à donf’, but if I ever do, it’ll definitely make me think of that poor woman!

Hello. Is it possible you could do a video on discourse markers please? One word I always hear a lot in France is 'franchement', which is one of those words that I never remember learning in school. Thank you.

@streetfrench.org you should also mention the verlan of the verlan ... which doesnt revert back to the original word but something different ( like "beur" , "reubeu" for instance )

Pour "Comme as" (perso j'ai jamais entendu cette expression je suis surement trop vieux mais..), si vous regardez des vieux films comme ceux d'Audiard, avec Lino Ventura et Bernard Blier par exemple, ils utilisent souvent l'expression "komak" ou "Comme-ac" qui est le vieux Verlan de "Comme ça". ^^

Hey! I was just wondering, can these be written as well as spoken or can they just be used in a verbal conversation? P.s. I LOVE your channel!

I remember two co-workers who would occasionally do this in English.

C'est très drôle .... Continuer team,

Reminds me of what pig-Latin is to English☺️

So for the spellings of the verlan you put, were those meant just as pronunciation guides, or are they also the verlan spellings? For example, if you were texting someone, would you actually type "ché ap", or is that just so we know how to pronounce it? Thanks! :D

Reuf= frere, right? i heard it in a song from nekfeu, which is kind of funny because the artist's name is Ken, so even his name is a verlan

Usually ppl can hear the difference between the two ché (bad pun intended). The one that means knowing has a stop. It 's like you trying to say ch twice. Some verlan words are so spread around that sometimes they get inverted again! Femme becomes meuf, but you can sometimes hear fe-me. It sounds totally different from femme, you have to say two e (like in œuf or œil). Cheers!

I’ve been watching this show on Netflix called Plan Coeur. First I watched it with English subtitles now I’m watching it with French subtitles. How would you explain the slang word kiffe? I looked it up & it says to get off? Would you agree lol!

This is interesting! I don't really understand the point though... it seems like pig latin to me (in the way that words are formed) so I am surprised that verlan is widely used

Can you please explain the word ‘chez’? When I took French in middle school and high school, I would only hear that word refer to a ‘home’, but recently, I keep hearing it in different contexts and I’m so confused by its meaning. Could you please explain, or if you have already explained in another video, could you please link it in the response? New subscriber here, so I haven’t watched all of your videos.

oh my god "oh mon dieu" you can say oh my god , this my god " oh my dog in verlant this my dog in verlant" mdr oh mon iench !! c'est mon iench :) back to the TURFU :) téma it's my favorite french slang :)

Louche its a slang uses in (algeria/tunisie/maroco) it really means shady

Cimer / Merci

Question, what is the word for DOPE in French/French slang? Like, "Yo! That's dope!"? Brooklyn in the house, I use "dope" incessantly, and would love to know how to say this in French. I've seen it in some subtitles of French shows/movies before, but I can never go back and actually pick out the word when listening. I'm assuming because its in verlan, I wouldn't recognize the word. Please help a brotha out...Big ups from BK!

👍👍👍

Cool very interesting, how about washe washe?

Hi StreetFrench, I see the word kiff sometimes and wonder what it means, from context it looks like it might mean like or love.

What about the word "teuf?" Is it the best word for teens to use for "party?" I'm hesitant to teach my (American middle and high school) students slang words since they can change in a heartbeat and sound outdated, like the word "boum."

Prend soin de toi et de tes proches pendant cette période de confinement. Reste chez toi afin de le raccourcir. Quant à moi, j'étudie le français depuis longtemps. Mais je suis toujours étonné(et aussi déçu) par le volume de français argotique et populaire ou encore verlan. C'est un beau langage bien sûr. Mais parmi les cultures du monde, savez-vous si cet 'engouement' pour l'argot ou encore verlan est particulièrement fort chez les français?

Are you telling me my boss can't handle informality? Then I'll be the boss of them!

how do you use "wesh"?

This is one the french influence we use in trinidad and tobago patois ;Vai-ki-vai, vaille-que-vaille, vai-qui-vai, vie-que-vie, vike-e-vike,vi-ke-vi, vikey-vy, vy-kee-vy, vy-ki-vy (adj): Lackadaisical; disorderly; unplanned;chaotic; irresponsible; without care or thought. French Creole vai ki vai; French vaille que vaille ‘for better or worse’

J'ai trouvé ça super rigolo. Mais je me mets à la place des non natifs qui regardent ça en mode... Wtf 😂 ? Mon message à vous qui essayez d'apprendre le Français : beaucoup d'entre-nous seraient quand même assez sympas pour ne pas parler en verlan devant vous. Parce que ce serait... Chelou. Et relou 😂 On ferait l'effort d'utiliser les vrais mots, rassurez-vous 😉

Interesting how emotions get connected with words - but you have to live the language and be threatened by violence in real life to have those emotions in you

Ahah , ok, quand on disait meuf , sa allait . Mais feumeu ... étrange ... Sa existe le verlan dans anglophone ?

Офигительно красивая!

Marlène Ché ap

I think "Keuf=Flic" is slang from English word " FUck" --> became : "KcuF/Keuf " because cops in France are particulary frowned upon from younger people, kinda a "Fucker guy" .That's my own explaination 😄. Some French slang words are build from English for example "deuspi" come from "speed" . "Teubé=Bête"" Warning !!!!! Do not confuse with " Teub" Do not forget sound "é" at the end else we have a whole different meaning 😄 ,I can't reveal it here sorry it's rude langage ... If you wanna know what does it mean ,you can just imagine in a man that is the main difference beetwen him and a woman , i can't say more 😄

J’adore ma meuf.

Ça vidéo été « chanmét ».

I'm chelou

I think you use too seldom the adjective Weird when you could use Odd or Awkward 😊

Pas tu la .. Not all there. ..South la.

love the way she says Street in Street fresh. Tres sexy

What's the point of doing this, I don't understand? I'm learning French, and I'm getting to the point where I need to find someone to converse with. But I really don't see the point of verlan.

What,s her name she,s so pretty

The exact American equivalent is Pig Latin, which is really dated, and only useful if you want to understand 1930’s gangster movies.

You look sooo... French 😏👌 🇫🇷

Femme= meuf=femeu 🤣🤣( verlan from the verlan, mostly in Paris) Keuf doesn't come from flic but basiquely fuck (sorry for that) but in verlan. 22 vla les keufs!!! kind of "watch out! here come the one time!!!"

Je trouve ça un peu chelou que tu aies négligé la beuh dans ton discours! C'est chanmé, la beuh! ;-)

"Personally, I never use it". We don't want to know your idiosyncratic, neurotic individual use of the language. We want to know how it's used by a pop star, such as Foucault