French slang you will hear everywhere, from bouffer to mdr

French slang is the informal French that people speak and text but that school books skip. This page covers everyday slang words from France, a short look at verlan, and the texting codes such as mdr. For the polite basics, start with common French phrases. For how Québec differs from France, see Quebec French vs France French and English to Quebec French.

What is French slang?

French slang is vocabulary that sits below standard speech. French has a word for it: argot. The Académie française dictionary uses short labels such as Pop., Fam. and Argot in front of a definition, and those labels are the quickest way to see that a word is informal [1][2][3][4].

Slang in the French language is not one list. It has three parts that this page takes in turn: everyday informal words, verlan, and text abbreviations. Learn to recognize them first. Use them once you hear how friends use them.

What are the most common French slang words?

Slang for French everyday life starts with eating, work, money and people. The Académie française dictionary marks each of these words, and the label tells you how informal it is.

Each label comes from the dictionary’s entry for that word. The same dictionary adds that mec also meant, in older usage, a man of the underworld, and that today it also names a man in a couple [4]. Context decides which sense you are hearing.

Here are the first three in sentences, each with a recording:

• bouffer is the informal verb. The dictionary’s own example is a hungry person who thinks only of eating, “Il ne pense qu’à bouffer” [1].
• le boulot is work. The dictionary gives “Chercher du boulot”, to look for work [2].
• le fric is money. The dictionary gives “Faire du fric”, to earn a lot of money [3].

Compare each with its plain partner: manger for bouffer. The plain word suits any room. The slang word tells people you know the room.

What is verlan?

Verlan is a form of slang that swaps the syllables of a word. The Académie française defines it as an argot built mainly on permuting syllables, to which vowel changes and shortenings may be added [5]. The name is itself an example: the dictionary traces verlan to the phrase “(à) l’envers”, meaning backwards [5].

Its two examples are louche, “shady”, which became chelou, and femme, “woman”, which became meuf [5]. The dictionary does not say how widely each word is used, so treat them as words to recognize before words to use.

What does mdr mean in French?

Mdr is the French text abbreviation for mort de rire, literally “dead from laughing” [7]. The Académie française describes it as a sigle sometimes used to translate the English laughing out loud [7]. It is a way to say something is funny, much like “lol” in English.

The same Académie page prefers the spelled-out form and lists longer phrases for the same idea, and, as more familiar options, crouler, crever, être plié or se tordre de rire (to double over laughing) [7]. In its dictionary, “être mort de rire” is itself marked fam. [8].

What are common French texting abbreviations?

A French abbreviation in a message works the way English ones do: it drops letters and keeps the sound. Besides mdr, here is some common shorthand, with the spelled-out words [9].

The Académie française was asked what it thinks of such abbreviations in messages, for example aprem for après-midi and mdr. Its answer, from 2016, is that abbreviating is an old technique and that it sees little danger [6]. It adds that the problem starts when someone thinks abbreviated forms are the norm in every situation [6]. In plain terms: fine in a text to a friend, not in a formal email. Hear the long forms of two of them: salut and beaucoup.

Common mistakes

• Using slang with someone you do not know. The dictionary labels (Pop., Fam., Argot) mark words as informal, so keep the plain forms for a first meeting, an email or a form [1][2][3][4].
• Writing text codes in formal messages. The Académie française says abbreviations depend on the situation, and the trouble starts when they become the norm everywhere [6].
• Treating every label as the same level. Bouffer, boulot and fric are marked Pop., and mec is marked Fam. [1][2][3][4]. The page does not rank the two labels, so learn them as informal and listen for how a speaker uses them.
• Learning verlan as a list. The dictionary explains how the syllables swap, but gives only two examples [5]. Recognize the pattern, then check a word before you use it.
• Assuming France slang is Québec slang. The two varieties share a language and not all of their informal words. Start with Quebec French vs France French.
• Trusting any slang page without its date, this one included. The Académie française pages are revised. Compare the entry’s date with ours at the top of this page.

See also: French words used in English.

Sources