20 French slang words YOU NEED TO KNOW in 2023

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20 French slang words YOU NEED TO KNOW in 2023

Transcription of the video on French slang

Wesh brother, what's up with that look? It's really embarrassing.

Didn't you understand anything I just said?

Don't worry, it's normal. I used mostly slang words.

Today we are going to see 20 slang words, 20 expressions that are used a lot by young people in France and to help you, you will be able to find in the description, you will be able to download a card which takes back these words, an explanation and a setting in context.

So feel free to download it in the description.

The goal of this video is for you to be aware of these words so that you can understand them if you watch French shows on TV, if you watch recent series or movies, or if you follow, for example, influencers on TikTok or on Instagram who might use these words.

Before starting, I would like to thank the partner of this video, Lingopie. I have already told you about this streaming platform that allows you to learn French thanks to video contents, thanks to series, thanks to TV shows in French.

I tell you very often, learning French in a context helps you retain vocabulary in the long term.

You choose a series, for example "Fais pas ci, fais pas ça", and you can put the subtitles in French. When you have a doubt about a word, when you don't know a word, you can click on it.

The word will then be added to the vocabulary that you want to learn, that you need to review. You will then have games to review this vocabulary and each time you can review it in context.

There are also other very useful features to help you progress, for example the mach up subtitles. You have the subtitles in English or in your language and the key words, the most important words will be displayed in French.

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Let's get back to our slang words and expressions.

The first is the word "brother".

You okay, brother? Yeah yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine, a little bit, brother. What's going on, bro? Go ahead, tell me.

The word brother normally means someone in your family. For example, I have two brothers.

But very often, young people use the word "brother" as a synonym for "friend". And even very often they use it as an interjection to address someone, to address a friend.

For example, I can say, "You don't get it, brother. You need to watch this video again."

"Wesh". This word, it's a word that comes from Arabic, I think.

Originally, it was just used to say "hello", to say "goodbye".

"Wesh, you okay?"

But more and more, it is used at any time, in sentences.

"Whoa, I caught a chick last night. Wesh, we eating Greek? Totally, wesh."

It's a way of punctuating sentences a bit. It has become a bit of a synonym for "what".

For example, I can say, "The appointment is at 11:30 wesh, why is she asking me if I'm already there? It's only 10:00."

A crush.

A crush is someone you like.

We'd like it to be more than a friend. We have a bit of a crush on this person. For example, I might say, "I have a crush at work and a crush at the gym. I don't know which one I like better."

My mother's life. This one you may have heard before when someone gets upset. For example, if someone is trying to do something, but they can't do it, they may say, "My mother's life, I'm never going to make it."

My mother's life is making me crazy. That dog there, burst there.

It's an expression used to express a very strong emotion. It has become a bit of a synonym for "p*tain".

My mother's life, it's not very polite, so don't use it, obviously, at work. You can also use it to swear, to promise something.

My mother's life, that's right. My mother's life I'm going to sign pro. I swore.

Strong.

Strong, normally, is an adjective used to talk about someone who is powerful, who has a lot of muscle. He is strong.

He manages to carry four packs of water. But more and more, young people have hijacked the word and are using it instead of "yes, really".

For example, if I say, "How about pizza tonight?", "Strong. I've been craving pizza for a week."

So, you see, that means "yes, really" that really tells me a lot. "Did you like that movie?", "Strong. It was extraordinary."

"You're scared."

Or "You're scared" normally, we use it when we are scared. For example, I saw a horror movie and I was scared. But it's used a lot, at least by young people, to talk about something that's really wrong.

For example, if I post a picture of myself on social media with my hair disheveled, because I just woke up, I might put "a hairstyle, you're scared." to say there's nothing wrong.

"Slammed to the ground."

Something slammed on the floor is something that really sucks. It's really low quality. My guy is really slammed to the ground. He didn't get me anything for my birthday. My guy is my boyfriend, my lover. Again, it's a slang word.

"Tej someone or get tej"

If someone says to you "I got tej?" it means either that he got dumped, that he got left, so he is no longer in a relationship, he is single.

The person he was with left him. Or it could mean he got fired from his job. "I got tej from my company." Or you can also tell yourself to simply use it to say that you were asked to leave.

For example, "I got tej from McDonald's, I was there for four hours. They told me to clear the table."

Embarrassment.

Embarrassment is used to talk about an embarrassing situation, a situation where one is ashamed.

For example, I can say "my dad told my boyfriend again about all the stupid things I did as a kid. The embarrassment."

I was embarrassed. I was embarrassed by it.

The draw.

The look of someone, it is his look, his appearance, his physical appearance, but rather related to his clothes.

It's her style of dress or hairstyle too, it could be.

We can say that someone has a good look to say that they have a good style, but often, we also use it in a negative way to say "What's that look?" to say "How are you dressed? What's with the style?"

To get drunk.

When someone says to you, "Tonight I'm getting drunk," it means they're planning to have a good time. It's kind of a synonym for partying. If I say "we're going to have fun tonight," it means "we're going to have a good time, we're going to party." Often, when you're having fun afterwards, you can get hungry and you want to eat.

Grit.

It is a synonym for eat. Maybe you know the word "eat" which is really very common in the colloquial language. We use it almost every day. Chow and chow. But young people also use the word grease.

I don't have much time this lunch, I'll just grab a sandwich.

Pranker, a prank.

It's a word that has appeared in recent years and that we see a lot on social networks.

It means to make a joke, to play a prank. It is a synonym for hoax.

For example, we all pranked our boss into thinking we were leaving the office at 3:00.

Very often, pranks are filmed and made to be broadcasted on social networks.

"Y pas à".

If you hear someone say, for example, there's no need to get so upset. It means, you shouldn't, it's not worth it. For example, if I want to put my dog's coat on and he moves around a lot, and he doesn't want me to put it on him, I can say, "You don't have to move around like that.

We will see two words at the same time.

Tema and a rat.

Tema and a rat.

You may have seen this trend on social networks.

"Tema, the size of the rat." Tema is verlan. It's language... It's a backwards word. Normally, it's mate.

"Mater" is also slang for "to watch".

So "Look" becomes "Mater" in slang and "Téma" in verlan.

It means "look".

"Look at how my sister is dressed." To say "look at how my sister is dressed. She's super underdressed."

And a rat is normally an animal, but here we're not talking about the animal.

When we talk about a rat, in colloquial language, we are talking about someone who is cheap, someone who doesn't like to spend a lot of money, who wants to keep his money.

When we say "Tema the size of the rat," we mean "Look at what a cheapskate this person is."

Here is an advertisement that can be seen in the metro in Paris for Canal+, a television channel. It is the Rat+ offer.

They want to say that this is really an offer for big cheapskates. They put underneath "How big is the offer".

This is an offer that will interest everyone, even the most stingy.

Poucave.

A snitch is a rat. Again, a snitch is a slang word, but now young people are using the word "snitch" a little more. When someone sluts on you, it means they're telling on you.

You can use it as a verb or as a noun. I'm a louse, I told my mother that my sister went out behind her back.

I lost my sister to my mother.

The darlings, the daron or the daronne.

These are words that young people use a lot. They are slang words for parents. The daron, the father, the daronne, the mother and the darons, the parents.

I'm going to work at my daron's tonight. I'm going to eat at my dad's tonight.

The seum.

This one, I'm sure you've heard it before. When you have the shakes, you are drunk, you are disgusted. I have the jitters, this is the tenth time I've played the Lotto this month and I still haven't won.

You can also say "I'm pissed" to say that you are angry, you are upset with someone.

I have a bad feeling about him, he forgot our appointment.

Relou.

Relou, I've already talked about it in other videos, but it's used almost every day in France, so it's important to review it. Relou is the verlan of heavy. It's used to talk about someone or a situation that's boring, that's annoying. It's relou, it's the subway strike again. I'm fed up with it.

In the description, you can find a sheet that includes these words, an explanation and a context, so feel free to download this sheet.

If you are interested in Lingopie, the partner of this video, this streaming platform that allows you to watch movies, series or shows in French, you also have the link in the description.

See you soon for a new video.

🇫🇷 Comprends les Français even when they talk fast.

"15 minutes a day is enough to be able to understand French speakers, even when they speak fast. You just need to follow the right method

🚀 50 everyday dialogues to boost your understanding of French

✅ Understand the French, even when they're talking fast.
✅ Talk with French speakers with confidence.
Improve your French for good with a method based on everyday dialogues.

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