Argot Essentials: French Slang Guide

Your French is correct. It just doesn't sound like anyone actually talks.

Textbook French gets you understood. Argot gets you in. French slang is everywhere — in conversations, texts, movies, and social media — and knowing it makes the difference between sounding like a learner and sounding like someone who actually lives in the language.

This guide organizes the most useful French slang by category, with meanings and context so you know when and how to use it.

Inside you'll find:

• Everyday life and people: words for friends, family, relationships, and the people around you
• Social life, parties, and fun: vocabulary for going out, flirting, laughing, and having a good time
• Work, school, and daily tasks: slang for working, struggling, chatting, and getting things done
• Money and shopping: how French speakers talk about cash, spending, and luck
• Emotions and behavior: from bof to flipper, the words for how people feel and act
• Food, drink, and health: informal vocabulary for eating, drinking, and everything after
• Home, objects, and transport: the everyday words French people actually use instead of the textbook versions
• Insults and critiques: what to recognize, even if you choose not to use them
• Verlan: the syllable-inversion slang that gave French meuf, ouf, chelou, and relou

One guide. The French they don't teach in class.