Learn French Slang — Authentic Street French Nobody Teaches
Master verlan, argot, and modern French expressions used by real Parisians
Standard French lessons will get you through tourist situations, but they'll leave you completely lost when French people actually talk to each other. French slang — especially verlan, the back-slang dialect beloved by younger speakers — is radically different from what you learned in school. None of it is in your textbook: 'laisse béton' means forget it, 'chelou' means sketchy, 'kiffer' means to really like something, 'ouf' means crazy. Slangy's French slang courses cover verlan, argot, dating expressions, and modern colloquialisms with full cultural context about when each expression is appropriate. Learn the French that Parisians, not professors, actually speak.
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Verlan is a French back-slang where syllables are reversed. 'L'envers' (the reverse) becomes 'verlan'. Common examples: 'chelou' (louche → sketchy/weird), 'ouf' (fou → crazy), 'meuf' (femme → woman), 'laisse béton' (laisse tomber → forget it). It originated in French suburbs in the 1980s and is now mainstream in everyday speech.
What are common French slang words?+
Common French slang includes 'mec' (guy), 'meuf' (woman/girl), 'kiffer' (to like/love), 'chelou' (sketchy/weird), 'ouf' (crazy/wild), 'boulot' (work), 'flic' (cop), 'bouffer' (to eat), and 'se barrer' (to leave). Younger speakers also use verlan and borrowed English words heavily.
How is French slang different from standard French?+
Standard French follows formal grammatical rules. French slang drops gender agreements, contracts words aggressively, reverses syllables (verlan), and borrows heavily from Arabic (via Maghrebi communities) and English. The informal spoken French of Paris sounds very different from what you hear in textbooks or formal media.
Can I learn French slang for free?+
Yes — Slangy offers free interactive French slang courses with no sign-up required to browse. Create a free account to track your progress and use the full exercise system. The Verlan course and French Dating Expressions course are both free to start.
