French
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes,
France
Slang USED On Occasion BY Young people
(n.) • Means guy or dude. It comes from a Romany word meaning penis, so it can be a bit offensive. You wouldn't call an older person this to his face.
"Il n'y a pas un pélo dans ce magasin !" "Normal, on est dimanche."
"There is not a soul in this shop!" "Obviously, it's Sunday."
Interjection USED On Occasion BY Young people
(interj.) • (It slaps!) • Used to mean that something is cool. Ruder version : "Ça claque sa mère" (it slaps one's mother).
"Tu as vu le nouveau Avengers ? Ça claque !"
"Have you seen the new Avengers movie? It's so cool!"
Standard Phrase USED Frequently BY Young people
(What are the leases?) • A way of saying 'what's up?'. Deriving from "bails" (leases) meaning "business". You are asking about the business your friend has done.
"Salut poto" "Wesh gros" "C'est quoi les bails" "Pas grand chose, on est là, toi-même tu sais"
"Hey bro" "Yo homie" "What's up?" "Not much, we represent, you know"
Word USED Very frequently BY Students
(adverb) • (dry ass) • Equivalent to "bottoms-up" or "chug". To drink a glass of alcohol in a single shot.
"Il a bu sa bière cul-sec."
"He chugged his beer."
Word USED Very frequently BY Students
(adj.) • Something or someone cool and trendy.
"Hyper stylé le nouvel iPhone!"
"The new iPhone is so cool!"
Expression USED On Occasion BY young people
(v.) • (to have the venom) • To be angry, frustrated or enraged. From the Arabic word "سم" (venom).
"Ouf j'ai le seum mec! Saïd m'a pas renvoyé de l'argent!"
"I'm angry man! Saïd hasn't given me the money back!"
Expression USED Very frequently BY Everyone
(to have your holiday trip) • to be fed up with something, annoyed or disgusted. can also be used to mark astonishment ("I can't believe it!")
"Ma soeur vole toujours mes vêtements, j'en ai mon voyage!!"
"My sister always steals my clothes, I've had enough of it!"
Expression USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone
(banging nails) • Used to describe the behavior of someone trying to stay awake despite being very obviously tired.
"J'ai pas dormi de la nuit, alors j'ai passé la journée à cogner des clous."
"I didn't sleep at all last night, so I spent the day struggling to stay awake"
Abbreviation USED Frequently BY Teens
Abbreviation for "énervé", which translates to being "annoyed" or "angry". Used in text messages by teenagers and young adults.
"Ouf, ma mère me fatigue aujourd'hui, je suis NRV!"
"Ugh my mom's getting on my nerves today, I'm so annoyed!"
Expression USED Very frequently BY Everyone
(to have the (female) dog) • Synonymous with being afraid, it designates a state of anxiety or fear.
"Je dois faire un discours devant l'école demain. J'ai la chienne."
"I need to do a speech in front of the school tomorrow. I'm terrified."
Submitted July 2020 by sablemieux
Expression USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone
(don't let go of the potato) • An invitation to persevere, to not give up.
"Je serai incapable de réussir mon examen de math." "Lâche pas la patate! Tu peux y arriver!"
"There's no way I'll pass my math exam." "Don't let go of the potato! You can do it!"
Hashtag USED Frequently BY Some People
(Denounce your pig ) • The French version of the #MeToo movement. Used on Twitter to condemn sexual harassment and assault.
"Le mouvement #BalanceTonPorc a commencé en 2017 avec les allégations d'abus sexuels contre Harvey Weinstein."
"The #BalanceTonPorc movement began in 2017 with the sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein."
Word USED Frequently BY Everyone
(noun) • A local cafe or bar. Often a relaxed and informal place.
"Je pris un café au troquet."
"I had a coffee at the local cafe."
Standard Phrase USED On Occasion BY Most People
The day after a night of drinking.
"Un burger bien fat en lendemain de cuite n'est en fait pas une très bonne idée."
"Eating a big fatty burger the night after drinking isn't a very good idea."
Slang USED Frequently BY Most People
(n.) • A shortened version of the word 'bourgeois-bohème', meaning a middle-class person with money and liberal, left-wing political views. They are often seen as trendy and intellectual, but in a way that is performative. It is often said in a derogatory way.
"Le nouveau restaurant végan va attirer les bobos."
"The new vegan restaurant will attract the bobos."
French
French speaking countries
Expression USED On Occasion BY everyone
(to have pain to the heart) • To be nauseous or have the desire to vomit.
"Que puis-je faire si j'ai trop mal au coeur le matin pour prendre mon comprimé rose à jeun?"
"What can I do if I'm too nauseous in the morning to take my pink tablet on an empty stomach?"
Slang USED Very frequently BY young francophones
(interj.) • Slang used to greet a friend or express various feelings like excitement, anger etc.
"Wesh mon ami!"
"Hey pal!"
Quand les poules auront des dents
Expression USED In the past BY Older Generations
(When chickens have teeth) • Hyperbolic figure of speech describing something so unlikely it would never happen. French equivalent of "when pigs fly".
"J'espère qu'un jour il réalisera qu'il faut nettoyer sa chambre..." "Ouais, quand les poules auront des dents..."
"I hope he will someday understand he needs to clean his room." "Yeah, when chickens have teeth..."
Expression USED On Occasion BY everyone
(that doesn't eat bread) • When something doesn't cost anything and it's not bad. Or when you don't have to do much effort to have something.
"Ça mange pas de pain de reprendre un peu de salade!"
"It doesn’t eat bread to eat a little salad!"
Slang USED Frequently BY Younger generations
A very recent term, it is the verlan of "mate" and can be used either on its own to mean "look!" or can be followed by the name of the item you want the other person to look at/check out.
"téma le flow"
"check out this flow"
