It’s always good to know a little bit of French before you travel to France, but if you really want to level up and connect with locals, understanding slang is a must!
Here are 8 words you’re sure to hear in France.
Pote
Meaning: friend
Textbook equivalent: ami
Pote is one of the most common ways to say friend in everyday French. It’s less ambiguous than copain and copine, which can mean friend, but also boyfriend or girlfriend in a romantic sense.
| Qu’est-ce que t’as fait hier soir ? | What’d you do last night? |
| Pas grand-chose, je suis sortie avec quelques potes. | Not much, I went out with a few friends. |
Meuf
Meaning: woman, girl
Textbook equivalent: femme
Meuf icomes from French’s unique verlan system—in other words, it’s femme (woman) backwards!
⚠ Warning: Depending on the context, meuf can be perceived as disrespectful, so use this term with care!
| Tu aimes ces chaussures ? | Do you like these shoes? |
| Oui, mais je préfère les baskets de cette meuf. | Yes, but I prefer that woman’s sneakers. |
Mec
Meaning: man, guy
Textbook equivalent: homme
Although it doesn’t come from verlan, you can think of mec as the male equivalent of meuf, and you’ll often hear them used in similar contexts!
| Il y a combien d’élèves dans ton cours de français ? | How many students are in your French class? |
| On est cinq : deux mecs et trois meufs. | There are five of us: two guys and three girls. |
Bosser
Meaning: to work
Textbook equivalent: travailler
Who needs travailler when you can talk about working in a cooler, more casual way with bosser? 😎
💡 Pro tip: Use the slang noun, boulot (job or work), along with bosser to sound even more in-the-know!
| T’as bossé aujourd’hui ? On est samedi ! | Did you work today? It’s Saturday! |
| Je sais, mais j’ai énormément de boulot en ce moment. | I know, but I have tons of work right now. |
Kiffer
Meaning: to like, to enjoy
Textbook equivalent: aimer, adorer
The verb kiffer comes from the Arabic word كيف (kayf) meaning pleasure or enjoyment. Due to a long history of contact, colonization, and immigration, French has gotten hundreds of words from Arabic!
| T’en as pensé quoi du film ? | What did you think of the movie? |
| J’ai kiffé, c’était trop drôle ! | I loved it, it was so funny! |
Blindé
Meaning: crowded (also: rich!)
Textbook equivalent: bondé, rempli (or riche)
The literal meaning of blindé is armored or bulletproof, like an armored car (voiture blindée). In everyday French, it’s often used to describe a place that’s packed with people—like a Parisian park on a summer night!
💡 Pro tip: Blindé has another slang meaning: rich or loaded. So if you ever hear someone use this word in reference to a person, you can assume they’re talking about money, not crowds!
| Il y a nulle part pour s’asseoir ! | There’s nowhere to sit! |
| Je sais, le métro est toujours blindé le lundi matin. | I know, the metro is always packed on Monday mornings. |
Bouffe
Meaning: food
Textbook equivalent: nourriture
You’ll often hear bouffe, as well as its verb form bouffer (to eat), in informal conversations among friends
⚠ Warning: While the word isn’t necessarily negative, bouffe implies a casual attitude towards the food you’re discussing, so avoid using it when commenting on someone else’s cooking!
| On commande quelque chose à bouffer ? | Should we order something to eat? |
| Oui, la bouffe a l’air bonne ici ! | Yes, the food here looks good! |
Crevé
Meaning: tired
Textbook equivalent: fatigué
The adjective crevé literally means burst or punctured, like a flat tire—a perfect metaphor to describe how you might feel after a long day of sightseeing!
| Julie fait une fête chez elle ce soir, tu veux y aller ? | Julie is having a party at her place tonight, do you want to go? |
| Non, je suis complètement crevé ! | No, I’m absolutely exhausted! |
You’re gonna kiffer French slang!
Keep an ear out for these words in France—with enough practice, your French slang might help you make new French potes!