Are you planning a trip to France or just want to sound like a local? Then you'll want to check out our list of the top 10 French slang words that every young person needs to know. From greeting friends and saying no, to describing something as weird or cool, these slang words are essential for understanding and participating in youth culture in France. Whether you're a student, traveler, or Francophile, you'll find this guide useful for navigating social situations and fitting in with the locals.
Quick answer: bogoss (also spelled bogosse for a woman, often misspelled bogos) is slang for beau gosse, meaning a good-looking guy or "hottie". Zarbi means weird, chill means relaxed, a boum is a party, mec means dude, and MDR is the French LOL.
This term means "guy" or "dude" and is commonly used among friends. If you are looking for "dude" in French slang, mec is the safest answer; gars and frérot are close cousins.
"Mec, tu viens à la boum ce soir?" - "Dude, are you coming to the party tonight?"
This term means "no" or "nah" and is often used as a casual way to say no.
"Nan, je ne veux pas y aller." - "No, I don't want to go."
This term means to relax or take it easy, and is often used as a way to tell someone to calm down.
"Chill un peu, ça va bien se passer." - "Take it easy, it's going to be fine."
So what is "chill" in French slang? The English word itself. Young French speakers say on chill ("we're chilling") or il est trop chill ("he's really laid-back"). In standard French you would say détendu (relaxed) or tranquille.
So what does boum mean in French? Une boum is a party or "bash," especially a house party for teenagers. It is a feminine noun, so you say la boum or une boum. The word sounds a bit retro today; many young people simply say une soirée or une fête.
"Il y a une super boum ce week-end." - "There's a really cool party this weekend."
Bogoss means "good-looking" or "handsome," and is often used to describe someone who is attractive. It is a contraction of beau gosse, literally "beautiful kid," and it is the go-to word for handsome in French slang.
"Regarde, il y a un bogoss là-bas." - "Look, there's a good-looking guy over there."
Zarbi means "weird" or "crazy" and is often used to describe something or someone that is out of the ordinary. It is verlan, French back slang: the syllables of bizarre (bi-zarre) are swapped to give zarbi.
"Ce film est vraiment zarbi." - "This movie is really weird."
This term is used as a greeting and means "hello" or "hi." It is often used in a casual or informal setting.
"Coucou, comment ça va?" - "Hi, how's it going?"
This term means "to like" or "to enjoy," and is often used to describe something or someone that someone finds appealing.
"J'adore cette musique, je kiffe vraiment." - "I love this music, I really enjoy it."
This acronym stands for "mort de rire" which means "dying of laughter," and is often used to express amusement or laughter.
"MDR, cette blague était tellement drôle!" - "LOL, that joke was so funny!"
This phrase means "let's calm down" and is often used as a way to tell someone to calm down or relax.
"On se calme, tout va bien." - "Calm down, everything's fine."
What does bogoss mean in French? Bogoss is slang for beau gosse: a good-looking guy, a "hottie." The feminine is bogosse, and bogos is a frequent misspelling.
What does zarbi mean in French? Zarbi means weird or strange. It is the verlan (reversed) form of bizarre.
What is the French slang for cool? Stylé, trop bien and ouf (verlan of fou, "crazy") are common. The English cool is also used as is.
How do you say calm down in French? Calme-toi, du calme or, among friends, on se calme and chill.
What is teenager in French slang? Un ado (short for adolescent) is the everyday word for a teenager.
For even more everyday expressions, see our list of 10 casual French slang expressions for everyday conversation.
Make Japanese Friends On a Live World Map
The last tip: slang sticks best when you hear it from real people, so make French-speaking friends.
There are plenty of apps out there that allow you to do so, so it might be the topic of a different post to do an overview of some of them, but I'd like to recommend one: SewaYou, a map-based friendship app where you can discover people nearby and anywhere in the world, including France. Explore another city from home, make online friends with no travel plans, connect before a trip, and meet up when you're nearby.
So please give it a try, it doesn't hurt, and you might find a friend who texts you "MDR" for real! 😃
Merci!
