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French Slang

Vocabulary

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apéro m.
cocktail, apéritif.

example: Je prends toujours l'apéro avant le dîner.

as spoken: J'prends toujours l'apéro avant l'dîner.

translation: I always have a cocktail before dinner.

 

balle f.
(extremely popular) one Franc
• (lit); ball or bullet.
Today, the word "Franc" should
probably be replaced by the word "Euro".

example:J'ai oublié mon portefeuille chez moi.
Tu peux me passer cent balles?

as spoken: J'ai oublié mon portefeuille chez moi.
Tu peux m'passer cent balles?

translation: I forgot my wallet at home.
Can you lend me a hundred francs?

NOTE(1): Of all the slang synonyms for money,
this is one of the most popular.

NOTE(2): As shown above, the literal translation of balle is "ball."
It's interesting to note that the French have two words for "ball"
depending on its size. The feminine noun balle is used for smaller balls,
and the masculine noun ballon is used for larger ones. For example: une balle de ping-pong, tennis, golf, baseball • un ballon de football,
basketball, volleyball.

 

barman m.
bartender
(borrowed from English).

example: Mon frère est barman et bosse toujours la nuit.
Il rentre à 4h tous les matins!

as spoken: Mon frère, l'est barman et bosse toujours la nuit.
i' rentre à 4h tous les matins!

translation: My brother's a bartender and always works at night.
He comes home at 4:00 every morning!

ANTONYM: bargirl n. woman bartender.

NOTE: bosser is a very popular slang verb meaning "to work."

 

boui-boui m.
bad restaurant, a dive
or "greasy spoon."

example: Comment tu arrives à bouffer dans ce boui-boui?

as spoken: Comment t'arrives à bouffer dans ç'boui-boui?

translation: How do you manage eating in this dive?

 

bourré(e) (être) adj.
to be very drunk •
(lit); to be stuffed (with alcohol).

example: Tu ne peux pas conduire comme ça.
Tu es complètement bourré!

as spoken: Tu - peux pas conduire comme ça.
T'es complètement bourré!

translation: You can't drive like that.
You're totally plastered!

SYNONYM:  être rond, être rond comme un oeuf,
être rond comme une bille.

as spoken: Tu peux pas conduire comme ça! 
T'es complètement rond!

NOTE: bourrer v. • (lit); to stuff, cram, pack tight.

 

boustifaille f.
food, "grub."

example: Hier soir, ma tante nous a préparé de la boustifaille
que je n'ai pas pu manger! C'était dégueulasse!

as spoken: Hier soir, ma tante è nous a préparé d'la boustifaille
qu' jai pas pu manger! C'était dégueulasse!

translation: Last night, my aunt made food for us that I couldn't eat!
It was gross!

SYNONYM: mangeaille f. (from the verb manger meaning "to eat").

NOTE(1): boustifailler u. to eat, "to chow down."

NOTE(2): The adjective dégueulasse, meaning "disgusting"
or "gross," is one of the most widely used words in the French
repertoire. It may also be abbreviated to dégueu.

example: Cette boustifaille est absolument dégueu!
(this grub is absolutely disgusting!)

ALSO: dégueuler u. to throw up, to barf.

 

brouille-ménage m.
humorous for ordinary red wine

example: Tu veux du brouille-ménage avec ton repas?

as spoken: [no change]

translation: Would you like some red wine with your meal?

NOTE: brouiller vu. to mix up, stir up • ménage m. household.
This literally translates as "something that stirs up the
household" since husbands and wives would get into fights
after having too much to drink.

 

coup de fusil
(être le)
exp.
to be exorbitantly expensive •
(lit); be a gunshot.

example: Tu as claqué mille balles au restaurant?!
C'est le coup de fusil!

as spoken: T'as claqué mille balles au resto?!
C'est l'coup d'fusil!

translation: You blew a thousand francs at the restaurant?!
That's outrageously expensive!

 

cradingue adj.
filthy.

example: La maison de Robert est toujours cradingue!

as spoken: La maison d'Robert, l'est toujours cradingue!

translation: Robert's house is always filthy!

VARIATION(1): cracra adj. (extremely popular).

VARIATION(2): crado adj.

VARIATION(3): craspèque adj.

example: Tu as les crocs? Ce n'est pas possible!
Tu viens de bouffer!

as spoken: T'as les crocs? C'est pas possible!
Tu viens d'bouffer!

translation: You're hungry? That's impossible!
You just ate!

NOTE(1): The "cs" in crocs is silent.

NOTE(2): crocs m.pl. slang for "teeth" • (lit); fangs.

 

douloureuse f.
bill (in a restaurant) •
(lit); that which causes pain.

example: Ah! Voilà la douloureuse!

as spoken: Ah! V'là la douloureuse!

translation: Ah! There's the bill!

NOTE: Derived from the feminine noun "douleur"
meaning "pain."

filer v. to give, hand over.

example: File-moi ça tout de suite!

as spoken: File-moi ça tout d'suite!

translation: Hand that over right now!

 

goinfrer (Se) v.
to eat a lot, to "pork out."

example: J'ai les crocs. Je vais me goinfrer ce soir.

as spoken: J'ai les crocs. J'vais m'goinfrer c'soir.

translation: I'm very hungry. I'm going to pig out tonight.

NOTE: goinfre m. one who makes a pig of oneself, an "oinker."

SYNONYM: s'empiffrer v.

 

guindal m.
glass (of water, etc.).

example: Tu veux un guindal de flotte?

as spoken: [no change]

translation: Do you want a glass of water?

nickel adj. very clean, "spotless."

example: Ta maison est toujours aussi nickel?

as spoken: Ta maison, l'est toujours aussi nickel?

translation: Your house is always this spotless?

 

picoler v.
to drink alcohol constantly, regularly.

example: Je viens d'apprendre que le patron
picole chaque matin avant d'arriver au boulot.

as spoken: J'viens d'apprend' que l'patron, y
picole chaque matin avant d'arriver au boulot.

translation: I just learned that the boss drinks
every morning before coming to work.

NOTE(1): pictance f. alcohol.

NOTE(2): boulot m. (extremely popular) work, the "grind."
And  there is the famous motto for the everyday routine:
"metro, boulot, dodo"! (Take the subway in the morning,
go to work, and come back home at night to sleep "dodo").
Which has been changed recently, under the inflence of
the "get in shape" generation: "metro, boulot, vélo"!
Instead of going to sleep at home, you take a bike ride!)

 

pointer (se) v.
to arrive, to show up.

example: Si Anne ne se pointe pas dans deux minutes,
je me tire!

as spoken: Si Anne, è - s'pointe pas dans deux minutes,
j'me tire!

translation: If Anne doesn't show up in two minutes,
I'm leaving!

NOTE(1): pointer v. • (lit); to sprout up.

NOTE(2): tirer (se) v. to leave • (lit); to pull oneself (away).

poivrot m. drunkard.

example: Il t'apprend à conduire? Mais c'est un poivrot!
Tu n'as pas remarqué?

as spoken: Y t'apprend à conduire? Mais c-t'un poivrot!
T'as pas r'marqué?

translation: He's teaching you how to drive? But he's a drunk!
You didn't notice?

SYNONYM: soûlard (also spelled: saoûlard).

 

pourlécher les badigoinces (s'en)
exp. to lick one's lips over something • (lit); to lick one's  chops over something.

example: Demain, ma mère va préparer du coq au vin.
Je m'en pourlèche les badigoinces d'avance!

as spoken: Demain, ma mère, è va préparer du coq au vin.
J'm'en pourlèche les badigoinces d'avance!

translation: Tomorrow, my mother is going to make
chicken in red wine. My mouth is already watering!

première (de) adj. excellent, first-rate.

example: Cette soirée est de première!

as spoken: Cette soirée, lest d'première!

translation: This party's top drawer!

NOTE: This is a common shortened version of
de première classe meaning "of first class quality."

 

régaler v.
to treat • (lit); to entertain, to regale.

example: C'est moi qui régale!

as spoken: [no change]

translation: It's on me!

 

resto m.
abbreviation of "restaurant."

example: Ce resto coûte trop cher.

as spoken: Ç'resto, y coûte trop cher.

translation: This restaurant is too expensive.

NOTE: This abbreviation got its name from Coluche,
the late, popular comedian who launched a chain of
low-priced eateries for the destitute. These restaurants
were called "les restos du coeur."

 

v'là interj.
a commonly heard reduction of "voilà" .

example: V'là le patron! Tire-toi!

as spoken: V'là l'patron! Tire-toi!

translation: There's the boss! Scram!

NOTE: The verb se tirer (meaning "to scram")
is extremely popular in French slang. In fact, the
Woody Allen classic Take the Money and Run is
translated in French as Prends l'Oseille et Tire-Toi.
The term oseille is commonly used in French slang
to mean "money"; its literal translation is "sorrel," which is a green, leafy vegetable.

 

z'gonde f.
a commonly heard reduction of "seconde."

example: Attends deux z'gondes. J'arrive. ( the "s"  is pronounced like a "z" )

as spoken: [no change]

translation: Wait two seconds. I'll be right there.