French Phrases: 5 French Slang Words Anyone Can Use Without Sounding Awkward

Sound more confident and authentically French, with French slang used by all ages! A Parisian explains.

00:00 - Intro
00:52 - Chouette
02:03 - Faire gaffe
04:28 - Se marrer
05:21 - Vachement
6:29 - La nana

French slang words aren’t only used by young people. In French, we have some common slang that’s used by all French people — no matter their age or level of education. And you can use them, too, even as a non-native speaker!

In today’s lesson, I’ll introduce you to 5 very common French slang words and explain how YOU can start using them in everyday conversation to sound more authentically French, without sounding awkward.

Take care and stay safe.
😘 from Grenoble, France.

Géraldine

[maxducoudray]

Even native speakers don’t understand every word people use around them! Thanks for another great video.

[kaitlinannwright]

I'm a teacher in the US and we have a French exchange student. I've taken French at different times throughout my life, but it was only standard formal French from a textbook. Whenever I try to speak French with my student, he uses so many slang words that even though I'm pretty good at formal French conversation, I miss so much of what he says and end up with only big picture understanding most of the time. These videos are so helpful! Maybe eventually I can impress my student with my French slang 😅

[chizobannaekpe]

This is what I call ' insider French'. Please keep them coming. Merci beaucoup.

[acquaura]

Vos vidéos sont vraiment les meilleures. Merci pour vos explications et tous vos efforts 🌟

[martinneumann]

C'était génial ! Merci Géraldine...

[shantim]

So cool, Geraldine! Merci beaucoup pour le vidéo!

[sagg]

Merci beaucoup pour cette nouvelle et superbe vidéo de grammaire francaise pour apprendre mieux la magnifique langue française, thanks a lot for this new and great lesson of the week

[igi]

If that was a love button I would click it for this lesson.

[garydoss]

Great content….now I have to watch this 100 times to get it down!!

[markbernier]

Perhaps you could clarify, what are the best usages for "funny" in the sense peculiar or unusual vs amusing?

[ravelanone]

That bird, “chouette, ” isn’t an “ole” in English. It’s pronounced more like “aoul”—“ow” rhyming with “now, ” plus “L.”

[timbinder]

Vachement chouette littéralement traduit en anglais donne "cowly owl". histoire de rigoler xx

[divandivaparexcellence]

j´ ai bien l'idee que ma grandmere trouve ce lecon un cauchemare, on s'exprime pas comme ca! followed with a lengthy diatribe about manners, but despite all that actually j'ai pige presque tout.

[bambinaforever]

I knew all except marrant. I thought une gaffe is a legitimate word for mistake, i did not know it was a slang of some sort

[dereknolin]

Ok, I'm really confused. "Je fais gaffe" means I am careful, but "J'ai fait une gaffe" means I made a mistake? Almost the opposite meaning just by adding "une"?

[microdesigns]

Some how I vachement trust your grandmother. =D

[Albatrosspro]

Do French people find the same when visiting the US/UK?

[billfromnic]

Do the French in France use : Tout de bon

[timbinder]

Bonjour Géraldine bonne année. Encore un mot d'argot - "canon" p. ex. elle est canon cette meuf = belle

[HRAZZI]

Ce mec fait vachement gaffe = Ce mec fait tromper souvent. This guy makes a lot of mistakes.
Amélie est super chouette on se marre beaucoup = Amélie est super cool on se rigole beaucoup. Amélie is so cool we laugh out so hard.
Thank you for the time and effort