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Guidebook · Unit 19 · C1

Idioms and Spoken French

Français familier

  1. 1

    Ça m'est égal: everyday expressions

    The small set phrases that keep French conversation moving — and a few picture idioms, with their register.

    • Pas grave, pas de souci, ça marche, ça te dit ?, à plus ! keep everyday conversation moving.
    • Ça m'est égal = I don't mind — comme tu veux sounds warmer.
    • Bon courage wishes strength for a tough task; bonne chance, luck.
    • Il pleut des cordes, coûter les yeux de la tête, poser un lapin, avoir le cafard — everyday idioms.
    • Avoir la flemme and casser les pieds are casual: fine with friends, not with clients.
    Open lesson
  2. 2

    Chais pas, t'as vu ? French as it's spoken

    Where the ne goes, how tu as becomes t'as, and why on has taken over from nous in conversation.

    • In speech, the ne usually drops: je sais pas, c'est pas grave, y a pas de pain.
    • Pas, rien, jamais, plus carry the negative on their own.
    • Ouais, t'as, t'es, y a, chuis — spoken forms, not for careful writing.
    • On is the everyday we: on est contents — singular verb, plural adjective.
    • Spoken questions keep normal word order: T'es où ? Tu fais quoi ? C'est quoi ?
    • In emails and formal speech, keep the full forms.
    Open lesson
  3. 3

    Bosser, un truc, kiffer: familier vocabulary

    The casual words for work, things, friends and food — with a register check for each — and a Friday night out.

    • Familier words are for friends: bosser, le boulot, un truc, un pote, un mec, la bouffe, une bagnole, crevé, kiffer.
    • Each has a standard partner — travailler, le travail, une chose, un ami… — that's never wrong.
    • Casual intensifiers: super, trop, vachement — c'est trop bien !
    • Four levels: soutenu, courant, familier, vulgaire — match your words to the setting.
    • At work and in writing, stay with standard French.
    Open lesson
  4. 4

    Relou, chelou, c'est ouf: verlan and fillers

    Words turned inside out, the little words that hold spoken French together — and when to leave them at home.

    • Verlan flips syllables: relou (lourd), chelou (louche), ouf (fou), vénère (énervé), meuf (femme).
    • C'est ouf ! — crazy or amazing, depending on the tone.
    • Fillers glue speech together: ben, euh, du coup, en fait, bref, genre, quoi.
    • Du coup = so; bref = anyway; en fait = actually.
    • Understand verlan first, use it later — and never at work or in writing.
    Open lesson
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