Most Common French Slang Verbs: Verlan and Argot Explained
You can know your textbook French perfectly and still get lost the second real people start talking. A Parisian says Il m’a grave saoulé (“He seriously annoyed me”) and you catch maybe one word. Someone texts On se capte ce soir ? (“Shall we meet up tonight?”) and suddenly your solid B1 level feels less solid.
French slang verbs matter because they show up in films, group chats, cafés, music, and everyday conversation. You do not need to use all of them yourself, but you do need to recognise the most common ones. Once you understand a core set of slang verbs — especially from argot and verlan — spoken French starts sounding much less like a blur.
At VerbPal, this is exactly the gap we help learners close: not just knowing the dictionary form of a verb, but producing and recognising it across real registers. Slang still follows verb patterns, tense patterns, and context patterns — and once you train those actively, informal French becomes much less intimidating.
Quick answer: French slang verbs are informal verbs used in everyday speech. Argot means slang in general, while verlan is a type of slang that flips syllables around, like louche → chelou for “shady/weird” or pourri → ripou for “corrupt.” The most useful slang verbs to learn first are everyday ones like bosser, kiffer, mater, capter, se barrer, and saouler.
Argot vs verlan: what’s the difference?
If you want to understand French slang verbs, start with this distinction:
- Argot = slang broadly
- Verlan = one specific kind of slang where sounds or syllables get reversed
So all verlan is slang, but not all slang is verlan.
Argot: everyday informal French
Argot includes verbs and expressions that native speakers use casually with friends, classmates, colleagues, or online. These words often feel more alive and more spoken than their textbook equivalents.
For example:
- Je bosse demain. (I’m working tomorrow.)
- Tu captes ? (Do you get it?)
- On se barre. (Let’s get out of here.)
These are not “wrong” French. They are simply informal. In our VerbPal drills, we often pair a neutral verb with its informal equivalent so learners can spot the register shift fast: travailler → bosser, comprendre → capter, partir → se barrer.
Verlan: flipped slang
The word verlan itself comes from reversing l’envers (“backwards”). In practice, verlan often flips syllables or reshapes pronunciation in a way that becomes a recognised slang word.
A few famous examples:
- fou → ouf (“crazy”)
- lourd → relou (“annoying/heavy,” colloquially “so annoying”)
- arabe → beur (a culturally loaded identity term; understand it, but use with care)
- pourri → ripou (“corrupt,” especially a corrupt cop)
Not every verlan form is a verb, but verlan absolutely affects the slang ecosystem around the verbs you hear.
A useful mindset: learn slang first for recognition, not performance. You want to understand films, texts, and conversations before you try sounding ultra-native yourself.
Pro Tip: Treat slang like a separate register. Learn the neutral verb and the slang equivalent together: travailler → bosser, partir → se barrer, regarder → mater.
The most useful French slang verbs to learn first
You do not need a giant list. You need the verbs that keep coming up in real life. Frequency lists like the ones built from large French corpora such as Frantext and Lexique/CNRTL-linked usage studies consistently show that high-frequency everyday verbs dominate spoken interaction — but slang replaces many of them in informal contexts. That means your textbook may teach travailler, while your friend says bosser.
Here are the ones worth learning first.
1. Bosser = to work, to study hard
This is one of the most common slang verbs in modern French. You will hear it constantly.
- Je bosse ce week-end. (I’m working this weekend.)
- Il bosse ses exams. (He’s studying for his exams.)
Neutral equivalent: travailler (“to work”)
2. Kiffer = to like, love, really enjoy
Originally from Arabic influence via urban French, kiffer is now widespread. It means you really like something.
- Je kiffe cette chanson. (I love this song.)
- Tu kiffes ce film ? (Do you like this film?)
Neutral equivalents: aimer bien (“to like”), adorer (“to love”)
3. Mater = to look at, watch, check out
Very common in spoken French. Depending on context, it can mean “watch,” “look at,” or “check out.”
- On mate une série ce soir ? (Shall we watch a series tonight?)
- Mate ça ! (Look at that!)
Neutral equivalent: regarder (“to watch/look at”)
4. Capter = to understand, catch, notice
Literally it can mean “pick up” a signal, but in slang it often means “get” or “understand.”
- J’ai pas capté. (I didn’t get it.)
- Tu captes ce qu’il veut dire ? (Do you get what he means?)
Neutral equivalents: comprendre (“to understand”), saisir (“to grasp”)
5. Se barrer = to leave, get out, go away
Very useful and very common. This is stronger and more casual than partir.
- On se barre ? (Shall we get out of here?)
- Il s’est barré sans dire au revoir. (He left without saying goodbye.)
Neutral equivalent: partir (“to leave”)
6. Saouler = to annoy, bore, get on someone’s nerves
Literally it relates to making someone drunk, but in everyday French it often means “to annoy.”
- Ça me saoule. (That’s annoying me / I’m fed up with that.)
- Il me saoule avec ses messages. (He’s getting on my nerves with his messages.)
If you want more on how spoken French compresses common phrases, our post on why natives say “chais pas” pairs nicely with this one.
7. Gérer = to handle, to be good at, to crush it
In standard French, gérer means “manage.” In slang, it can mean “do well,” “handle it,” or even “be impressive.”
- T’inquiète, je gère. (Don’t worry, I’ve got it.)
- Elle gère trop en français. (She’s really good at French.)
8. Galérer = to struggle, have a hard time
Another essential spoken verb.
- Je galère avec le subjonctif. (I’m struggling with the subjunctive.)
- On a galéré pour trouver l’adresse. (We had a hard time finding the address.)
This one is especially relatable if you know the rule but freeze when you need to produce it. That is why we push active recall at VerbPal: typing je galère, nous galérons, or j’ai galéré is what turns a familiar word into a usable one. The same production habit matters across French tenses, irregulars, reflexives, and the subjunctive too — not just slang.
Pro Tip: Learn slang verbs in mini-pairs with a neutral equivalent and one fixed phrase. Example: galérer = “to struggle” → Je galère avec… (I’m struggling with…). This makes the verb usable fast.
Slang verbs you’ll hear in texts, films, and casual conversation
Once you know the core set above, add these high-value verbs. They are common enough to recognise, but some are more context-sensitive.
Choper = to grab, catch, get
- J’ai chopé un rhume. (I caught a cold.)
- Tu peux choper le sel ? (Can you grab the salt?)
Lâcher in slang uses = to drop, ditch, let go, blurt out
Standard French already uses lâcher, but spoken French stretches it.
- Il m’a lâché au dernier moment. (He ditched me at the last minute.)
- Elle a lâché une blague bizarre. (She came out with a weird joke.)
Déconner = to mess around, joke, act up
- Tu déconnes ? (Are you kidding?)
- Mon ordi déconne. (My computer is acting up.)
Péter in expressions = to explode, to break, to lose it
You will hear this in many idiomatic expressions.
- J’ai pété mon téléphone. (I broke my phone.)
- Il va péter un câble. (He’s going to lose it.)
Assurer = to do well, deliver
- T’as assuré. (You nailed it.)
- Il assure en entretien. (He does well in interviews.)
Zapper = to skip, forget, miss
Borrowed from “zap,” now deeply natural in French.
- J’ai zappé ton message. (I forgot / missed your message.)
- On peut zapper cette partie ? (Can we skip this part?)
bosser, galérer, capter, mater, kiffer, zapper — common, widely understood, usually low-risk in casual settings.
se barrer, péter, choper — very common, but more informal and more dependent on tone, age, and setting.
Pro Tip: If you are unsure whether a slang verb fits the situation, switch back to the neutral version. Understanding slang is mandatory; performing it is optional.
Verlan verbs and verlan-influenced slang you should recognise
Pure verlan verbs are less common than verlan nouns and adjectives, but verlan still shapes the spoken French around you. If you watch series, listen to rap, or spend time with younger speakers, these forms matter.
Tej / jeter influence
From jeter (“to throw”), you may hear tej in expressions like:
- Il s’est fait tej. (He got kicked out / dumped.)
This is very informal and strongly youth-coded.
Pécho = to hook up with, get, score
From verlan of choper → pécho. This one is everywhere in pop culture and online French.
- Il a pécho son numéro. (He got her number.)
- Ils ont pécho en soirée. (They hooked up at a party.)
Ken = to have sex
From verlan of niquer. Very informal, very explicit, very common in some media. Learn it to understand it.
- Ils ont ken. (They had sex.)
This is not a beginner-use item. It is a recognition word.
Bédo, meuf, keuf, chelou, relou around the verbs
These are not verbs, but they often appear with slang verbs:
- meuf = “woman/girl” (verlan of femme)
- keuf = “cop” (verlan of flic via reshaping)
- chelou = “shady/weird” (verlan of louche)
- relou = “annoying” (verlan of lourd)
Example:
- Ce mec est chelou, je me barre. (That guy is shady, I’m leaving.)
Here’s the cheat code: don’t memorise slang as isolated dictionary entries. Learn it as scene language. Example: party scene = pécho, se barrer, mater, kiffer. Work scene = bosser, galérer, gérer. Your brain remembers situations faster than word lists. Good dog-approved strategy. 🐶
If spoken forms still feel slippery, our posts on French pronunciation and spelling mismatch and dropping the “ne” in French negation will help you hear these verbs in the wild.
Pro Tip: With verlan, aim for passive mastery first. If you can hear pécho and instantly connect it to “get/hook up/score,” you are already winning.
How these slang verbs actually behave grammatically
The good news: most slang verbs still conjugate like normal French verbs. The challenge is not grammar — it is speed, register, and recognition.
Most slang verbs are regular -er verbs
That makes them much easier than classic irregulars.
Here is bosser in the present tense:
| Pronoun | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | bosse | I work / I’m working |
| tu | bosses | you work |
| il/elle | bosse | he/she works |
| nous | bossons | we work |
| vous | bossez | you (formal/plural) work |
| ils/elles | bossent | they work |
The same pattern works for kiffer, mater, galérer, capter, zapper. This is one reason slang is so learnable: the vocabulary is informal, but the conjugation logic is usually straightforward. In VerbPal, we lean on that by making you type full forms instead of just recognising them, which is much more effective for long-term retention than passive tapping. Our review system uses spaced repetition with the SM-2 algorithm, so common forms come back just before they fade.
If present-tense spelling still trips you up, see our guide to common French spelling mistakes in the present tense.
Reflexive slang verbs behave like normal reflexives
For example, se barrer conjugates with the reflexive pronoun:
- Je me barre. (I’m leaving.)
- On se barre maintenant. (We’re leaving now.)
In compound tenses, reflexive verbs use être:
- Elle s’est barrée tôt. (She left early.)
That means agreement rules still apply. If that makes you pause for 30 seconds when texting, read why reflexive verbs always use être and past participle agreement with être.
Spoken French often reduces the surrounding grammar
The slang verb is only part of the challenge. You also hear reductions like:
- J’ai pas capté. (I didn’t get it.) instead of Je n’ai pas compris. (I didn’t understand.)
- T’as géré. (You handled it / You nailed it.) instead of Tu as bien réussi. (You did well.)
- On se capte ? (Shall we meet/catch up?)
That last one deserves attention: se capter can mean “to meet up” in some contexts.
- On se capte demain ? (Shall we meet up tomorrow?)
This is exactly why passive study is not enough. You need to retrieve these forms actively. In VerbPal, we built drills around active production, not just recognition, so you learn to produce forms like je me barre, j’ai capté, or on se capte under time pressure. That same training carries over to the rest of French too: present, past, future, irregulars, reflexives, and the subjunctive.
Pro Tip: Conjugate slang verbs out loud in full phrases, not tables only. Say je bosse, j’ai bossé, on se barre, elle m’a saoulé (I work, I worked, we’re leaving, she annoyed me). Spoken chunks stick faster.
When to use slang verbs — and when not to
This is where many learners get nervous, and rightly so. Slang is social. The grammar is easy; the register is the real skill.
Good contexts for slang
Use slang more freely when you are:
- texting friends
- chatting with people your age
- watching series or YouTube and shadowing lines
- speaking casually with people who already use that register with you
Examples:
- Je bosse un peu puis on se capte. (I’m working a bit, then we’ll meet up.)
- J’ai kiffé le resto. (I loved the restaurant.)
Better to stay neutral when you are:
- speaking to a professor, client, or older stranger
- writing formal emails
- handling official situations
- unsure whether a term sounds too strong, too young, or too regional
In those cases, use:
- travailler instead of bosser
- aimer / adorer instead of kiffer
- regarder instead of mater
- partir instead of se barrer
Cultural reality: understanding matters more than performing
A lot of adult learners want to sound natural, but “natural” does not mean stuffing every sentence with slang. Native speakers themselves shift register all the time.
The real win is this:
- you understand J’ai pas capté (I didn’t get it)
- you understand On se barre (We’re leaving)
- you understand Il m’a saoulé (He annoyed me)
- and you can choose whether to answer in slang or in neutral French
That is fluent behaviour.
At VerbPal, we design French drills for self-directed adult learners who want that kind of control — not random streak-chasing. Lexi, our resident dog coach 🐶, pops up in the app with pattern-based tips during drill sessions, which is especially useful when you are trying to separate “good to recognise” slang from “good to use.”
Pro Tip: Mirror the person in front of you. If they speak neutral French, stay neutral. If they use light slang, you can safely use light slang back.
A practical study plan for French slang verbs
If you try to memorise 50 slang verbs in one sitting, you will remember almost none of them. Instead, build a small, reusable set.
Step 1: Learn 8 core verbs
Start with:
- bosser
- kiffer
- mater
- capter
- galérer
- gérer
- saouler
- se barrer
Step 2: Learn each in 3 forms
For each verb, learn:
- present: je bosse (I work / I’m working)
- passé composé: j’ai bossé (I worked)
- a common phrase: Je bosse demain. (I’m working tomorrow.)
That gives you immediate range.
Step 3: Pair each with one scene
Example:
- work/study → bosser, galérer, gérer
- social life → kiffer, se capter, se barrer
- media → mater, zapper
- annoyance → saouler, déconner
Step 4: Test active production
Do not just read examples. Cover the French and produce it.
English prompt: “I didn’t understand what she meant.”
Target: J’ai pas capté ce qu’elle voulait dire. (I didn’t get what she meant.)
English prompt: “We’re leaving.”
Target: On se barre. (We’re leaving.)
English prompt: “I loved that song.”
Target: J’ai kiffé cette chanson. (I loved that song.)
This is exactly the kind of practice we focus on in Learn French with VerbPal. If you want a broader routine, pair this post with our guide on how to build a 10-minute French verb drill routine and moving French verbs from passive study to active speaking.
Which slang verb best fits this sentence: “I didn’t understand what she meant”?
If this post helped you recognise slang like bosser, capter, and se barrer, the next step is turning recognition into recall. In VerbPal, short drills force you to produce the right verb form fast, in context, and often enough that it sticks. Because we cover French systematically — including irregulars, reflexives, all major tenses, and the subjunctive — slang practice fits into a full verb system instead of living in a separate bucket.
Pro Tip: If you want slang to become automatic, review it on a schedule. Spaced repetition beats cramming every time. That is why our drill engine keeps resurfacing the exact verb forms you are close to forgetting.
FAQ: French slang verbs, verlan, and argot
Is verlan the same as argot?
No. Argot is the broad category of slang. Verlan is one mechanism inside slang where sounds or syllables get reversed. Words like meuf and relou are verlan; words like bosser and galérer are slang, but not verlan.
Which French slang verbs should beginners learn first?
Start with bosser, kiffer, mater, capter, and galérer. They are common, useful, and easier to place in everyday conversation than stronger items like se barrer or explicit words like ken.
Can I use French slang in France everywhere?
No. Slang depends on age, place, relationship, and context. Use it with friends and in casual settings. In formal situations, switch to neutral French.
Are slang verbs grammatically irregular?
Usually not. Most common slang verbs are regular -er verbs, so the conjugation itself is often easy. The real difficulty is recognising them quickly in fast spoken French.
How do I remember French slang verbs better?
Learn them in chunks, with scenes and full phrases, then practise active recall. If you want a structured way to do that, our drills at VerbPal homepage are built for exactly this: active production, spaced repetition, and real tense coverage rather than passive tapping.