The french you learn at school is often not what you hear: 5 examples

There is the French you learn at school - and there is the real French you hear in conversations on the street.  Native speakers often use synonyms for everyday words to make situations more

informal.  You may be lost at first when hearing these terms but once you unlock them, you gain access to the authentic ‘French speak’ that is not taught in school.  Here are five examples:

MAN What you learn at school: Homme What you often hear in France: Mec, gars, bonhomme Homme, meaning man, is commonly employed but people tend to use mec, gars and bonhomme instead in

everyday chat.  Mec originally referred to a person of power. It then came to mean someone who thought of themselves as important and today, it simply means a man. If someone refers to mon

mec, ton mec or son mec, it almost definitely means they are talking about a boyfriend.  ‘Guy’ is the closest equivalent to gars in English. It comes from the word garçon (‘boy’). You may

also hear people refer to mon gars, which could mean a friend or a boyfriend.  Literally meaning ‘good man’,  bonhomme has been used for hundreds of years in France. It can have various

connotations but generally simply means a man.  You might say J’attendais dehors et un mec est venu me parler (“I was waiting outside and a guy came and spoke to me”). Read more: Platisme,

masculinisme: The French words added to Larousse dictionary WORK What you learn at school: Travail, emploi What you often hear in France: Taf, boulot, job, bosser Travailler means to work,

with both emploi and travail referring to someone’s job. However, if you were sitting down at a bar for a catch-up with your friend, some natives would not use these words to ask about their

friend’s work.  Instead you might hear: Alors, ton nouveau taf ? (“So, your new job?”) In the beginning of the 20th century, taf referred to your part of the loot that you would receive in

return for your work, hence it coming to simply mean work today. It also became the verb taffer which means to work. Boulout is a word used fairly uniformly across France, no matter age or

education. It is not exactly clear where the word originated from, although some attribute it to carpenters. A bouleau referred to a piece of wood that was hard to work, and therefore

possibly became boulout.  Job is also commonly used. It is an anglicisme that irritates French purists but, nevertheless, they are spreading more and more.  Finally, bosser means to work.

For example, if you are invited on a day out, you might respond with Je ne peux pas, je bosse ce jour là (I cannot, I am working that day).  THING What you learn at school: Chose What you

often hear in France: Truc, machin, machin-bidule In the classroom, you are likely taught that a ‘thing’ is called une chose. In reality, you will not often hear this.  If someone does not

know the name of something, they are more likely to refer to it as truc, machin or even machin-bidule.  Let us imagine you have bought a new gadget and your friend spots it for the first

time, they will say C’est quoi ce truc (what is this thing?).  These words are used to designate unknown objects.  Read more: Why being told to go cook an egg in French is rarely a good

thing CAR What you learn at school: Voiture What you often hear in France: Bagnole, caisse, vago At school, you will have been taught that a car is called a voiture. This word is commonly

employed but there are some informal synonyms that are perhaps more common.  Bagnole originated from the Gaul word benna, which meant a chariot with four wheels. It is more typically used by

the older generation.  Caisse, which literally means ‘box’ or ‘checkout’ is also slang for car. It is not entirely clear where it originates from.  Vago is a word that has appeared

recently. It is connected to the word ‘wagon’. The ‘W’ makes a ‘v’ sound in French, which explains the spelling. This word is most often used by the younger generation.  When you are making

plans, you might ask On y va en bagnole ? (‘Are we going by car?’) FRIEND What you learn at school: Ami What you often hear in France: Copain/copine, pote, collègue, mon vieux  If you are

asked ‘c’est qui ce mec ?’ (who is that guy?), you might be able to respond with ‘c’est mon pote’ (he’s my friend).  Though ami is the direct translation of friend, there are many different

informal terms used depending on age and region.  For example, collègue, which means colleague, is used to designate a friend in Provence.  Read more: Map of French accents: which do you

prefer? If you are going out for a girl’s night, then you would say je sors avec mes copines ce soir (I’m going out with my girls tonight). When greeting an old friend, you might say ça fait

longtemps mon vieux (it has been a long time my friend).  Have you other examples to add to our list? Share your words via [email protected]