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Help with French slang

 
 
Reply Thu 18 Oct, 2007 05:25 pm
Hello. I'm doing research on French youth, street and college slang for a project I'm working on.

I'd like to pose some questions but I'd like to know are there any French speakers here who can please help me out? Please let me know. Very Happy
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Type: Discussion • Score: 0 • Views: 13,348 • Replies: 20
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safinaz
 
  1  
Reply Thu 18 Oct, 2007 05:30 pm
I'm not a native speaker but Frensh is my second foreing language, so I can help u ! Very Happy
0 Replies
 
JGoldman10
 
  1  
Reply Thu 18 Oct, 2007 05:34 pm
safinaz wrote:
I'm not a native speaker but Frensh is my second foreing language, so I can help u ! Very Happy


Okay-I'd like to know, what are French slang terms and expressions for:

tough guy
tomboy, besides gars manque
tough girl
tough woman
cool guy
cool girl
powerfully-built male
powerfully-built female
punk
gangster
ruffian
guy prone to fighting
woman prone to fighting
girl prone to fighting
delinquent boy
delinquent girl

Please let me know and please lsit as many French slang terms as possible. Very Happy
0 Replies
 
Chai
 
  1  
Reply Thu 18 Oct, 2007 06:46 pm
safinaz wrote:
I'm not a native speaker but Frensh is my second foreing language, so I can help u ! Very Happy


What is your first language?
0 Replies
 
Radical Edward
 
  1  
Reply Thu 18 Oct, 2007 11:02 pm
I'm a French speaker, but the problem is I'm not an English speaker :p so I'm not sure I understand all the expressions of your list Embarrassed

tough guy => mec dur (This one is not a real expression, but I can't see any equivalent, sorry Embarrassed)
tomboy, besides gars manque => garçon manqué (gars manque is not correct)
tough girl => fille/nana dure
tough woman => meuf cool
cool guy => mec cool
cool girl => fille/nana cool
powerfully-built male => balèze (ex:Il est balèze= He's powerfully built)
powerfully-built female => balèze (ex/ Elle est balèze = She's powerfully built)
punk=>... punk (I think? Although I'm not sure you use this word the way we do...)
gangster => Gangster / Truand / Racaille / etc. (depends on which slang you want)
ruffian => ?
guy prone to fighting => Tête brûlée / chaud (the expressions "faire son chaud" (as well as "chercher la bagarre / chercher la cogne) mean to search for a fight)
woman prone to fighting => Tête brûlée / chaude (same remarks)
girl prone to fighting => Idem
delinquent boy => racaille (or 'caille or caillera, according to the "level" of slang you want)
delinquent girl => racaille (same variants)

Those are the words that first came to me, but French slang is quite varried, with a lot of levels, so if you want a particular level of slang, just say it so I can be more precise.
0 Replies
 
JGoldman10
 
  1  
Reply Thu 18 Oct, 2007 11:51 pm
Reply to Radical Edward
Radical Edward wrote:
I'm a French speaker, but the problem is I'm not an English speaker :p so I'm not sure I understand all the expressions of your list Embarrassed

tough guy => mec dur (This one is not a real expression, but I can't see any equivalent, sorry Embarrassed)
tomboy, besides gars manque => garçon manqué (gars manque is not correct)
tough girl => fille/nana dure
tough woman => meuf cool
cool guy => mec cool
cool girl => fille/nana cool
powerfully-built male => balèze (ex:Il est balèze= He's powerfully built)
powerfully-built female => balèze (ex/ Elle est balèze = She's powerfully built)
punk=>... punk (I think? Although I'm not sure you use this word the way we do...)
gangster => Gangster / Truand / Racaille / etc. (depends on which slang you want)
ruffian => ?
guy prone to fighting => Tête brûlée / chaud (the expressions "faire son chaud" (as well as "chercher la bagarre / chercher la cogne) mean to search for a fight)
woman prone to fighting => Tête brûlée / chaude (same remarks)
girl prone to fighting => Idem
delinquent boy => racaille (or 'caille or caillera, according to the "level" of slang you want)
delinquent girl => racaille (same variants)

Those are the words that first came to me, but French slang is quite varried, with a lot of levels, so if you want a particular level of slang, just say it so I can be more precise.


Thank you. Yes-I'd like as many levels as you can list. Very Happy

I know "voyou" is a French slang for ruffian.

"Tough guy" in French translates to "dur à cuire," '"type dur," "un dur".

A tough guy can be:

a guy prone to fighitng
a physically and/or emotionally strong guy
a powerfully-built guy
a guy who endures a lot

Do you know any French slangs I can use?
0 Replies
 
smorgs
 
  1  
Reply Fri 19 Oct, 2007 12:19 am
Francis will help!

He'll be along, when he's finished his day job as an international man of mystery.

x
0 Replies
 
Radical Edward
 
  1  
Reply Fri 19 Oct, 2007 05:14 am
Oh OK I didn't know the word "Ruffian" Embarrassed
"un bagarreur" can be a man prone to fighting.
Un "gros dur", "dur à cuire", "balèze", "gros balèze", or "une armoire à glace" can design a strong guy.
But all these expressions are still if not polite, at least not harsh. I can't think of any "real" slang equivalent for the words of your list. Confused
If you want street and college slang, maybe you should try with other subjects. For example, "boring" is "relou" in verlan (a french form of slang), woman is "meuf", or "gonzesse", etc.
0 Replies
 
safinaz
 
  1  
Reply Fri 19 Oct, 2007 04:10 pm
well it seems to be already done ! Wink
0 Replies
 
JGoldman10
 
  1  
Reply Fri 19 Oct, 2007 04:12 pm
Reply to Radical Edward
Radical Edward wrote:
Oh OK I didn't know the word "Ruffian" Embarrassed
"un bagarreur" can be a man prone to fighting.
Un "gros dur", "dur à cuire", "balèze", "gros balèze", or "une armoire à glace" can design a strong guy.
But all these expressions are still if not polite, at least not harsh. I can't think of any "real" slang equivalent for the words of your list. Confused
If you want street and college slang, maybe you should try with other subjects. For example, "boring" is "relou" in verlan (a french form of slang), woman is "meuf", or "gonzesse", etc.


Hello Radical Edward. Thank you.

The term, "balèze", isn't gender-specific?

Do you know any other French slangs I can use for "physically-strong female" or "powerfully-buile female" or "muscular female"?
0 Replies
 
Radical Edward
 
  1  
Reply Fri 19 Oct, 2007 04:38 pm
No, "balèze" can be used for men, women and objects.
Sometimes we can call a woman who is "as strong as a man" a "bonhomme" (which means "man", but in a familiar way). It's a slang use of the word in a specific context, such as "Cette meuf, c'est un vrai bonhomme!" (=>"This woman is built like/acts like a man!"). But the strengh is also linked to the idea of masculinity.
0 Replies
 
JGoldman10
 
  1  
Reply Fri 19 Oct, 2007 04:47 pm
Radical Edward wrote:
No, "balèze" can be used for men, women and objects.
Sometimes we can call a woman who is "as strong as a man" a "bonhomme" (which means "man", but in a familiar way). It's a slang use of the word in a specific context, such as "Cette meuf, c'est un vrai bonhomme!" (=>"This woman is built like/acts like a man!"). But the strengh is also linked to the idea of masculinity.


Thank you, Rad Ed-but is "bonhomme" a vulgar term to call a woman?
0 Replies
 
JGoldman10
 
  1  
Reply Fri 19 Oct, 2007 06:01 pm
Reply to Radical Edward
Hello. I noticed that "fighting brother" and "fighting sister" are expressions that are used a lot in European speech to refer to people who are in some kind of struggle-how would you say these expressions in French?
0 Replies
 
JGoldman10
 
  1  
Reply Sat 20 Oct, 2007 03:35 pm
Reply to Radical Edward
Radical Edward wrote:
I'm a French speaker, but the problem is I'm not an English speaker :p so I'm not sure I understand all the expressions of your list Embarrassed

tough guy => mec dur (This one is not a real expression, but I can't see any equivalent, sorry Embarrassed)
tomboy, besides gars manque => garçon manqué (gars manque is not correct)tough girl => fille/nana dure
tough woman => meuf cool
cool guy => mec cool
cool girl => fille/nana cool
powerfully-built male => balèze (ex:Il est balèze= He's powerfully built)
powerfully-built female => balèze (ex/ Elle est balèze = She's powerfully built)
punk=>... punk (I think? Although I'm not sure you use this word the way we do...)
gangster => Gangster / Truand / Racaille / etc. (depends on which slang you want)
ruffian => ?
guy prone to fighting => Tête brûlée / chaud (the expressions "faire son chaud" (as well as "chercher la bagarre / chercher la cogne) mean to search for a fight)
woman prone to fighting => Tête brûlée / chaude (same remarks)
girl prone to fighting => Idem
delinquent boy => racaille (or 'caille or caillera, according to the "level" of slang you want)
delinquent girl => racaille (same variants)

Those are the words that first came to me, but French slang is quite varried, with a lot of levels, so if you want a particular level of slang, just say it so I can be more precise.


Hello Radical Edward-have you heard the term, "gars manqué" used?
0 Replies
 
Radical Edward
 
  1  
Reply Sat 20 Oct, 2007 04:57 pm
No. Never. The expression is "Garçon manqué", I'm pretty sure of it. Maybe in canadian french,but I'm not sure. In France I never heard "gars manqué".
"Bonhomme" is not a vulgar term. "C'est un bonhomme!" means "she's a man!", or something like that. It's not vulgar at all.
When two brothers are in a struggle, we call them "frères ennemis" (I think it can work for sisters too ("soeurs ennemies")), but it's more an expression than real "slang".
0 Replies
 
JGoldman10
 
  1  
Reply Sat 20 Oct, 2007 05:15 pm
Radical Edward wrote:
No. Never. The expression is "Garçon manqué", I'm pretty sure of it. Maybe in canadian french,but I'm not sure. In France I never heard "gars manqué".
"Bonhomme" is not a vulgar term. "C'est un bonhomme!" means "she's a man!", or something like that. It's not vulgar at all.
When two brothers are in a struggle, we call them "frères ennemis" (I think it can work for sisters too ("soeurs ennemies")), but it's more an expression than real "slang".


Thank you for responding. How you say, "fighting brother" and "fighting sister" In French?
0 Replies
 
Radical Edward
 
  1  
Reply Sun 21 Oct, 2007 04:14 pm
As I said: "frères ennemis" (fighting brothers) and "soeurs ennemies" (fighting sisters), but it's not really what I'd call "slang" (although I'm not a specialist of the subject...).
Litterally, "fighting brothers" translates as "frères qui se battent" in French, but the coined expression is "frères ennemis".
0 Replies
 
JGoldman10
 
  1  
Reply Sun 21 Oct, 2007 04:15 pm
Reply to Radical Edward
Radical Edward wrote:
As I said: "frères ennemis" (fighting brothers) and "soeurs ennemies" (fighting sisters), but it's not really what I'd call "slang" (although I'm not a specialist of the subject...).
Litterally, "fighting brothers" translates as "frères qui se battent" in French, but the coined expression is "frères ennemis".


Hi-thank you. WHat is the singular forms of "frères ennemis" and "soeurs ennemies"
0 Replies
 
Radical Edward
 
  1  
Reply Sun 21 Oct, 2007 04:23 pm
Ow! Sorry! Embarrassed
Well... I think it's "frère ennemi" (without the 2 "s"). "Un frère ennemi" ("a fighting brother"), and "une soeur ennemie" ("a fighting sister").
0 Replies
 
JGoldman10
 
  1  
Reply Sun 21 Oct, 2007 04:30 pm
Radical Edward wrote:
Ow! Sorry! Embarrassed
Well... I think it's "frère ennemi" (without the 2 "s"). "Un frère ennemi" ("a fighting brother"), and "une soeur ennemie" ("a fighting sister").


Thank you-are those common terms for people who like to fight?
0 Replies
 
 

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