Il est trop cheumo.

Verlan slang in French

What is 'Verlan slang' in French and how does it work? What does it sound like? Listen to Anne talk about it.

Verlan slang started in the mid-eighties in France. The word “verlan” itself is a very good illustration of what it is: you get the word “verlan” by inverting the two syllables “l’en” and “vers” from the word “à l’envers”, which incidentally means “backwards.”

Translated into English, it would be something like saying “wards-back slang”. I’m tempted to make up a new word and translate it by “words-back slang”.

English → French → combination → invertion → Verlan

shady, sleazy → louche → lou + che → che-lou → chelou

upset, irritated → énervé → é + ner + vé → (é) vé-ner → vénère

Start-up list of Verlan Slang

1.à donfe = à fond = totally
2.chébran = branché/e = really “in”, fashionable
3.chelou = louche = shady, sleazy, not trustworthy
4.cheum, cheumo = moche = ugly
5.ouf = fou/folle = crazy, nuts
6.rebeu = arabe = a person from North AFrican ethnicity
7.rèche = cher/chère = expensive
8.tarpé = pétard = joint, doobie
9.teubé/e = bête = stupid
10.teuf = fête = party
11.treum = métro = subway
12.vénère = énervé = upset, irritated

Continue with this longer list

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