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🇫🇷 French · Fluency Level 1

PART 1 · LESSON 1 OF 30 · 30 MINUTES Free

Leo Explains Verlan

Hear the French teenagers speak, understand four words of verlan, and learn how the French flip a word back to front.

Audio instruction: English

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Lesson 1 · Leo Explains Verlan

French · 30 minutes

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THE STORY

Dinner at Chloe's, her son Leo, sixteen, and a sentence Emma did not understand a word of.

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Build the sentence

Hear a sentence from the lesson, then put its words in order.

Words and phrases

The lesson is for your ears. Open this afterwards, to see what you learned.
C'est ouf, ce truc. Franchement, c'est chelou.seh oof, suh trewk, frah(n)sh-mah(n), seh shuh-LOOThat's crazy, that thing. Honestly, it's weird. To a friend.
Franchement, c'est chelou.frah(n)sh-mah(n), seh shuh-LOOHonestly, it's weird. In verlan.
Pardon ? J'ai compris « franchement ».par-doh(n), zhay koh(n)-pree frah(n)sh-MAH(N)Sorry? I understood "honestly".
Ouf, c'est fou, à l'envers. Chelou, c'est louche. C'est du verlan.oof, seh foo, ah lah(n)-vehr, shuh-loo, seh loosh, seh dew vehr-LAH(N)Ouf is fou, crazy, back to front. Chelou is louche, shady. It's verlan.
À l'envers.ah lah(n)-VEHRBack to front.
À l'envers ? Comme l'envers, « verlan » ?ah lah(n)-vehr, kom lah(n)-vehr, vehr-LAH(N)Back to front? Like l'envers, "verlan"?
Voilà. T'as capté. Relou, c'est lourd. Et une meuf, c'est une femme.vwah-lah, tah kap-tay, ruh-loo, seh loor, ay ewn muhf, seh ewn FAHMThat's it. You got it. Relou is lourd, annoying. And a meuf is a femme, a woman. To a friend.
Relou, c'est lourd.ruh-loo, seh LOORRelou is lourd, annoying.
Donc je suis une meuf relou qui pose des questions.doh(n)k zhuh swee ewn muhf ruh-loo kee pohz day kehs-TYOH(N)So I'm an annoying meuf who asks questions.
T'es pas relou. T'es une meuf de ouf.teh pah ruh-loo, teh ewn muhf duh OOFYou're not annoying. You're an amazing meuf. To a friend, in verlan.
Léo. Pas devant Mamie, ces mots.lay-oh, pah duh-vah(n) mah-mee, say MOHLeo. Not in front of Mamie, those words.