Learn some informal and slang words for describing personality and emotions in French, with audio recording by a native speaker.
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crevé / lessivé / nase / mort / cassé
/ vanné / HS [hors-service] - really tired, exhausted
avoir le cafard / le blues / le spleen - to be sad, depressed
être de mauvais poil - to be in a bad mood
en avoir marre / en avoir ras-le-bol / en avoir
soupé - to be fed up, angry
→ J'en ai marre de ces pubs ! I'm so sick of these
ads!
avoir les boules / les glandes / les nerfs / la haine - to be really angry
raffoler de quelque chose - to be crazy about something
être accro à quelque chose - to be addicted
to something
avoir le mal du pays - to be homesick
se barber - to get bored
avoir la trouille / la frousse / le trac - to be scared
fiche la trouille / frousse à quelqu'un - to scare
somebody
→ C'est la première fois qu'une BD me fiche la frousse. That's the first time a comic book scared me.
déconner - to joke / mess around
se planter - to make a mistake / to fall
péter les plombs / péter un cable - to go crazy
perdre la boule / les pédales -
to lose one's mind
s'engueuler / bagarrer - to fight, yell
rififi (m) / bagarre (f) - fight
raclée / saucée / trempe (f) - scolding
filer une baffe / une claque / une beigne à quelqu'un - to slap someone
coller un pain / une mandale / une chataigne / un marron à
quelqu'un - to punch someone
coquard (m) - black eye
furax - furious, angry
blairer quelqu'un - to not be able to
stand someone
ne pas sentir quelqu'un - to not like, not be able to stand someone
casser les pieds à quelqu'un / prendre la tête à quelqu'un - to annoy someone
être casse-bonbons / casse-pieds / casse-couilles - to be a pain
in the neck/ass
cafter quelqu'un - to tell on someone, to snitch
faire du pétard - to make a fuss
→ Il fait du pétard quand les choses ne vont pas
comme il veut. He makes a fuss when things aren't how he wants
them to be.
rouscailler - to complain
gonfler quelqu'un / emmerder quelqu'un - to get on someone's nerves, be a pain
faire chier quelqu'un - to really annoy someone, to piss
someone off
→ Ça me fait chier de refaire une année, puis
encore deux années en BTS. That pisses me off to repeat
a grade, and then still have two more years of BTS.
monter sur ses grands chevaux - to get angry
se mettre en pétard - to get crabby, angry
se faire de la bile - to get all worked up
en faire toute une salade - to make a big deal about it
taper sur les nerfs à quelqu'un - to get on someone's
nerves
chambrer / taquiner quelqu'un - to tease, bother someone
Tu te fous de ma gueule ? - Are you kidding me? / Do
you think I'm an idiot?
Tu me prends pour qui ? - Who do you think you're dealing
with? / Do you think I'm stupid?
Lâche-moi les baskets ! - Give me a break! Leave
me alone!
Ce sont pas tes oignons ! / T'occupe ! - Mind your own
business!
Laisse béton ! - Nevermind! Forget it!
Ta gueule ! / La ferme ! - Shut up!
avoir la cosse / flemme - to be lazy
avoir un poil dans la main - to be really lazy
avoir la bougeotte - to be fidgety
flemmard / feignant - lazy
glander / glandouiller - to waste time, to bum around
→ Il glande tous les jours chez lui. He does nothing
all day at home.
se pavaner - to strut about, show off
frimer - to show off
frimeur (m) - showoff
→ C'est un mec qui a l'air sympathique ; c'est pas un frimeur
à ce que je sache ! He seems like a nice guy; he's not
a showoff as far as I know!
lèche-bottes (f) - suckup, brown-noser
raté (m) - loser
débile / taré - stupid, idiotic
con (m) / conne (f) - idiot
→ "Casse-toi,
pauvre con !" Get lost,
stupid idiot! - quote from former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy
quiche (f) - stupid person
bourrique (m/f) - a blockhead
avoir l'air vaseux - to seem dazed
bête noire (f) - pet peeve
galère (f) - problem, difficulty
donner un coup de main - to give someone a hand / to
help someone
dépanner quelqu'un - to do someone a favor
retirer une épine du pied à quelqu'un -
to do someone a big favor
pot (m) - luck / drink
bol (m) - luck
→ J'ai vachement
de bol, j'ai pas de gosses et j'ai une voiture. I'm really lucky, I don't
have kids and I have a car.
guigne / déveine / poisse (f)
- bad luck
guignard(e)(m/f) - unlucky person
avoir de la veine - to be lucky
branché - with it, hip, cool
peinard / pénard - calm, tranquil
→ Cette année, c'est pénard, mais l'année
prochaine, le bac ! This year is calm, but next year is the
bac [final exam]!
zen - cool, calm, laid-back
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