Speaking French will be different 

Every language has its own way of being spoken in real life, and it is often quite different from what we have studied in grammar books. Native speakers “play” with their language, invent new expressions, and use slang that gives the language its real, vivid colour. This also applies to the French language and francophone speakers: if you are or will be an Au Pair in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, or Canada, this blog might be interesting and helpful! 

The pronunciation and vocabulary of the French language can also change from one region to another of the same country: for example, in France, everyone knows what a pain au chocolat is, but in the southeast of France, people will call it chocolatine. When it comes to idioms, it is interesting to understand how people from different cultures build the same meaning of an idiom in different ways. 

• In francophone areas, people say Ce n’est pas la mer à boire, which literally means “It’s not the sea to drink”, but it is used in the sense of “It’s not such a big deal”. 

• Faire la grasse matinée literally means “to make the fat morning”, but it means “to sleep in” or “to sleep late”. 

However, things in French get more interesting than that, thanks to a special linguistic feature that makes it unique: the verlan!

What is Verlan? 

For francophone speakers, verlan is a playful way of manipulating words. It is not just slang; it is more of a linguistic game where the order of the syllables is reversed. In fact, the term verlan itself comes from the reversed word of “l’envers”, meaning “the reverse” or “backwards”. 

Verlan emerged in the mid-20th century and was widely adopted among the youth and the urban areas. It was originally used as a kind of coded language, a way to speak freely in front of authorities such as parents, teachers, and police officers, without being immediately understood. As verlan became more popular, it also passed into French pop culture, especially through music (Stromae uses verlan in his songs) and cinema (check out the famous film “La Haine” by Mathieu Kassovitz). Today, many verlan words have become so popular and largely used that they have entered everyday French, and you can find them in some dictionaries like Larousse or Le Petit Robert.

Verlan nowadays 

As an Au Pair, especially by looking after kids, verlan might suddenly become part of your daily life. Children and teenagers love using this “secret” code, especially because some words are part of the normal use of the French language today. You might hear a “Cimer” as a thank-you or “C’est trop vénère” when the homework moment is feeling impossible and stressful. Instead of asking you to play some music, they will ask you for some “zicmu”. 
At first, this can sound confusing, especially if you have just started learning French. But do not lose heart: you can take it as a small linguistic adventure, belonging to the cultural exchange of an Au Pair experience. You can watch some videos about it, and also do not hesitate to ask your Host Family or your kids (if they are old enough) to explain to you the meaning of some expressions.

Look at the table below to learn some verlan! 

Common verlan words 

Here are some classic and popular examples of verlan, with the original word of departure and an example of use. 

A second level of verlan 

The creativity of francophone speakers does not stop here! There is also the double verlan, which is basically inverting the order of the syllables of a word that is already in verlan. For example, “arabe” means Arabic. The verlan version is beur, but nowadays people also use, also academically, the double version rebeu. 


Verlan can be tricky to understand, especially for French learners who aren’t yet too comfortable when speaking the language. Still, if your Au Pair experience will be in a francophone country, you will hear for sure at least some of the basic verlan words. Knowing a few of them can facilitate your French understanding when speaking with the kids, for example, and also give the Host Family the idea that you have learned something about their culture.
 
Now just go and speak like a true céfran!