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### The register you hear but never read

Every word here is ordinary spoken French. None belongs in a letter, an exam essay or a conversation with someone you have just met — but all of them are frequent enough that not knowing them leaves a real hole.

| informal | neutral | |
|---|---|---|
| **le mec** | l'homme, le type | guy, bloke |
| **le gars** | l'homme | guy — the **-rs** is silent: /ga/ |
| **le flic** | le policier | cop |
| **le gamin** | l'enfant | kid |
| **le boulot** | le travail | job, work |

{{item:887576}}

### le gars sounds nothing like it looks

**le gars** is pronounced /ɡa/ — both the **r** and the **s** are silent, and the plural *les gars* sounds identical. It is one of the least phonetic words in the language.

### cool is invariable

Borrowed adjectives usually refuse to agree, and **cool** is the clearest case: *un blouson cool*, *une idée cool*, *des gens cool* — never *coole*, never *cools*.

{{item:887579}}

### chéri and idiot do agree

These two are ordinary French adjectives and behave normally:

| masculine | feminine |
|---|---|
| chéri | chéri**e** |
| idiot | idiot**e** |

**chéri** is used as a form of address — *chéri*, *chérie* — the way English uses *darling*. **idiot** is a genuine insult applied to a person, so it is milder as a description of a thing (*une idée idiote*) than of someone.

Informal French

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Definite articles and elision (le, la, l')

Indefinite articles (un, une)

Identifying vs. describing (c'est vs. il est)

Feminine adjective agreement (+e)

Plural pronouns and 'to be' (nous sommes, vous êtes)

Formal and informal you (tu vs. vous)

Plural nouns and indefinite articles (des... -s)

Plural definite articles (les)

Plural adjective agreement (+s)

Stressed pronouns (moi, toi, lui)

The verb "to have" singular (j'ai, tu as, il a)

The verb "to have" plural (nous avons, vous avez, ils ont)

There is / there are (il y a)

Basic verbal negation (ne... pas)

Negating "there is" (il n'y a pas de)

Regular -er verbs singular (je parle, tu parles, il parle)

Regular -er verbs plural (nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent)

The verb "to be called" (s'appeler)

Yes/no questions with intonation (Tu parles ?)

Yes/no questions with "Est-ce que" (Est-ce que tu parles ?)

Informal questions (qui, que, quoi)

Standard questions (est-ce que)

Singular possessives (mon, ton, son)

Plural possessives (notre, votre, leur)

Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)

Adjective placement

Numbers 1 to 20

Numbers 21 to 100

Age and physical states (avoir)

The verb to go (aller)

The preposition to/at (à, au, aux)

Question word for location (où)

Prepositions for cities and countries (à, en, au, aux)

The verb to come (venir)

The preposition from/of (de, du, des)

Question word for origin (d'où)

The verb to do/make (faire)

Days of the week (lundi, mardi)

Telling time (il est... heure)

Question words for time (quand, à quelle heure)

The verb to take or have (prendre)

The verb to drink (boire)

Partitive articles (du, de la, de l')

Zero quantity (pas de)

Expressions of quantity (un peu de, beaucoup de)

Asking how much or how many (combien, combien de)

Very vs. a lot (très, beaucoup)

The verb to want (vouloir)

Polite requests (je voudrais)

The verb to be able to (pouvoir)

Obligation (devoir)

General obligation (il faut)

Why and because (pourquoi, parce que)

Expressing purpose (pour)

Reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nous, vous)

Daily routine verbs (se lever, s'habiller)

Adverbs of frequency (parfois, rarement)

Never (ne... jamais)

Regular -ir verbs (choisir, finir)

Regular -re verbs (attendre, répondre)

Irregular -ir verbs (sortir, partir, dormir)

Informal 'we' (on)

The imperative mood

Direct object pronouns (le, la, les, l')

The near future (aller + infinitive)

The recent past (venir de + infinitive)

The passé composé with avoir

Irregular past participles (eu, été, fait, pris, vu)

The passé composé with être

The negative passé composé (ne ... pas)

Saying goodbye

Please, sorry and thank you

Which / what (quel)

The indefinite adjective (tout, tous)

Irregular feminine adjectives (-euse, -ve)

Double consonant adjectives (-enne, -ette)

Feminine adjective endings (-ère, -trice)

Irregular plurals (-x)

Plurals ending in -al (-aux)

Present tense stem changes (e to è)

Accent stem changes (é to è)

Double consonant verbs (appeler, jeter)

Verbs ending in -yer (payer, envoyer)

Irregular communication verbs (dire, lire)

Irregular action verbs (écrire, mettre)

Question	Answer
the guy (informal)	le mec
This guy is really nice.	Ce mec est vraiment sympa.
A guy asked me the time in the street.	Un mec m'a demandé l'heure dans la rue.
the fellow (informal)	le gars
The guys from the office are nice.	Les gars du bureau sont sympas.
This fellow works with me.	Ce gars travaille avec moi.
the cop (informal)	le flic
A cop was talking with the driver.	Un flic parlait avec le chauffeur.
My brother has been a cop for ten years.	Mon frère est flic depuis dix ans.
the kid (informal)	le gamin
This kid is playing in the street.	Ce gamin joue dans la rue.
The kids came back from school.	Les gamins sont rentrés de l'école.
the job (informal)	le boulot
I found a new job.	J'ai trouvé un nouveau boulot.
His job is really difficult.	Son boulot est vraiment difficile.
cool, great (informal)	cool
Your new jacket is cool.	Ton nouveau blouson est cool.
It is cool to see you here.	C'est cool de te voir ici.
darling, dear	chéri
Good night, darling.	Bonne nuit, chéri.
Darling, have you seen my socks ?	Chérie, tu as vu mes chaussettes ?
stupid, idiotic	idiot
Do not be stupid.	Ne sois pas idiot.
It was a stupid idea.	C'était une idée idiote.
the mate, the buddy (informal)	le pote
I am going out with my mates tonight.	Je sors avec mes potes ce soir.
He is an old mate from school.	C'est un vieux pote du lycée.
the kid, the youngster (informal)	le gosse
The kids are playing in the street.	Les gosses jouent dans la rue.
She has three kids at home.	Elle a trois gosses à la maison.
crazy, mad (informal)	dingue
It is crazy, nobody knew!	C'est dingue, personne ne savait !
He drives like a madman.	Il conduit comme un dingue.
the telly, the TV (spoken form)	la télé
There is a good film on TV tonight.	Il y a un bon film à la télé ce soir.
Turn off the TV, I want to sleep.	Éteins la télé, je veux dormir.
to clear; (dégage !) to clear off	dégager
The firefighters cleared the entrance.	Les pompiers ont dégagé l'entrée.
Come on, clear off, we are closing!	Allez, dégage, on ferme !

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