Log inSign up

Un flic parlait avec le chauffeur.

Un flic parlait avec le chauffeur.
A cop was talking with the driver.
From Lesson 284:Informal French·French

Breakdown of Un flic parlait avec le chauffeur.

avec
with
parler
to speak
le chauffeur
the driver
le flic
the cop (informal)

Questions & Answers about Un flic parlait avec le chauffeur.

Is flic a common word, or is it considered slang?
It is a very common informal word for a police officer, exactly like "cop" in English. It is perfectly fine for everyday conversation, but in formal situations or writing, you should use policier or agent de police.
Why is parlait used instead of a parlé?
Parlait is in the imperfect tense. It is used here because it describes an ongoing, continuous action in the past ("was talking") rather than a single, completed event. It sets a background scene. If it were a parlé (the passé composé), it would mean the cop spoke and finished, which moves a story's timeline forward.
Does chauffeur mean a private luxury driver like it does in English?
Not necessarily. While it can mean a private driver, in French, chauffeur is the everyday term for any professional driver, such as a bus driver (chauffeur de bus) or a taxi driver. For an ordinary person just driving their own car, you would instead use conducteur.
Could I say parlait au chauffeur instead of parlait avec le chauffeur?
Yes! Parler à (talking to) and parler avec (talking with) are often used interchangeably in French. Here, avec slightly emphasizes that it was a two-way conversation, whereas au (a combination of à + le) simply indicates who the cop was directing his words toward.

Learn Un flic parlait avec le chauffeur and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →