100 French Texting & Abbreviations 💬

Author: Camille Chevalier-Karfis

Understand French text messages with my list of French abbreviations – traditional abbreviations as well as French texting shortcuts + examples & translations.

Nowadays, it is so common to use Abbreviations in French, particularly when writing French in an informal situations : emails, notes and now of course texting – sending a text message via your phone.

Texting in French has actually become a language of its own. It can be overwhelming when you don’t know it, yet fun and useful when you’re typing fast. I’ll show you examples below.

Let’s start with common French abbreviations : these were around way before texting. They are commonly used when giving a definition, as in a French dictionary.

Top French Abbreviations

  1. Adv. = adverbe = adverb
  2. Adj. = adjectif = adjective
  3. ADM. = administration
  4. Apr. = après = after
  5. Auj. = aujourd’hui = today
  6. Av. = avant = before
  7. Bât. = bâtiment = building
  8. Bcp = beaucoup = very much
  9. Bjr = bonjour = hi
  10. Bsr = bonsoir = have a good night, hi (in the evening)
  11. Cad = c’est à dire = it means
  12. Cdlt = cordialement = yours truly (at the end of a French letter)
  13. Déf. = définition = definition
  14. Dr = docteur = doctor
  15. Ex. = exemple = example
  16. Ex. = exercice = exercise
  17. Expr. = expression = expression
  18. Fam. = familier = familiar
  19. F. = féminin = feminine
  20. Géo. = géographie = geography
  21. Hist. = history = histoire
  22. Inf. = infinitif = infinitive
  23. Irr. = irrégulier = irregular
  24. J.C. = Jésus Christ = Jesus Christ
  25. Math. = Mathématiques = Maths
  26. N. = nom = name
  27. N.f. = nom féminin = feminine name
  28. N.m. = nom masculin = masculine name
  29. P.C. = passé composé = perfect tense
  30. P.P. = participe passé = past participle
  31. Pl. = pluriel = plural
  32. Prép. = préposition = preposition
  33. Psy = psychologue = psychologist
  34. QQ = quelque = some
  35. QQ’un = quelqu’un = someone
  36. QQ ch = quelque chose = something
  37. S. = siècle = century
  38. Sing. = singulier = singular
  39. Subj. = subjonctif = subjunctive
  40. V. = verbe = verb
  41. Vulg. = vulgaire = vulgar
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French Texting contractions

What is texting exactly? Texting consists of a series of abbreviations, which allow you to say more within the 160 characters the SMS format allows.

It’s a faster language, easier to type on the 10 keys of the cell phone (un portable).

Since this texting language is so popular, it’s now being part of the everyday French scene: you’ll find text abbreviations featured in ads, but this written language also sometimes affects spoken French.

For example, someone may say “Jé té Aim” to say I love you in French : pronouncing all the letters of the text message JTM… It has become a trend.

For foreigners, understanding this new language based on French pronunciation is a real challenge !

Here is a list of very common French texting abbreviations :

  1. A+ = à plus tard = talk/see you soon
  2. B1 = bien = good
  3. bcp = beaucoup = a lot
  4. bz = bise, bisou = kiss
  5. c = c’est = it’s
  6. ct = c’était = it was
  7. dmd = demande or demander = ask or to ask
  8. dsl = désolé(e0 = sorry
  9. é = et ou est = and or is
  10. frR = frère = brother
  11. g = j’ai = I have
  12. Jlé = je l’ai = I have it
  13. J’tdr = je t’adore = I adore you
  14. JTM = je t’aime = I love you (I’m in love with you)
  15. ki = qui = who
  16. keske = qu’est-ce que = what
  17. keskec = qu’est-ce que c’est = what is it
  18. koi = quoi = what
  19. kom = comme = as
  20. l = elle = she/it
  21. l8 = lui = him
  22. mdr = mort(e) de rire = LOL
  23. mm = même = even
  24. mnt = maintenant = now
  25. ms = mais = but
  26. msg = message
  27. mwa = moi =me
  28. nan = non = no
  29. osi = aussi = too
  30. pk = pourquoi? = why?
  31. qd= quand = when
  32. lkl = lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles = which one
  33. qq1 = quelqu’un = someone
  34. r1 = rien = nothing
  35. slt = salut
  36. sry = sorry (used in French by the youngs)
  37. t = tes ou tu es = your or you’re
  38. twa = toi = you
  39. v1 = viens = come
  40. vrmt = vraiment = truly
  41. vs = vous = you
  42. we = weekend
  43. xlt = excellent = great
  44. ya = il y a = there is, there are

French Numbers and signs are also used in texting in French to replace words

  • 1 = un = a
  • 2 = de = of, from, about
  • 7 = cet or cette = this
  • 9 = neuf = new
  • 100 = sans = without
  • – = moins = minus, less
  • + = plus = add, more

Together, these end up forming a real language.
Here are some examples

  1. kekina = qu’est-ce qu’il y a? = what’s going on?
  2. kestufé = qu’est-ce que tu fais? = what are you doing?
  3. @2m1= à demain = see you tomorrow
  4. j’tapLDkej’pe = je t’appelle dès que je peux = I call you as soon as I can
  5. GT ché L = j’étais chez elle = I was at her place
  6. cpab1 = c’est pas bien = it’s not good.
  7. AT souè = à tes souhaits = bless you (when someone sneezes)
  8. ta éT voir koi o 6né =  tu as été voir quoi au ciné ? = what did you see at the movies?
  9. tu vi1 7 aprem = tu viens cet après-midi? = are you coming this afternoon?
  10. LA fé 1 gato = elle a fait un gateau = she made a cake

As you can see, these French text messages use some interesting twists on French pronunciation

If you are interested in traditional French phone vocabulary, I wrote a whole article about it.

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Author: Camille Chevalier-Karfis

Camille Chevalier-Karfis

Born and raised in Paris, I have been teaching today's French to adults for 25+ years in the US and France. Based on my students' goals and needs, I've created unique downloadable French audiobooks focussing on French like it's spoken today, for all levels. Come to Paimpol and enjoy an exclusive French immersion homestay with me in Brittany.

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