Most students learn formal to literary French. Most French people speak using a familiar register, even maybe a bit of colloquial slang.
The particularity of French is that the language register you choose will affect not only the vocabulary, but also the whole sentence structure, and also the pronunciation.
Use the wrong register and youāll misrepresent yourself:
- speaking in formal French in an informal setting may make you sound snobbish
- speaking in slang may make you sound vulgar
So letās see what the different French language registers are, how they affect the language, and then Iāll tell you what register I believe a French student should use.
French Slang
Slang, ālāargotā in French is fun to study. However, with French slang, it is extremely easy to make a really bad impression.
There are several registers to French slang. Slang can be colloquial and familiar like saying ābosserā instead of ātravaillerā (work), āune meufā instead of āune femmeā (woman).
In French, we have a form of slang when we invert the syllables of a word, called āverlanā: ātāes oufā = ātu es fouā (youāre crazy). Some French slang words nowadays have an Arabic or African origin, such as ākifferā (to enjoy) ā as featured in the image above : āquel kiffe ce bouquinā ā this book is such a great trip / I love that book
Some of these expressions may be OK for you to use: it really depends on how you speak in English. Do you use slang? Do you swear? How formal is your English?
However, slang can be very vulgar too, or offensive. If saying āputainā (whore, but translates more like fuck) is a very common and used swear word / exclamation in French, it will strongly stand out in the mouth of a foreigner. Furthermore, āputainā can be an insult as well.
French slang evolves. Une nana for woman is timeless. Une pĆ©pĆ© will make you sound like an 80 years-old. Say une zouz and youāll sound like a teenager from the hood.Click to TweetSo, French students learning slang need to play it smart:
- use only āmildā slang words: colloquial, time proven, everyday slang
- know the real difference between everyday and vulgar, offensive slang (and also be extra careful that what you might see as āacceptableā on TV or YouTube in one context, could be much worst in another)
- pick āage appropriateā slang
- only use slang in the right context, with the right people
Not so easy, right?
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Familiar / Modern / Real Life French
Familiar French is the language register most people use every day in France (from the 20-year-old clerk at the store to our 70-year-old parents)
What students of French should know is that this everyday French language spoken by the French is quite different from the French they are learning in school.
First of all, modern French is a mix of ālightā slang and formal French. It, of course, varies on the speakersā age, level of education, personal vocabulary choice and above all, the context.
More importantly, as far as the French language is concerned, the register affects not only the vocabulary used but also the language structure and pronunciation!
Here are a few examples:
- The āneā of the negative disappears:
Sophie (ne) vient pas. Sophie is not coming - āJeā ātuā āil(s)ā āelle(s)ā are really glided:
Chāui = je suis. I am
Tāas un chien = tu as un chien. You have a dog
I sait pas = il ne sait pas. He doesnāt know (we would never just write āIā, even in a text message, but thatās how weād say it) - Questions are asked by just raising your voice. Interrogative expressions move to the end:
Tu fais quoi ? What are you doing?
Unfortunately, this modern French is almost never introduced to French students. You may learn a few mild French slang words here and there, but you never get the full picture, with the modern French glidings found in pronunciation, and everyday form of questions.
This is exactly why I developed my Ć Moi Paris French learning method. All the points of French grammar/vocabulary are illustrated by a novel written using modern, everyday French. The story is then recorded twice: first in a slower enunciated way, then in a more natural way, featuring modern French pronunciation.

A new approach to learning both traditional and modern French logically structured for English speakers.
As a foreigner, you may decide you do not want to speak this way yourself.
That is your choice but it is still absolutely essential you train with it or else you will not understand the average French person when they speak.
Formal French
Formal French is what youāre likely to have learned in school.
Itās the language used when the speaker wants to āmake a good impressionā and speaks to someone s/he doesnāt know at all or wish to show special respect for.
Thatās how newscasters speak on TV or most politicians.
Thatās how Iāll speak during a job interview, or if I meet people Iām trying to impress.
In formal French, one would use āvousā instead of āonā, proper grammar, proper vocabulary. Questions are likely to be formed with inversion. The pronunciation will be more articulated, a bit slower, and featuring all the proper liaisons.
However, in everyday life, French people are not all that proper!
If you speak mostly using formal French vocabulary and enunciation, be particularly careful when using French slang. In your mouth, a strong French slang word will really clash!Click to Tweet
Literary / Refined French
We call this āle franƧais soutenuā. This is an extremely formal and elegant language used in literature of formal French letters.
Only French scholars and lawyers speak that way. Well, scholars, lawyers AND foreign French students ;-)
Unfortunately, a lot of French textbook feature only formal or literary French. Itās also the French pronunciation still featured in the large majority of audio methods.
Speaking this way will make you sound overly sophisticated, possibly snobbish and definitely old-fashioned. If thatās the image you want to send, itās fine. But itās important you are aware of it.
Do French People Switch Register?
Yes, we do. Or at least, we try to. The ability to switch between language registers will vary from people to people.
I cannot speak āhoodā French. I cannot speak āteenageā French. I may know a couple of words but Iām not fluent! And I sure donāt know the intonation or glidings.
I know a lot of regular slang words. I donāt know many swears nor vulgar slang words.
I use mostly everyday modern French. Because of my upbringing, also my age (Iām 47 as I write this article), I tend to use a bit of formal French too. And sometimes, when I want to impress someone, I may use a bit of literary French, even quote poetry or famous authors.
My daughter who is 14, is learning to use formal and literary French in school, for her essays. Itās funny to see her try to push up her French, use fancy words and constructions. She often makes mistakes, and I tell her to simplify her French. She first needs to get the basics right, then she can push it to the next level ā without trying to impress too much or sheāll sound like a snob.
So, there is a fine line. You do want to show your wit and education through the language, but you also need to show that you are a fun, approachable, normal person.
What French Register Should a Student of French Learn?
Itās a question you should ask yourself. The answer will vary on your age, the reason you are studying French (to communicate or to pass exams) and your personal preference.
For most people, I would say modern French and formal French. A bit of colloquial slang here and there to show youāre āinā, a few fancy words when you want to impress. And above all, a correct French pronunciation.
In my audiobooks, or in my newsletter, when I explain vocabulary words, I always add notes on the register Iām using.
As you now understand, it is really important to study from a method that will teach you the register you want to use, but also prepare you to understand the register most French people use nowadays = modern French.
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