Street French: Real-Life Phrases – “C’est ouf”, “J’en peux plus”, “Nickel”, “Quoi de neuf”

Dive into everyday French with these five colloquial phrases, essential for anyone looking to understand and participate in real-life conversations.

C'est ouf!

"That's crazy" or "That's insane." Derived from verlan, a form of French slang where syllables of a word are inverted, "ouf" is the inversion of "fou" (crazy).

It's used to express astonishment or disbelief:

"Tu as vu le match hier ? C'est ouf comment ils ont gagné à la dernière minute !"

J'en peux plus

"I can't take it anymore" or "I'm tired." This means being fed up with a situation or being physically or emotionally exhausted.

"Encore une réunion aujourd'hui ? c'est trop, J'en peux plus!"

Bosser

"Bosser" is a casual term for working. It's commonly used in everyday conversation among French speakers, including in semi-formal situations.

"Je dois bosser tard ce soir pour finir le projet."

Nickel

"Perfect" or "spotless." This term is often used to describe something that is done perfectly or when something is exactly as it should be.

"Alors, ça te plait?"
"C'est Nickel!"

"Tu as fini le rapport ?"
"Oui, tout est nickel."

Quoi de neuf?

"What's new?" or "What's up?" A very common greeting among friends or with people you know well.

"Salut, ça va ? Quoi de neuf depuis la dernière fois ?"