3 ms·

Nah not really, I’m not native French but went to a French Lycée, and from my experience, everyone and their mother, from the banlieue to the best neighborhood

Nah not really, I’m not native French but went to a French Lycée, and from my experience, everyone and their mother, from the banlieue to the best neighborhood in Paris, says putain and ouais in an informal setting.

mytailorisrich 7y ago
If your experience is that "everyone and their mother" says "putain" I am afraid that French people will conclude that you did not stay in the best area, to say the least. That being said, 'putain' is also used a lot in some southern areas of the country. But you should not conclude that you can safely say it as you please all over the country without people thinking less of you. I can assure you that in the "best neighbourhood in Paris" you will get funny looks if you sprinkle your language with 'putain' and reply to questions using "ouais".
- tonfa 7y ago
  Imo the key word is informal settings, I think most people would use those but higher class people were taught when not to use them.
  - user5994461 7y ago
    Ouai is slang for oui (yes). It's not classy but it's nowhere near as bad as the other words discussed here. It's like "yeah" instead of "yes" really. Using meuf/rebeu/trome (woman, arab, tube) is similar to using hoe and nigga in English. Better not do that even in an informal setting. If you talk like that near people, let's say in a bar or in the tube or on your phone walking, people nearby will avoid you. If you add "putain" every few sentences, you will be universally approached as a violent degenerate.
    - potatoz2 7y ago
      Meuf is absolutely not close to hoe (or even less nigga). Meuf is very common and just colloquial among the younger generation. Maybe the closest would be "dude" or maybe "fam": not insulting in the least but something you wouldn't use in professional settings or with your parents.
      - bradknowles 7y ago
        Be very careful when making extreme racial slurs. If you are not visibly and obviously a member of that same race, you are likely to receive a much more negative reaction than you expect. And that negative reaction could be quite life-threatening. Been there, saw that.
        plouffy 7y ago
        Nobody is going to get physical because you called them meuf.

mytailorisrich 7y ago

If your experience is that "everyone and their mother" says "putain" I am afraid that French people will conclude that you did not stay in the best area, to say the least. That being said, 'putain' is also used a lot in some southern areas of the country. But you should not conclude that you can safely say it as you please all over the country without people thinking less of you. I can assure you that in the "best neighbourhood in Paris" you will get funny looks if you sprinkle your language with 'putain' and reply to questions using "ouais".

tonfa 7y ago
Imo the key word is informal settings, I think most people would use those but higher class people were taught when not to use them.
- user5994461 7y ago
  Ouai is slang for oui (yes). It's not classy but it's nowhere near as bad as the other words discussed here. It's like "yeah" instead of "yes" really. Using meuf/rebeu/trome (woman, arab, tube) is similar to using hoe and nigga in English. Better not do that even in an informal setting. If you talk like that near people, let's say in a bar or in the tube or on your phone walking, people nearby will avoid you. If you add "putain" every few sentences, you will be universally approached as a violent degenerate.
  - potatoz2 7y ago
    Meuf is absolutely not close to hoe (or even less nigga). Meuf is very common and just colloquial among the younger generation. Maybe the closest would be "dude" or maybe "fam": not insulting in the least but something you wouldn't use in professional settings or with your parents.
    - bradknowles 7y ago
      Be very careful when making extreme racial slurs. If you are not visibly and obviously a member of that same race, you are likely to receive a much more negative reaction than you expect. And that negative reaction could be quite life-threatening. Been there, saw that.
      - plouffy 7y ago
        Nobody is going to get physical because you called them meuf.