Word up Your French, Special Edition: understanding 'verlan'
Verlan is a particular type of French argot that offers many, many possibilities when it comes to playing with language. So even if the structure of French is not as supple as English, there is plenty to learn - and use - in terms of vocabulary if you want to really sound French and impress your peers.
WARNING: Verlan is a very familiar way of talking. This slang started being used in French banlieues in the eighties as a way for young people to mark their difference. Then the nineties swang full force and hip-hop culture appropriated this very fun - albeit confusing - way of speaking. Nowadays, lots of young French people use verlan, regardless of their background, but if it's fun to use with friends and to confuse your parents, don't EVER try to speak verlan to somebody you don't know or your boss; verlan is not what you might call the most elegant form of language, so it might be received very badly...
What is verlan?
The verlan slang is mainly based on an inversion of syllables in a word, a technique that dates back to the Middle Ages (very handful to convey secret messages) but which has only been popularized in France in the nineties (very handful to hide things from parents or any form of authority).
Ironically enough, the word 'verlan' itself is the verlan form of à l'envers which means 'in a backward manner' in English. The à disappeared because it was too weak to survive on its own; 'l'envers' survived, but it got cut in half and both syllables were transposed, thus len-vers turning into ver-lan.
How do I use it?
Mostly words containing one or two syllables are used in verlan. If you're feeling bold, you can try verlaning words that have three syllables. It requires more transforming, but I'm sure by the time you've finished reading the article, you'll be an expert and be able to create beautiful verlan art.
Verlan is mainly oral and based on phonetics; you have to be very aware of the pronounciation of a word in order to use it. Now here's a guide to creating verlan:
Step 1: Cut the word in half or in syllables
Merci... Mer/ci Bizarre... Bi/zarre Lourd... Lou/rd Méchant... Mé/chant
Enervé... E/ner/vé
Step 2: INVERT the syllables
And don't hesitate to oversimplify the spelling of your new shiny word by getting rid of any useless letter. (Yes, I've decided verlan is war.)
Merci... Mer/ci... Ci/mer... Cimer Easy peasy.
Bizarre... Bi/zarre... Zar/bi... Zarbi We don't need that extra -re. Off with the -re!
Lourd... Lou/rd... Re/lou... Relou The word ends with a mute consonant. Since the letter just before is also a consonant, you have to add an e so it sounds better. (Also because nobody on Earth would be able to pronounce 'Rdlou' or 'Rlou').
Méchant... Mé/chant... Chan/mé... Chanmé The last letter is also mute BUT the word ends on a vowel sound, so you don't need to add anything, it's amazing just the way it is.
Enervé... E/ner/vé...Vé/ner... Véner
This is one typical example of what you should do when faced with a three-syllable word. Don't panick, take a deep breath and try to guess which syllable you should dismiss. Here it was the first one, but in most cases it's the last one.
Two things and your verlan education will be done:
1) Remember that not every word can be used into verlan; verlan is a way to emphasize strategic words in a sentence or to talk about something too offensive to be called by its real name (sex, drugs and Voldemort, among others); and
2) sometimes, the meaning of a word in verlan is different from the meaning of the original word. I don't know why, that's just how it is. Be aware of that before you tell someone that a cardboard is very relou.
Lisa's verlan glossary
Chanmé (méchant) - Great (though 'méchant' is French for mean)
Chelou (louche) - Weird
Cimer (merci) - Thank you
Keuf (flic) - Policeman
Keum (mec) - Boy/man
Laisse béton (laisse tomber) - Forget it!
Meuf (femme) - Girl/woman
Ouf (fou) - Crazy
Relou (lourd) - Very annoying (though 'lourd' means heavy)
Teuf (fête) - Party (this one is already has been)
Véner (énervé) - Angry
Zarbi (bizarre) - Weird