I often hear French students keep repeating the same vocabulary over and over. Here are 18 new ways that will help you vary, broaden and expand your French vocabulary.

There are 4 registers (registres) of language in French:

– Soutenu (formal): this level of language is used in a formal context, in books, in the newspaper. We don’t really use this register orally.

– Courant (standard): it’s the register that we use the most when we write and when we speak. It’s the French you typically see when you read, that you use when you write and speak, and that you are used to.

– Familier (informal): it’s the register we use between friends, with family, with people that we know and are close to.

– Vulgaire (vulgar): it’s when you use swear words.

Let’s analyze two examples of words and how you can use them in different registers.

Example 1:

– Que fais-tu? (Soutenu): When you put the verb first and then the subject (like in English when you ask a question), it’s very formal. It’s not natural when speaking to use this form, and it’s actually a bit archaic. The fact that it’s very formal can put a distance between you and the person you are speaking with. Try to avoid this form when you speak.

– Qu’est-ce que tu fais ? (Courant)

– Tu fais quoi ? (Courant)

– Qu’est-ce que tu fiches ? / Tu fiches quoi ? (Familier): It means “faire” in an informal way but usually you ask this question when you are upset or when you are waiting for someone. You coud say : Bon, qu’est-ce que tu fiches ? On est en retard !

– Qu’est-ce que tu fous ? (Vulgaire) : it’s like « qu’est-ce que tu fiches ? » You use it when you are upset or frustrated. It sounds a bit more aggressive than the form “fiche”, so be careful when you use this form.

Example 2:

– Importun (Soutenu): You use this word for something that bothers you. The word “importun” means something that bothers you, and it also means at that inopportune or inappropriate moment. It means 2 things at the same time.

– There are lots of words in standard French to express something that bothers you. You can say that something or someone is: agaçant, pénible, exacerbant, embêtant, exaspérant, insupportable.

– In informal French, you can use my favorite word: chiant. This adjective can mean two different things according to the context. It means either boring or annoying. For example, to say “ce film est chiant” means that it’s boring. But if I say, “Ma voisine est chiante”, it means that my neighbor is annoying.

Two other words that are used a lot are énervant and barbant. These words mean two things at the same time: boring and annoying. For example: Faire les devoirs, c’est barbant.

You can also use the words embêtant or enquiquinant.

– Finally, in vulgar French, you can use the words “emmerdant” (there is the word merde in it). “Emmerdant” can mean boring or annoying, or both at the same time.

There is also the word “relou”, that is the “verlan” of the word lourd. Le verlan is when you mix or reorder syllables. Relou is the verlan of the adjective lourd. It’s a type of argot that young people use.

I hope this article will help you with your French vocabulary and in your learning journey.