slang help

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EducatorPermalink Reply by George Hunt on February 10, 2013 at 12:37am

"Loulotte" sounds a bit disrespectful to me (haven't heard it before).

I thought "copine"  was casual enough.I know  you can say "nana"  too.

I am not sure about "gonzesse".

For "meeting" you could use "rejoindre"

So : "Ta copine me rejoint" or "Ta copine m'a invité".

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Permalink Reply by Chantal Savignat on February 10, 2013 at 10:02am

1)    loulotte NO ;-)

 first it's louloute, with 2 sounds "'ou".

and it's more used for a little girl, for a girl child, and even for a youth (girl). it's cute. A father could say another one "ta louloute  a bien grandi".

It could be used for a girl  from suburb (in the French meaning = ghetto area), a kind of a rogue. but not really negative.

2) gonzesse ;-) it's more old and negative, "ta gonzesse" : it sounds like an old detective film with gangsters. When I was a child I had a uncle with a butt in mouth who  said always that "ma gonzesse" or "ma souris". He was so ... like an old illustrated postcard.

In French, it's the possessive adjective "ta" "ton" or "ma"which shows that it's a girlfriend and not just a friend. For a friend, you say "une copine" or "une amie" without the possessive word.

your girl friend = (casual)

- ta copine (with the possessive adjective "ta" ) or "ta petite copine" => the more used.

- ta chérie => usual too (students, 20-25 years old)

- ta petite amie => less used now, but "mon amie" is still used by people more old (for example a man, 50 years old who has an ex wife and a new girlfriend says "mon amie")

your girlfriend = (slang)

- ta nana => slang but used by some older people  (I have a friend, 55 years old, not married but he lives with a woman and has 2 children with her, and he uses "ma nana" for her, he never says "ma femme" but always "ma nana", but it's weird)

- ta meuf (still like "copine" with the possessive word)  => slang and used by youth from suburbs (meaning 'ghetto area')  and youth in general. usual.

 " Your girl friend is meeting me" = it seems to be  "Je viens de rencontrer ta copine"

" Your girlfriend invited me" = "ta copine m'a invité"

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Permalink Reply by Joby on February 10, 2013 at 2:41pm

Thank you very much.  Muef and Louloute sound a bit too street slang or derogatory?

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Permalink Reply by Chantal Savignat on February 10, 2013 at 3:35pm

Louloute, no, it's really cute for a little girl, not really slang, a bit "pet name", loving. The sound is cute in French.

Even for a woman, it could be used, you can use "louloute" for a woman but the use is not for "girlfriend". Or rather in some cases : a man can say "ma louloute" if he speaks with a friend about his girlfriend, but a friend of him can't say "ta louloute" if he speaks with his friend except if they are really very very close. I had already heard "honey" in English, I think it's a bit the same thing .

Meuf is street slang, yes, but it's very used by youth people. So used that it's no more  derogatory now. it's the "back to front" for "femme".

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Permalink Reply by Chantal Savignat on February 10, 2013 at 3:56pm

I just heard an episode of Castle, a tv series, in English. I thought of you.

A man says  (laughing) "Becket has a boyfriend",  here we would translate(casual) by "Becket a un petit ami".

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Permalink Reply by Joby on February 10, 2013 at 4:38pm

thank you very much for your help:)

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