Le Langage SMS et les Abréviations — French texting | Vocabulary
On this page
🖨️ Print-friendly: use Ctrl+P (⌘P) or your browser menu to print this chart cleanly.
The essential French texting abbreviations — slt, mdr, jsp and the SMS shorthand real French people use. Reading French texts & chats. This French reading texts chats vocabulary list gives you 22 essential words — from mdr (LOL (mort de rire)) to nrv (annoyed (énervé)) — each with audio and its English translation. Use it to build the French words you need to talk about reading texts chats, then test yourself with the games below.
Le Langage SMS et les Abréviations
Reading French texts & chats
Les grands classiques 💬
Le quotidien 📱
Bonjour & au revoir 👋
🎬 The 20-second version
5 quick questions on « Le Langage SMS et les Abréviations » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →
📘 Texting French — the rules of the game
- These are for texts, chats and social media only — never in an email to a teacher, an exam, or a professional message.
- Most are just the word with the vowels removed: bcp = beaucoup, tjs = toujours, slt = salut.
- mdr (mort de rire) is the French LOL; tkt (t’inquiète) = « don’t worry / no worries ».
- Numbers & letters as sounds: a+ (à plus = later), koi29 (quoi de neuf = what’s up), c (c’est).
- Great for teens and for reading real French online — pair it with the filler words for natural chat.
🔊 Useful phrases
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
mdr means… (the big one)
Show answer
LOL / dying of laughter
tkt means… (reassurance)
Show answer
don’t worry (t’inquiète)
bcp means… (vowels removed)
Show answer
beaucoup
🎮 Practise this with games
🎯 More practice — vocabulary recall — both directions
How do you say « LOL »? (recall)
Show answer
mdr
What does « tkt » mean? (recall)
Show answer
don’t worry
How do you say « I can’t anymore »? (recall)
Show answer
jpp
What does « stp / svp » mean? (recall)
Show answer
please
How do you say « appointment »? (recall)
Show answer
rdv
What does « tjs » mean? (recall)
Show answer
always
How do you say « why »? (recall)
Show answer
pk / pq
What does « qqch » mean? (recall)
Show answer
something
Go further: French for Teenagers — music, games & group chats.
The most common French texting abbreviations
These French texting abbreviations and text slang appear in almost every chat — French SMS language works by dropping vowels and spelling by sound:
- slt — salut (hi) · bjr — bonjour · bsr — bonsoir
- mdr — mort de rire (= LOL) · ptdr — pété de rire (= ROFL)
- jsp — je sais pas (I don’t know) · jpp — j’en peux plus (I can’t even)
- tkt — t’inquiète (don’t worry) · dsl — désolé (sorry)
- stp / svp — s’il te/vous plaît (please) · dcp — du coup (so)
- bcp — beaucoup (a lot) · qqn — quelqu’un (someone) · qqch — quelque chose (something)
- a+ — à plus (see you) · a2m1 — à demain (see you tomorrow)
- c — c’est · g — j’ai · t — t’es (spelled by sound)
Use them with friends and in casual chats only — never in a professional message. Decode a few per day and French social media suddenly makes sense.
French texting abbreviations — FAQ
How do you say common reading texts chats words in French?
For example: LOL (mort de rire) is « mdr », rolling laughing (pété de rire) is « ptdr », don’t worry (t’inquiète) is « tkt ». The full list above has 22 French reading texts chats words, each with audio so you can hear the pronunciation.
What are the most useful French reading texts chats words to learn first?
Start with the basics: mdr (LOL (mort de rire)), ptdr (rolling laughing (pété de rire)), tkt (don’t worry (t’inquiète)), jsp (idk (je sais pas)), jpp (I can’t anymore (j’en peux plus)), dsl (sorry (désolé)). Master these core French words before moving on to the rest of the list.
How can I memorise French reading texts chats vocabulary?
Learn the words in small themed groups, say each one out loud with the audio, and use it in a short sentence about your own life. Spaced repetition is what makes new vocabulary stick — see our guide to learning French vocabulary that sticks.
🎮 Practise this lesson
Games built from this exact page — turn what you just read into play: