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Le Langage SMS et les Abréviations — French texting | Vocabulary

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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 💬

mdrLOL (mort de rire)
ptdrrolling laughing (pété de rire)
tktdon’t worry (t’inquiète)
jspidk (je sais pas)
jppI can’t anymore (j’en peux plus)
dslsorry (désolé)
stp / svpplease (s’il te/vous plaît)
bcpa lot (beaucoup)

Le quotidien 📱

rdvappointment (rendez-vous)
càdi.e. (c’est-à-dire)
tjsalways (toujours)
ajd / aujtoday (aujourd’hui)
pk / pqwhy (pourquoi)
qqnsomeone (quelqu’un)
qqchsomething (quelque chose)
mtnnow (maintenant)

Bonjour & au revoir 👋

slthi (salut)
cchey (coucou)
bjr / bsrhello / good evening
a+see ya (à plus)
bises / bzkisses (goodbye)
nrvannoyed (énervé)
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🎬 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

mdr, t’as vu ça ?lol, did you see that?
Tkt, jsp mais c’est bon.No worries, idk but it’s fine.
Rdv à 15h, stp.Appointment at 3pm, please.
Slt ! Ça va ? A+Hi! How are you? See ya

🔊 Example sentences

Jsp pk il est nrv.I don’t know why he’s annoyed.
Bcp de gens sont venus ajd.A lot of people came today.
Dsl, j’ai pas vu ton msg.Sorry, I didn’t see your message.

✍️ Practice

mdr means… (the big one)

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LOL / dying of laughter

tkt means… (reassurance)

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don’t worry (t’inquiète)

bcp means… (vowels removed)

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beaucoup

🎮 Practise this with games

🎯 More practice — vocabulary recall — both directions

How do you say « LOL »? (recall)

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mdr

What does « tkt » mean? (recall)

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don’t worry

How do you say « I can’t anymore »? (recall)

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jpp

What does « stp / svp » mean? (recall)

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please

How do you say « appointment »? (recall)

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rdv

What does « tjs » mean? (recall)

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always

How do you say « why »? (recall)

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pk / pq

What does « qqch » mean? (recall)

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something

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.

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🎧 Listening Game which sentence do you hear?

🔤 Word Scramble unscramble the words

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