les gars
The English phrase 'guys' is translated into French as les gars.
les gars is an informal term used to refer to a group of males or a mixed group of people. Much like the English 'guys', it is frequently used to address mixed-gender groups in casual settings.
What does it mean word for word?
The word gars literally means 'boy' or 'guy'.
Which one should you use?
Using les gars is more casual and colloquial than using tout le monde to address a group.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
les gars is an informal way to address a group. In more polite or formal situations, you should use Messieurs to address a group of men or Mesdames et Messieurs to address a mixed group of people.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form of the phrase is le gars.
Did you know?
- In Quebec, les gars is frequently used in sports contexts to motivate a team, regardless of whether the players are all male.
- Despite being informal, les gars is rarely used to address people significantly older than the speaker, as it can sound disrespectful.
- In some very informal French slang, you might hear people use les mecs instead of les gars, which carries a similar energy but is even more colloquial.
Examples in context
- Arrêtez, les gars !Knock it off, guys!This sentence shows how to use les gars to tell a group to stop an action.Tatoeba #13388264 by lbdx, translation #8299840 by Hybrid
- Les gars ! Attendez !Guys! Wait!This sentence shows how to use les gars to get a group's attention to wait.Tatoeba #7801900 by theachaean, translation #6878825 by Eccles17
- Tous les gars riaient.All the guys were laughing.This sentence shows how les gars can be used to describe a group of males.Tatoeba #7007449 by Micsmithel, translation #7006152 by Hybrid
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Nathan are walking towards their group of friends.
- LéaSalut les gars !Hi guys!
- NathanSalut Léa, ça va ?Hi Léa, how are you?
- LéaÇa va, et vous ?I'm fine, and you guys?
- NathanOn va bien, merci.We are doing well, thanks.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
