How to Say "Pinball" in French

flipper

/fli.pœʁ/masculine

The French word for pinball is flipper.

When you want to say you are playing pinball, use the phrase jouer au flipper.

Meaning: game (noun)

Which one should you use?

Le flip is an informal, shortened version of the word.

When using the verb jouer with flipper, you must use the contraction au (which is a combination of à and le) to say jouer au flipper.

/fli.pœʁ/. It has 2 syllables.

In some older French slang contexts, the root verb flipper can mean to freak out or to be extremely frightened. While it is the name of the game, saying je flippe would imply you are panicking rather than playing pinball.
The French term flipper is a pseudo-anglicism because it uses the name of a specific part of the machine to name the entire game. In English, the machine is a 'pinball machine'.
The term flipper refers specifically to the mechanical paddles used to hit the ball. In English, the game is called 'pinball', but the French language identifies the game entirely by the action of its most important component.

As-tu déjà joué au flipper ?
Have you ever played pinball?
This sentence is useful for asking if someone has experience playing flipper.
Tatoeba #8741543 by Julien_PDC, translation #12651146 by urro
Il est difficile de trouver un flipper entièrement mécanique. De nos jours, ils sont tous électroniques.
It's hard to find a totally mechanical pinball machine. These days, they're all electronic.
This sentence is useful for noting the difference between mechanical and electronic flipper machines.
Tatoeba #1735965 by sacredceltic, translation #1733793 by darinmex
Les adolescents jouent souvent au flipper dans les salles de jeux.
Teenagers often play pinball in gaming arcades.
Certains cafés proposent encore le jeu de flipper.
Some cafés still offer pinball games.
On s'est bien amusé à jouer au flip cet après-midi.
We had great fun playing pinball this afternoon.
Le flipper est en panne.
The pinball machine is broken.

Gabriel and Chloé are at an arcade.

Sources

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