wesh
The French equivalent of the English greeting "yo" is wesh.
wesh is a slang greeting used to say "yo", "what's up" or "hey". Beyond being a simple greeting, it can also function as an interjection to express surprise or to get someone's attention. Depending on the tone, it can function similarly to "what's up" or "what's going on".
Meaning: greeting similar to hi (intj)
Which one should you use?
While the English "yo" is often just a simple greeting, the French wesh can also carry the meaning of "what's up" or "what's going on" depending on how it is spoken.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
wesh is a slang term used primarily by youth in urban areas. For other informal ways to say hi, you might use Salut (hi/hey), Coucou (a cute and friendly "hey there") or Ça va? (how's it going?).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some parts of France, particularly the south, people may use Alors as an informal greeting.
When do people say it?
In a social context, you may encounter different greetings based on the group. For example, Bonjour is the standard greeting used from morning until early evening and bonjour mesdames is specifically used to greet a group of women.
Did you know?
- The term wesh is believed to have originated from Maghrebi Arabic, specifically from the interrogative particle wāš which means 'what'.
- Using wesh can be a way to signal membership or belonging within specific urban youth subcultures in France.
Examples in context
- « Bienvenue ! » « Wesh. » « Oh, comment, ce n'est que Keita ? »"Welcome!" "Yo." "Oh, what, it's only Keita?"This example shows the use of wesh as a response to a welcome.Tatoeba #11335359 by Micsmithel, translation #328848 by fcbond
- Wesh, ça va ?Yo, how's it going?
- Wesh, t'es là ?Yo, you there?
Example conversation
Nathan and Léa meet up at a park.
- NathanWesh, Léa !Yo, Léa!
- LéaSalut Nathan, ça gaze ?Hi Nathan, everything good?
- NathanOui, tranquille. On y va ?Yeah, chill. Shall we go?
- LéaAllez, c'est parti !Come on, let's go!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries wesh, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
