# kiffer



## markquaile

what is the verb 'kiffer'?

thanks
mark

*Moderator note:* Multiple threads merged to create this one.


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## sophievm

"kiffer" means "aimer" but it's VERY informal (and used mostly by very young people).

Edit: It's interesting to look at the etymology of this. It comes from the Arabic word "kif" which stands for cannabis. So it means that if you "kiffe" something, it means that it is as good as cannabis...


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## amerloque

Young people think they invented it but in fact my grandfather was using it in the 20s and by the 50s it was an expression, how you say, "vieux jeu"

derivatives
je kiffe grave (I'm so into)
je kiffe pas (hate it)
je kiffe sur lui (I've got a crush on him)


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## Patricia CREMON

you're right. "Kiffer" is a recent word for "like/love" used by french young people. You can use when *speaking* with other *young people*.


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## RuK

Je kiffe vraiment cette fille, je kiffe la géométrie (admittedly not as common), je kiffe pas l'école... In the olden days, English-speakers would have translated as "I dig".


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## sarabahaa

Que veut dire: "je vous kiffe"?

[...]

Merci beaucoup


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## Gez

It's a "cool" way to say you like something or someone. A bit like "to dig" in English.

It sounds weird if it's not used in sentences full of slang and verlan.
"Ouah zyva j'kiffe ça trop à donf!!! C'est trop d'la balle, ça arrache de la mort qui tue!"

That's the kind of sentence that can give headaches to translators, because it looks completely meaningless. Nonsense words stringed together. Parasitic words that sits in the sentence without bringing any sense at all or participating to the construction. Absolutely ridiculous idioms.

I don't think I could "faithfully" translate my example sentences in English slang, as I don't know it well enough. (And, honestly, this example is not worthy of a translation. This is not the French language praised by writers and poets.) But I can paraphrase it in a less "slang" way: "J'adore ça ! C'est génial !"

[...]


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## njcaviet

Je ne comprends pas la phrase "j'ai kiffe sur toi". Je l'ai vu dans un texto. Quelqu'un le comprend?


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## Arzhela

"J'ai kiffé sur toi" = "J'ai flashé sur toi" = "Tu me plais", etc


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## velt

Be careful though, it is a very cliché argot word. In fact you can only use it in a tongue-in-cheek manner.


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## xtrasystole

velt said:


> Be careful though, it is a very cliché argot word.


Indeed it is!


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## tilt

_Kiffer _means _aimer_, whether it is like or love.


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## juliobenjimino

I'm happy with the meaning of kiffer/je kiffe etc, but going through the archives I've read contrasting views from francophones about its usage. One said that it was a recent and popular piece of slang amongst young people, whereas another said that it was quite outdated and a bit.... naff.

could someone clear this up for me? I'm 25, and would like to sound at least moderately up-to-date when conversing with young french people, rather than like someone's dad trying to sound cool


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## Keren

Hi,

I use it often, my dad, who likes to sound cool uses it, as well as my 22 years old little brother... 

Personally I don't think it's naff. 
Being an expatriate, I can't tell you for sure, but each time I go back to Paris, no one tells me we don't use Kiffer anymore...


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## verbivore

The AE equivalent is "to dig", or at least it is my preference. It's somewhere in the range of: like a lot, have the hots for, and be infatuated by.

I dig that chick; she's cool to hang out with and cute too.

Je kiffe sur cette fille...


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## tilt

Usually, _kiffer _is direct transitive: _je te kiffe_, _je kiffe cette fille/meuf..._
I'm a bit amazed by this indirect usage.


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## tilt

I'd say _kiffer _is as vague as _aimer_; it can mean to like as well as to love.

I realise that another possible use of this verb is _tu me fais kiffer_, which means the same as _Je te kiffe_. This could explain the indirect composition of the opening sentence.


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## Stéphane89

I'd say that 'Je kiffe sur cette fille' makes the sentence sound even more informal than 'Je kiffe cette fille'.


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## tilt

StefKE said:


> I'd say that 'Je kiffe sur cette fille' makes the sentence sound even more informal than 'Je kiffe cette fille'.


True, if ever possible!


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## verbivore

Pour moi, _kiffer_ _sur_ sonne plus fort que _kiffer_ de soi-meme.


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## Amda Zako

C'est son nouveau kif = it's his new thing (a hobby, band, etc.)


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## pieanne

There's "dig", but isn't it a bit out-dated?


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## fabfab

I should also emphasize that not only is *kiffer *slang, but it is also mostly used by teenagers. My parents would not understand what you mean.


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## MissHedonist

Amongst teens today, I would say 'kiffer' could be translated also as 'to get off on something' as a slightly more modern version of 'to dig'.


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## bleuboia

pieanne said:


> There's "dig", but isn't it a bit out-dated?



In certain situations and with certain groups of people (age, social groups, country, etc.)  one can translate KIFFER as "i'm feelin' "

ex. I'm feelin' him.


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## powah

hmm interesting and i think it's better than "like"


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## tilda1

I guess there is no real translation for this word it is quite complicated to explain (teenager) slang, even amongst French people sometimes we don't understand each other 
the meaning is "to like" but it's stronger!


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## Raskolnikovam

j'ai 17 ans, et entre jeunes, on l'utilise souvent. je pense que c'est moins fort qu'aimer: on ne dit pas à son amoureux, "j'te kiffe", mais plutôt à un pote. j'l'entends souvent comme ça:
"ahaha, j'te kiffe, meuf" (une fille à sa pote)    
"alors, c'était comment? t'as kiffé?" (sortie..)
"j'crois que j'le kiffe" (une fille se sent attirée par un gars). [Je pense, de loin, que c'est dans ce contexte que c'est le plus utilisé, par presque tout le monde, car c'est moins fort qu'aimer quelqu'un, dans le sens d'être amoureux]

en revanche, y a des variantes comme, "kiffer sa race" qui ne sont que très peu utilisées, ou alors pour se moquer de ceux qui l'utilisent (pour dénigrer les racailles..)


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## ilydork

Hi, can these posts about _kiffer _are from a couple years back. Is it still used / in style? Also, I've only heard it used with _je _as the subject. Can you say it with other subjects such as _il lui kiffe_? Or _Tu le kiffes? _-Would it even be conjugated? I.e. Nous kiffons? Am I getting too grammatical here x)


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## undergreenwoodtree

hello

"Alors comme ça on kiffe la rue d'Ulm" 

what does this mean? I think it means "How do you like Rue d'Ulm" but not too sure

grateful for help

merci


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## Guill

It means, more colloquially than this of course, "From what I know, you fancy Rue d'Ulm ?".


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## gui

Raskolnikovam said:


> ... "j'crois que j'le kiffe" (une fille se sent attirée par un gars). [Je pense, de loin, que c'est dans ce contexte que c'est le plus utilisé, par presque tout le monde, car c'est moins fort qu'aimer quelqu'un, dans le sens d'être amoureux] ...



Going off of this, from other comments throughout the thread, and my own experience in general with the term, I think a very good translation (at least in American English) would be "to be into."

"I'm really into soccer."
"He's really into that new girl."

It has the same generally meaning as "to dig." It carries the sense that the person has a serious, though not necessarily permanent, attachment/affection to something/someone.

Admittedly, "to be into" is a far more available term to the general population, and not as niche-slang as "kiffer." But I think it's a good fit still.


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## MmeBe

Back to the meaning of 'kiffer' seven years later....can anyone clarify the poster that says "L'Europe: Tu aimes ou tu la kiffes"?


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## Bezoard

It is a play on words with another well-known motto by ultra-right parties : _La France, tu l'aimes ou tu la *quittes*._
Of course, with _"tu la kiffes",_ there is no longer any choice, as _kiffer _is synonym with _aimer._


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## MmeBe

thanks, Bezoard -- so it is like 'love it or leave it' except 'love it or love it'?  Can I assume that it is tongue-in-cheek and also put forward by the ultra-right?


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## Bezoard

My understanding is that this love declaration to Europe is rather a motto for pro-Macron youth.


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## tartopom

MmeBe said:


> "L'Europe: Tu aimes ou tu la kiffes"?


I guess they meant 'Tu* l'*aimes ou tu la kiffes'.

PS: _Europe: you love it or dig it._


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## bleuboia

tartopom said:


> I guess they meant 'Tu* l'*aimes ou tu la kiffes'.
> 
> PS: _Europe: you love it or dig it._



"Dig it" sounds a bit dated. I don't think modern native English speaking youth have a word like "kiffer" like French does. Not yet anyway.

I would suggest:
Europe, you like it or love it.

I think adding the degree of "love" following "like" could work, and "love" has a "v" like "leave", which could work for the play on words.


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## tartopom

But I think we have to keep the informal language. Then maybe the non-standard spelling ' ... or luv it'.


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