French Conversation · Level 141
30 words
French word
bavardage
Pronunciation
IPA/bavaʁdaʒ/
Meaning
- masculine nounsmall talk
Example
Ton bavardage me dérange.
Your small talk bothers me.
More examples
Le bavardage entre amis rend la soirée plus détendue.
Conversation among friends makes the evening more relaxed.
Core concept
A light verbal ping-pong of short remarks, often with little depth.
Common phrases
un bavardage léger
light chat
le bavardage entre amis
conversation among friends
Similar words
conversation: A mutual exchange about everyday matters.
papotage: Light small talk among friends.
bavardise: Extended idle talk or a tendency to talk excessively.
commérage: Spreading rumors or unfounded stories about people's private lives.
Definition in French
Conversation informelle et souvent superficielle composée d'échanges courts et faciles.
Word origin
Bavardage is formed from French bavarder, meaning to chatter, with the noun-forming suffix -age; bavard is a related word.
Usage tips
- Bavardage is masculine, so the article is un bavardage, and it often has a mildly negative sense of idle or irrelevant talk.