Usage Note
Papoter is informal and conveys light, aimless chatter rather than serious conversation; the related noun papotage means idle gossip. It is conjugated as a regular -er verb. The tone is always familiar — use bavarder in neutral or formal contexts where casual connotation is unwanted.
Examples
"Elles papotaient autour d'un café."
Natural Translation
They were chatting over a coffee.
Related Words
Explore French by topic
FrenchNow
5 min read