Like… Huh? 10 French Filler Words to Make You a French Conversation Master
When it comes to learning French, there are a lot of things textbooks won’t teach you—from slang to informal French that you’d only hear in the streets of France.
And one of the things you’ll discover as you’re more exposed to the French language is filler words.
How do you fill the gaps in your French sentences, while you think of the right word? With these 10 indispensable French filler words!
Contents
- Um, What’s the Big Deal with Using Filler Words?
- 10 French Filler Words Fill the Silences in Your Sentences
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Um, What’s the Big Deal with Using Filler Words?
While the topic of filler words may seem like small potatoes in comparison to topics such as the past tense or the subjunctive, in fact, these words are very important and they play a bigger role in French than you might imagine. In spoken and even in formal written French, filler words make up a surprising amount of the language in terms of frequency.
Filler words correspond to the English words “uh” or “um” or “like,” and while their functions generally correspond to their English equivalents, sometimes their meanings are slightly different.
Furthermore, some filler words are also “real” French words, meaning that these words can be used in formal, academic French as well as in their informal, filler word role. Knowing the meanings of these words and the context of the situation will help avoid any confusion.
For example, the word fin (end) is a filler word that’s also an actual French word.
Lastly and most importantly, using filler words will allow you to better your French conversation skills. Despite getting a reputation for being substandard, informal French, filler words are used by French people every day! In order to speak like a native, learn French filler words!
10 French Filler Words Fill the Silences in Your Sentences
Check out these 10 filler words to, like, uh… fill up your French and sound like a real French native in no time!
1. Alors
Our first word is none other than the French word alors, or “well” in English. Alors is probably the most common filler word, and in fact, it’s so common that it can be heard in French classrooms all around the world—and not just from students.
The best thing about alors is that it’s often not regarded as an “informal” filler word. Along with teachers, this word can be heard in speeches, business presentations and even in political proceedings. In fact, you can even use it in formal writing!
Translated as “so” or “well,” alors is often used as a transition word at the beginning of a sentence to draw attention to a topic or a change of topic. Check out this example:
Alors, comment ça va ? (So, how’s it going?)
Ça va bien, merci. Et toi ? (It’s going well, thanks. And you?)
Alors can also be used in place of the English expression “So what?” In this sense, it asks for clarification of a previous statement, often in a rude or sarcastic way:
J’ai déjà lu ce livre. (I already read that book.)
Et alors ? (So what?)
2. Euh
Euh is the French equivalent of the English word “uh” or “um,” and the good news is that it’s used pretty much the same way. Like in English, euh is generally used as a pause or a moment to think. Along with alors, euh is extremely common, but unlike alors, it’s very informal:
Est-ce que je peux avoir, euh… un stylo ? (Can I have, uh… a pen?)
Euh, oui. (Uh, yes.)
3. Quoi
Quoi is perhaps the most confusing filler word to beginner French learners. Technically, it translates to “what” in English, and it’s used to ask questions:
Tu as fait quoi ? (You did what?)
As a filler word, quoi better translates as “you know?” or the British “innit?” In fact, it’s used to give weight or highlight what you’re saying:
C’est une belle tour, quoi ? (It’s a beautiful tower, you know?)
4. Hein
Related to quoi, hein is another popular French filler word. Hein translates to the English word “huh,” and it can be used in many ways. Firstly, it can be used to indicate that you don’t understand something that has been previously said. However, be aware that this is regarded as very rude:
Dépêche-toi ! Tu vas rater le train ! (Hurry up! You’re going to miss the train!)
Hein ? (Huh?)
J’ai dit que tu vas rater le train ! (I said that you’re going to miss the train!)
Secondly, you can use hein to mean “right?” or in place of the French n’est-ce pas ? (Isn’t that right?):
C’est un bon livre, hein ? (It’s a good book, right?)
Euh, oui. (Uh, yes.)
5. Bref
The filler word bref translates to “brief” in English, and its function as a filler word is pretty self-explanatory. It’s the English equivalent of “basically” or “long story short,” and it’s generally used to sum up a long explanation and give the “low-down” on a particular topic:
Bref, j’ai raté l’interro de chimie. (Basically, I failed the chemistry test.)
Pronunciation tip: While you might be tempted to not pronounce the “f” at the end of the word bref, it actually is pronounced. In theory, the French word bref should rhyme with the English name “Steph.”
6 & 7. Ben oui, ben non
The next filler words on our list, ben oui and ben non, are a little bit confusing and there is some debate as to their exact meaning and function. We know the word oui means “yes,”and non means “no,” but the word ben can be seen as an informal version of the French word bien (well).
Together, these two expressions translate to “well, yes” or “well, no.” Basically, they’re used as an affirmation or negation of a previously stated topic:
Est-ce que tu veux un boisson ? (Do you want a drink?)
Ben, oui. (Well, yes.)
Et un croissant ? (And a croissant?)
Ben, non. (Well, no.)
8. En fait
En fait literally translates to the English “in fact,” and like alors, its use in different social contexts is quite flexible. In fact, it can be used in formal French speech as well as in formal French writing. In the informal way, en fait means “actually.” It can be used when changing your mind or trying to clarify what you’re trying to say:
J’ai conduit pendant cinq heures. En fait, c’était six ! (I drove for five hours. Actually, it was six!)
Pronunciation tip: Like bref, the “t” at the end of the expression en fait is pronounced to rhyme with the other French word fête (party).
9. Genre
Perhaps the most confused filler word for beginners is genre. First of all, it technically means “type” or “gender,” but in informal French, it translates more to the English filler word “like.” In fact, it’s used in the same way “uh” or “like” is used in, like, English.
Pronunciation tip: Keep in mind that this filler word is often pronounced very quickly in informal situations, so it can sound like jor instead of what we’d expect: jen-ruh.
Je voudrais, genre, un autre crayon. (I want, like, another pencil.)
10. Quand même
Last but not least, the expression quand même is a filler word with two meanings in French. First of all, it has a formal meaning of “even though” or “still,” but as a filler word, it can translate as “Wow!” or “No way!” In this sense, it’s used to show surprise or excitement about a given topic or revelation.
J’ai eu l’examen ! (I passed the exam!)
Quand même ! (Wow!)
Perhaps the best way to understand these French filler words and to use them naturally is to hear them used regularly by speakers.
You can look for filler words and how they’re used in authentic French videos, like the ones on the FluentU program. On FluentU, you can watch native French clips with interactive subtitles. This way, if you’re not sure if a word is being used as a filler, you can click on it to see its contextual definition. You can also search for a filler word and check its flashcard for examples of it in use in FluentU videos.
FluentU lets you watch movie trailers, interviews, cartoon clips and even skits and fun vlogs from well-known French-language YouTubers like Cyprien.
So, like, get out there and, uh, master French filler words, you know?
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
