22 Ways To Say “Yes” in French in Different Situations [With Pronunciation]

Why is it so important to learn different ways to say “yes” in French?

Well, think about how important the word is in English. You need to be able to say “yes” to affirm when things are true.

If “yes” is such an important part of English, you can imagine that it’s an important part of French too.

You may think you know how to say “yes” in French, but there are actually tons of ways to say it, as there are for saying no in French.

In this post, we will teach you 22 different ways to say yes in French for every situation!

Contents

• 1. Oui — Yes
• 2.  Oui, oui  — Yes!
• 3. Ouais — Yeah
• 4. Ouaip — Yep
• 5. Bah oui / Ben oui  — Well, yeah
• 6. Mouais — Um, yeah
• 7. Si — Actually, yes
• 8. Mais oui — Of course
• 9. Ouah ! — Yes!/Yay!
• 10. D’accord — Okay
• 11. Ça marche — That works/OK.
• 12. Ah oui ? — Really?
• 13. Parfait — Perfect!
• 14. Exactement — Exactly
• 15. Certainement — Certainly
• 16. Tout à fait — Absolutely
• 17. Avec plaisir — With pleasure
• 18. Bien sûr — Of course
• 19. Évidemment — Obviously
• 20. Voilà — That’s right
• 21. Absolument — Absolutely
• 22. C’est ça — That’s it/That’s right
• And one more thing...

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1. Oui — Yes

One of the most popular and best known ways to say “yes” in French is oui.

Oui is a great option to use to say “yes” as it will be acceptable for most situations you might find yourself in, whether formal or informal. 

It’s essentially used just like “yes” in English.

Tu veux manger des crêpes ? (Do you want to eat crepes?)
Oui ! (Yes!)

C’est vrai que tu es allée à l’école avec Julien ? (Is it true that you went to school with Julien?)
Oui ! (Yes!)

2.  Oui, oui  — Yes!

As we just saw, oui is the most common way of saying “yes” in French and is acceptable in most situations.

However, if you want to really show your enthusiasm, you can use oui, oui !

There is no direct translation for oui, oui in English, as it would literally translate to “yes, yes!” Oui, oui is mostly used to highlight your enthusiasm about something or as a quick response.

For example:

Je te verrai demain à 16h, ça te va ? (I’ll see you tomorrow at 4 p.m., is that OK with you?)
Oui, oui ! (Yes!)

3. Ouais — Yeah

Ouais is the French equivalent of “yeah,” and you would use it in similar informal situations. 

Tu es fatigué ?  (Are you tired?)
Ouais, c’est trop tôt. (Yeah, it’s too early.)

Ouais is extremely common in France and you will hear most native French speakers use it more than you would probably hear oui (like how most English speakers say “yeah” more than “yes”).

Ouais is more informal than oui so it’s best to keep that in mind when conversing in more formal situations, such as a business meeting or when having a serious conversation.

4. Ouaip — Yep

This is another common form of oui that is more like “yep” and is often used interchangeably in the same type of situations as ouais. 

Es-tu prêt à partir ? (Are you ready to leave?)
Ouaip. (Yep.)

Est-ce que tu parles français ? (Do you speak French?)
Ouaip, je parle français. (Yep, I speak French.)

Like ouais, ouaip is also reserved for more informal situations, so be aware that this may not be the best option for a more formal situation.

5. Bah oui / Ben oui  — Well, yeah

Another more informal way to say “yes” in French is bah oui or ben oui. This form doesn’t have a direct translation into English, but the best way to describe it is almost like “well, yeah.”

This is similar to mais oui in the way that it holds a rather sarcastic tone, hinting that perhaps something should be obvious already.

Tu aimes ton travail ? (Do you like your job?)
Bah oui, c’est bien payé. (Well, yeah, it’s well paid.)

Tu as besoin de porter ton manteau. (You need to wear your coat.)
Ben oui, il fait froid. (Well, yes, it’s cold.)

Once again, you want to be cautious of when you use this phrase in French as it could cause a misunderstanding and can easily come across as rude.

6. Mouais — Um, yeah

Another informal way to say “yes,” but in a way that demonstrates a lack of enthusiasm or a bit of uncertainty is mouais (um, yeah). Here are a few examples:

As-tu aimé le film ? (Did you like the film?)
Mouais, mais pas trop. (Um, yeah, but not too much.)

J’ai fait la connaissance de Leonardo DiCaprio hier soir ! (I met Leonardo DiCaprio last night!)
Mouais, je ne suis pas trop sûre. (Um, yeah, I’m not so sure about that.)

Note how the first example shows a lack of enthusiasm and the second shows that the speaker is not convinced of what they’ve just heard.

7. Si — Actually, yes

In French, if someone uses a negative to refer to something and you need to respond “yes,” you use si (actually, yes).

This concept might be a little difficult to put into practice at first, as we don’t use a separate “yes” to contradict in English.

Tu n’aimes pas le cinéma, n’est-ce pas ? (You don’t like the movie theater, right?)
Si, j’adore ! (But yes, I love it!)

Tu n’as jamais visité les États-Unis, n’est-ce pas ? (You never visited the United States, right?)
Si, j’y suis allé l’année dernière. (Actually yes, I went there last year.)

It’s important to note that si is also used in French to say “if.” Be careful not to confuse the two meanings when you’re using this word.

8. Mais oui — Of course

This is a way to say yes but with a hint of attitude. You use mais oui (of course) when you may be a bit annoyed, almost like saying “obviously” or “of course” in English. 

Est-ce que tu aimes cette chanson ? (Do you like this song?)
Mais oui, je te l’ai déjà dit trois fois ! (Of course, I already told you three times!)

This is very informal and definitely can come across as rude or condescending when said to another person in French, so be careful who you say this to!

9. Ouah ! — Yes!/Yay!

Ouah is French for “yes” when you’re extra happy and enthusiastic. You could translate it as “Yes!” or “Yay!”

Ouah ! J’ai été accepté à Brown ! (Yay! I was accepted into Brown!)

Ouah ! J’ai gagné le prix ! (Yes! I won the prize!)

This word is also sometimes used in French to express amazement, like “wow” in English.

10. D’accord — Okay

When you want to sound casual or nonchalant, simply use d’accord (okay). This is used the same as “okay” is used in English, so it can just affirm something without an expected response.

D’accord is often used to express that you are in agreement with something that has just been proposed or confirming that it works for you.

Je vais arriver à 5h30. (I’ll get there at 5:30.)
D’accord. (Okay.)

Je te verrai samedi. (I’ll see you on Saturday.)
D’accord. (Okay.)

You may also hear a couple of different terms used in similar situations as d’accord such as bon (good) or OK (OK).

11. Ça marche — That works/OK.

This is how you would say “that works” in French. This is another rather casual way to affirm something, but may not be totally informal.

Nous pouvons prendre un café cet après-midi. (We can grab a coffee this afternoon.)
Ça marche. (Okay, sure, that works for me.)

Je te retrouve au parc à 16h et nous irons ensemble au théâtre. (I’ll meet you at the park at 4 p.m. and we’ll go to the theater together.)
Ça marche. (Okay, sure, that works for me.)

As you can see, ça marche is a quick way to confirm plans or agree with something.

12. Ah oui ? — Really?

Whether you want to emphasize your surprise or are truly in disbelief, you’ll need to use ah oui ? like how “really?” is used in English.

Here are a couple of examples using ah oui in French:

J’ai quitté mon travail. (I quit my job.)
Ah oui ? (Really?)

Nous allons aller au Costa Rica pour notre lune de miel. (We’re going to go to Costa Rica for our honeymoon.)
Ah oui ? (Really?)

13. Parfait — Perfect!

This translates directly to “perfect,” and you can use it to affirm something with enthusiasm or excitement as you would in English.

Nous pouvons partir à 10 heures. (We can leave at 10 o’clock.)
Parfait ! (Perfect!)

J’arriverai à Paris lundi prochain. (I’ll arrive in Paris next Monday.)
Parfait ! À la semaine prochaine ! (Perfect! See you next week!)

Another similar example you may hear native French speakers use to convey the same meaning and enthusiasm as using parfait is très bien ! (very good/great!).

14. Exactement — Exactly

This means “exactly,” and you typically use this if you are agreeing that what someone says is true.

This is similar to the use of “exactly” in these types of situations in English.

Tu n’aimes pas les gens qui parlent beaucoup ? (You don’t like people that talk a lot?)
Exactement. (Exactly.)

Compared to oui (yes), exactement is used in a more specific kind of situation to agree with what someone is saying. This word may sound a little out of place if it were used to say “yes” outside of this context.

As you can see, understanding context when using these phrases is essential, and the best way to become familiar with it is by immersing yourself in French content to see native speakers use the language. You could do this by watching French TV series.

15. Certainement — Certainly

Certainement (certainly) is also used in situations where you are affirming something with confidence.

Pourriez-vous nettoyer la cuisine, s’il vous plaît ? (Could you clean the kitchen, please?)
Certainement. (Certainly.)

Like exactement, certainement is often used by itself in French to say “yes” as a response to a question or request.

Certainement can also be used alongside oui to emphasize your confirmation in French.

Pouvez-vous m’emmener à l’aéroport samedi ? (Can you take me to the airport on Saturday?)
Oui, certainement. (Certainly.)

16. Tout à fait — Absolutely

If translated literally into English, tout à fait means “everything to be done,” but it is basically used to say “absolutely.” 

On devrait faire une fête ! (We should have a party!)
Tout à fait ! (Absolutely!)

Nous devrions étudier pour l’examen demain. (We should study for the exam tomorrow.)
Tout à fait ! (Absolutely!)

Some other words with similar meanings that you may hear native French speakers use are absolument (absolutely) and exactement (exactly).

17. Avec plaisir — With pleasure

In English, we use the word “with pleasure” to express that we will do something happily, that it’s no trouble for us at all. 

In French, the equivalent to “with pleasure” is avec plaisir.

Peux-tu promener le chien ? (Can you walk the dog?)
Avec plaisir ! (With pleasure!)

Peux-tu acheter des pommes ? (Can you buy some apples?)
Oui ! Avec plaisir ! (Yes. With pleasure!)

When listening to native French speakers talking, you may hear a few synonyms of avec plaisir such as volontiers (gladly).

18. Bien sûr — Of course

When in France or speaking to a native French speaker, you will likely hear this term often, as it means “of course.”

Tu veux venir au musée avec moi ? (Do you want to come to the museum with me?)
Bien sûr ! (Of course!)

This is one of the best ways to say “of course” in French as it has a more positive tone than other phrases on this list, such as évidemment which could be misinterpreted.

Bien sûr also has many different uses in French. If you want to show enthusiasm, you could even say bien sûr que oui ! (Yes, of course!)

19. Évidemment — Obviously

This one can be a bit sarcastic as it means “obviously.” You usually use it when you expect something to be known by the other person.

Tu veux un dessert ? (Do you want dessert?)
Évidemment ! (Obviously!)

As seen with a number of phrases listed above, this one has the potential to cause a misunderstanding if the tone it is said with implies a sense of negativity or frustration.

However, évidemment can also be said in a fun, light-hearted way, as seen in the example.

It would be best to avoid using this in formal situations.

20. Voilà — That’s right

While this term can be used in a variety of contexts in the French language, when it is being used to affirm something, it takes on the meaning of “that’s right.”

Alors, tu ne veux pas habiter avec moi ? (So, you don’t want to live with me?)
Voilà. (That’s right.)

Pourquoi ne tu veux pas de viande ? Tu es végétarien ? (Why do you not want any meat? Are you a vegetarian?)
Voilà. (That’s right.)

As you can see, voilà can be used as a quick way to confirm your answer to a question in French.

21. Absolument — Absolutely

Absolument is yet another (more literal) way to say “absolutely.” 

Devrions-nous prendre le train ? (Should we take the train?)
Absolument ! (Absolutely!)

This word is lighter in terms of its tone and can be used as a positive response to something in many situations, both formal and informal.

For example, you could use this phrase at work with a colleague:

Qu’en penses-tu ? Devrions-nous organiser une réunion avec ce client ? (What do you think? Should we arrange a meeting with this client?)
Absolument ! (Absolutely!)

Unlike évidemment, it’s unlikely that this one would cause any misunderstandings as it has a more positive tone.

22. C’est ça — That’s it/That’s right

This phrase literally means “that’s it” and is often used in French as another way to say “that’s right,” like voilà.

C’est votre maison ? (Is that your house?)
C’est ça ! (That’s it!)

This phrase can also be used alongside oui to emphasize your answer to a question in French:

Est-il vrai que vous parlez cinq langues ? (Is it true that you speak five languages?)
Oui, c’est ça ! (Yes, that’s right!)

Now that you’ve learned 22 ways to say “yes” in French, try using some of these different words in your own speech!

With practice, you’ll soon find it easy to incorporate these phrases into your French!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

And one more thing...

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