{"id":120047,"date":"2023-07-25T02:29:51","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T06:29:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/french-exclamations\/"},"modified":"2025-02-17T05:39:31","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T10:39:31","slug":"french-exclamations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/french\/french-exclamations\/","title":{"rendered":"25 French Exclamations to Sound More Natural"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oh l\u00e0 l\u00e0 !\u00a0<\/em>This well-known phrase is an example of a French exclamation<\/strong>: a word, sound or noise that we make to express an extreme emotion such as excitement, anger or happiness.<\/p>\n

But what does oh l\u00e0 l\u00e0<\/em> mean? And have you been using it correctly when learning how to speak French?\u00a0Let’s check out the top 25 French exclamations, explore their meanings and learn to use them correctly.<\/p>\n

We’ve also covered several of these expressions in the video lesson from our YouTube channel<\/a>:<\/p>\n

<\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

1. Ah bon ?<\/em>\u00a0(Really?)<\/h2>\n

Our first exclamation contains a common sound from English:\u00a0Ah<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Just as in English, this word expresses surprise. Combined with the French word bon<\/em> meaning “good”, the expression has the non-literal meaning of “really?”<\/p>\n

In this way, the speaker can express surprise at some learned fact and ask the listener to clarify. Take a look at the following example.<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois:
\nMarie s’est enfuie avec son amant pour se marier !
\n<\/em>(Marie eloped with her lover!)<\/p>\n

Delphine:
\nAh bon ?<\/strong> Je n’y crois pas.
\n<\/em>(Really? I don’t believe it.)<\/p>\n

2. A\u00efe !<\/em>\u00a0(Ouch!)<\/h2>\n

Getting injured<\/a> is something that can happen no matter what language you speak. The French use the word A\u00efe\u00a0<\/em>to say “ouch.” Here’s an example of it in use!<\/p>\n

Jacques:
\nA\u00efe !<\/strong> Je me suis cogn\u00e9 l’orteil contre le pied de la chaise.
\n<\/em>(Ouch! I stubbed my toe against the leg of the chair.)<\/p>\n

3. Ouf\u00a0<\/em>(Phew)<\/h2>\n

In recent years, I’ve noticed English-speaking youths using a new exclamation: oof<\/em>. It’s a way of expressing discomfort. There is actually an expression in French pronounced the same way, though it does not have the same meaning.<\/p>\n

Instead,\u00a0ouf<\/em> in French translates more to the English word “phew!” In that sense, it expresses relief after some stressful or uncertain situation.<\/p>\n

Am\u00e9lie:
\nOuf !<\/strong> J’ai fini le projet avant la date limite.
\n<\/em>(Phew! I finished the project before the deadline.)<\/p>\n

4. Miam miam\u00a0<\/em>(Yum yum)<\/h2>\n

Who doesn’t love yummy food? France sure has a lot of it, after all!<\/p>\n

In French, there is also a way to express that something tastes amazing. While we might say “yum yum” in English, the French say miam miam<\/em> instead. Now you have the perfect caption for all your Instagram pictures of scrumptious French food!<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois:
\nMiam miam !<\/strong> Cette soupe \u00e0 l’oignon est d\u00e9licieuse !
\n<\/em>(Yum yum! This French onion soup is delicious.)<\/p>\n

5. La vache !<\/em>\u00a0(Holy cow!)<\/h2>\n

Sometimes French and English exclamations translate between each other almost perfectly. This is the case with la vache<\/em>.<\/p>\n

It literally means “the cow,” and it expresses the same surprise and awe as the English exclamation “holy cow!” Not to mention, it is a pretty fun exclamation to say!<\/p>\n

Delphine:
\nLa vache !<\/strong> Cette femme court tr\u00e8s vite.
\n<\/em>(Holy cow! That woman runs very quickly.)<\/p>\n

6. Oups\u00a0<\/em>(Whoops \/ Oops)<\/h2>\n

Like\u00a0la vache<\/em>, our next exclamation has pretty much the same meaning as its English counterpart.<\/p>\n

The French exclamation oups\u00a0<\/em>means the same thing as the English words “whoops” or “oops.” This exclamation is used to express remorse after a mistake.<\/p>\n

Am\u00e9lie:
\nJacques ! Tu as oubli\u00e9 ton sac \u00e0 dos pour l’\u00e9cole.
\n<\/em>(Jacques! You forgot your backpack for school.)<\/p>\n

Jacques:
\nOups !<\/strong> Je viens.
\n<\/em>(Whoops! I’m coming.)<\/p>\n

7. Chut !<\/em>\u00a0(Shh!)<\/h2>\n

What better way to get someone to be quiet than a universally-understood exclamation?<\/p>\n

In English, we say “shh!” The sound is similar in French: the word\u00a0chut<\/em> starts with a “sh” sound followed by an “u” sound. You may hear the final t<\/em> sound or you may not.<\/p>\n

Delphine:
\nChut !<\/strong> Ne parle pas. J’essaie de lire et tu me distrais.
\n<\/em>(Shh! Don’t speak. I’m trying to read and you’re distracting me.)<\/p>\n

8. Oh l\u00e0 l\u00e0 !<\/em>\u00a0(Oh my!)<\/h2>\n

Are you still wondering about the phrase o<\/em>h l\u00e0 l\u00e0 ?\u00a0<\/em>Well, this exclamation is actually a little more strange than it appears.<\/p>\n

While in context the phrase means “oh my!” it literally translates to “oh there there.” But rather than having the same meaning of “there, there” in English, this exclamation instead expresses surprise or awe of something.<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois:
\nOh l\u00e0 l\u00e0 !<\/strong> Cette robe est belle.
\n<\/em>(Oh my! That dress is beautiful.)<\/p>\n

To learn what situations to use these exclamations in, try listening out for them in different contexts. Watching French videos, like the ones on FluentU<\/a>, will help you understand how exclamations are really used by native speakers.

And one more thing...<\/h2>\r\n

\r\nIf you like learning French vocabulary on your own time and from the comfort of your smart device, then I'd be remiss to not tell you about FluentU<\/a>.<\/strong>\r\n

\r\n

\r\nFluentU takes real-world videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons<\/a>.<\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nOther sites use scripted content. FluentU uses a natural approach<\/strong> that helps you ease into the French language and culture over time. You\u2019ll learn French as it\u2019s actually spoken by real people.\r\n

\r\nFluentU has a wide variety of great content, like interviews and web series, as you can see here:\r\n<\/p>\r\n\"learn-french-with-videos\"<\/a>\r\n

\r\nFluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive subtitles.<\/strong> \r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nYou can tap on any word to look it up instantly. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used. \r\n<\/p>\r\n\"learn-french-with-movies\"<\/a>\r\n

\r\nFor example, if you tap on the word \"crois,\"<\/em> you'll see this:\r\n<\/p>\r\n\"learn-french-with-movie-trailers\"<\/a>\r\n

\r\nPractice and reinforce all the vocabulary you've learned in a given video with FluentU's adaptive quizzes.<\/strong> Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you\u2019re learning and play the mini-games found in the dynamic flashcards, like \"fill in the blank.\"\r\n<\/p>\r\n\"practice-french-with-adaptive-quizzes\"<\/a>\r\n

\r\nAs you study, FluentU tracks the vocabulary that you\u2019re learning and uses this information to give you a 100% personalized experience.<\/strong> \r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nIt gives you extra practice with difficult words\u2014and reminds you when it\u2019s time to review what you\u2019ve learned. \r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nStart using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p><\/p>\n

9. Zut alors !<\/em>\u00a0(Darn!)<\/h2>\n

Perhaps one of the more stereotypical and imitated French exclamations,\u00a0zut<\/em> is a way to express discontent or regret without using a French swear word. In that sense, it translates most closely to the English word “darn!”<\/p>\n

The word\u00a0alors<\/em> (then, so) adds emphasis to this exclamation, and it is optional.<\/p>\n

Jacques:
\nJ’ai laiss\u00e9 mon portable tomber. Zut alors !
\n<\/strong><\/em>(I dropped my phone. Darn!)<\/p>\n

10. Hein ?<\/em>\u00a0(Huh?)<\/h2>\n

As in English, the French word\u00a0hein ?<\/em> isn’t the most polite way to express confusion, but in informal situations, it gets the point across.<\/p>\n

Meaning the same thing as the English exclamation “huh?” it is a way to ask for repetition or clarification of something that is not quite understood.<\/p>\n

Be cautious, however. Using hein ? <\/em>in a formal situation<\/a> is seen as rude, so I would use the word\u00a0pardon ?<\/em> in its place in those types of situations.<\/p>\n

Am\u00e9lie:
\nHein ?<\/strong> Je n’ai pas entendu ce que tu as dit.
\n<\/em>(Huh? I didn’t hear what you said.)<\/p>\n

11. Quoi ?<\/em>\u00a0(What?)<\/h2>\n

Quoi<\/em> literally translates to English as “what.”<\/a> When it’s used as an exclamation (just as in English), it becomes an expression of surprise, anger or disbelief. Check out an example.<\/p>\n

Delphine:
\nJe suis d\u00e9sol\u00e9e, mais Jacques ne vient pas au restaurant ce soir.
\n<\/em>(I’m sorry, but Jacques is not coming to the restaurant this evening.)<\/p>\n

Am\u00e9lie:
\nQuoi ?<\/strong> Il vient toujours au restaurant avec nous.
\n<\/em>(What? He always comes with us to the restaurant.)<\/p>\n

12. Quel\u00a0<\/em>+ noun (What a + noun)<\/h2>\n

Our next exclamation doesn’t have any meaning on its own.\u00a0Quel<\/em> means “which” or “what”, and it needs a noun<\/a> in order to complete the exclamation.<\/p>\n

For example, the sentence q<\/em><\/strong>uel<\/strong> gar\u00e7on <\/strong>!<\/strong><\/em> translates to “What a boy!” This phrase could be used to express amazement or surprise at a particular person. You can also use inanimate objects in this construction.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind, however, that quel <\/em>must agree with the noun that follows it<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That means that feminine nouns use quelle<\/em>,\u00a0as in quelle femme !<\/strong><\/em> (what a lady!) Masculine plural nouns are paired with quels<\/em>, as in quels<\/strong> livres !<\/strong><\/em> (what books!) And feminine plural nouns use quelles<\/em> as in quelles montagnes <\/strong><\/em>!<\/em><\/strong> (what mountains!)<\/p>\n

In addition to nouns, adjectives<\/a> can also follow\u00a0quel\u00a0<\/em>before the noun. These need to agree on gender and plurality as well. An example would be quel<\/strong> grand lac !<\/em> (what a big lake!)<\/p>\n

13. Quelle horreur !<\/em>\u00a0(How horrible!)<\/h2>\n

While you can put\u00a0quel<\/em> with just about any noun (and adjective), there are some fixed French exclamations that pretty much everyone uses.<\/p>\n

For starters,\u00a0quelle horreur<\/em> is a pretty well-known exclamation that means “How horrible!” It is used to express disgust, anger and sorrow. Notice that quel<\/em> has become\u00a0quelle<\/em> because the noun\u00a0horreur<\/em> is feminine.<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois:
\nLe chien de Jacques est mort.
\n<\/em>(Jacques’ dog is dead.)<\/p>\n

Am\u00e9lie:
\nQuelle horreur !<\/strong> J’esp\u00e8re que Jacques va bien.
\n<\/em>(How horrible! I hope that Jacques is okay.)<\/p>\n

14. Quel soulagement !<\/em>\u00a0(What a relief!)<\/h2>\n

Quel soulagement<\/em> means “what a relief” in French, and it is used to express just that: relief. Speakers can use this exclamation to express that a certain stress has lifted or that an outcome is not so terrible after all.<\/p>\n

Delphine:
\nJe suis navr\u00e9e, mais j’ai commis une erreur. Le chien de Jacques est en vie.
\n<\/em>(I’m sorry, but I made a mistake. Jacques’ dog is alive.)<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois:
\nQuel soulagement !
\n<\/em><\/strong>(What a relief!)<\/p>\n

15. Quel d\u00e9sastre !<\/em>\u00a0(What a disaster!)<\/h2>\n

Quel\u00a0<\/em>d\u00e9sastre<\/i> is the polar opposite of our preceding exclamation. Instead, it expresses regret, anger or sorrow in reaction to a certain situation. It means “What a disaster!”<\/p>\n

Jacques:
\nJ’ai oubli\u00e9 mes cl\u00e9s chez moi, et maintenant je ne peux pas ouvrir la porte de mon bureau. Quel d\u00e9sastre !
\n<\/strong><\/em>(I forgot my keys at home, and now I can’t open my office door. What a disaster!)<\/p>\n

16. Quel imb\u00e9cile !<\/em>\u00a0(What an idiot!)<\/h2>\n

Popularized by Hermione Granger in the first Harry Potter<\/em> film,\u00a0quel imb\u00e9cile<\/em> has the same meaning as Hermione’s signature line: “What an idiot!”<\/p>\n

This exclamation can be used to express frustration at someone who makes a mistake or who is disliked. It can also be used in jest.<\/p>\n

Am\u00e9lie:
\nJacques a oubli\u00e9 ses cl\u00e9s chez lui, et personne ne peut entrer. Quel imb\u00e9cile !
\n<\/strong><\/em>(Jacques forgot his keys at home, and no one can get in. What an idiot!)<\/p>\n

17. Quelle barbe !<\/em>\u00a0(What a bore!)<\/h2>\n

Our next exclamation has a kind of silly translation. It literally means “what a beard,” and it’s used to express something along the lines of “what a bore!” It is used to convey displeasure at something or someone who is boring.<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois:
\nLa r\u00e9union au bureau a dur\u00e9 trois heures cet apr\u00e8s-midi. Quelle barbe !
\n<\/strong><\/em>(The meeting at the office lasted three hours this afternoon. What a bore!)<\/p>\n

18. Quelle chance !<\/em>\u00a0(What luck!)<\/h2>\n

While the word “chance” in English means that something has the possibility of happening, the word\u00a0chance<\/em> in French means “luck.”<\/a><\/p>\n

As such, the expression quelle chance<\/em> means “What luck!” in English, and it is used to express surprise and pleasure at the way something has turned out.<\/p>\n

Jacques:
\nMes cl\u00e9s \u00e9taient dans ma voiture apr\u00e8s tout. Quelle chance !
\n<\/strong><\/em>(The keys were in my car after all. What luck!)<\/p>\n

19. Quelle malchance !<\/em>\u00a0(What bad luck!)<\/h2>\n

Conversely, the word\u00a0malchance<\/em> means “bad luck” in French. Combined with\u00a0quelle<\/em>, this exclamation means “what bad luck,” and it’s used to express displeasure at the way things have turned out.<\/p>\n

Delphine:
\nJ’ai perdu 200 euros au casino samedi. Quelle malchance !
\n<\/strong><\/em>(I lost 200 euro at the casino on Saturday. What bad luck!)<\/p>\n

20. Que c’est\u00a0<\/em>+ adjective (How + adjective)<\/h2>\n

Que c’est<\/em> is another common construction used to create French exclamations. When preceding an adjective, it means “how”. In that sense, the phrase q<\/em>ue c’est grand !<\/em><\/strong> means “how big!” in English.<\/p>\n

Unlike the exclamations with quel<\/em>, the accompanying adjectives are always masculine.<\/strong> In other words, they do not need to agree with the thing that is being talked about even if that thing is feminine or plural.<\/p>\n

21. C’est pas vrai !<\/em>\u00a0(No way!)<\/h2>\n

There are two things to note about this exclamation. The first is that it uses the negative<\/a> without the ne<\/em>. This is positive (and used quite frequently) in informal situations.<\/p>\n

The second thing is that the word\u00a0vrai<\/em> means “true,” so this sentence literally means “it’s not true.” Despite that, it’s used in French the same way we use the exclamation “no way!” in English to express disbelief about something.<\/p>\n

Am\u00e9lie:
\nDelphine a perdu 200 euros au casino samedi.
\n<\/em>(Delphine lost 200 euro at the casino on Saturday.)<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois:
\nC’est pas vrai !<\/strong> Elle gagne toujours.
\n<\/em>(No way! She always wins.)<\/p>\n

22. Comme c’est\u00a0<\/em>+ adjective (How + adjective)<\/h2>\n

Even though this exclamation is new, it may seem pretty familiar to you. In fact, it behaves exactly like que c’est <\/em>and it means the exact same thing. And as with que c’est,<\/em> it is followed by an adjective which is always in the masculine form<\/strong> to give the meaning of “how…”<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois:
\nJ’aime beaucoup cette robe. Comme c’est joli !
\n<\/strong><\/em>(I like this dress a lot. How pretty!)<\/p>\n

23. Comme c\u2019est triste !<\/em>\u00a0(How sad!)<\/h2>\n

While\u00a0comme c’est<\/em> can be used with any adjective to create a myriad of meanings, it is commonly used with the adjective triste<\/em> (sad). This translates to “How sad!” in English. As expected, this is used to express sadness about a certain thing.<\/p>\n

Delphine:
\nMais la robe est d\u00e9j\u00e0 vendu.
\n<\/em>(But the dress is already sold.)<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois:
\nComme c’est triste !
\n<\/strong><\/em>(How sad!)<\/p>\n

24. Comme c\u2019est gentil \u00e0 vous \/ \u00e0 toi ! <\/em>(How kind of you!)<\/h2>\n

Our next exclamation is another common one starting with comme c’est<\/em>. Regardless of what form is used, it means “how kind of you.”<\/p>\n

Keep in mind that the version with \u00e0 vous<\/em> is for formal situations and the version with \u00e0<\/em> toi<\/em> is for informal situations.<\/p>\n

Jacques:
\nJ’ai apport\u00e9 un bouquet de fleurs pour toi, Am\u00e9lie.
\n<\/em>(I brought a bouquet of flowers for you, Amelie.)<\/p>\n

Am\u00e9lie:
\nComme c’est gentil \u00e0 toi !
\n<\/strong><\/em>(How kind of you!)<\/p>\n

25. C\u2019est beaucoup !<\/em>\u00a0(That\u2019s a lot!)<\/h2>\n

C’est beaucoup\u00a0<\/em>literally translates to “that’s a lot,” and that is the actual meaning of this exclamation as it’s used. It is spoken to express surprise at the amount of something.<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois:
\nRegarde les bouteilles de vin pour la f\u00eate. C’est beaucoup !
\n<\/strong><\/em>(Look at the bottles of wine for the party. That’s a lot!)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Comme c’est triste !<\/em> We’ve come to the end of our list.<\/p>\n

Now you know the real meaning of oh l\u00e0 l\u00e0, <\/em>and you have 25 French exclamations to add to your repertoire!<\/p>\n

Use any of these expressions in conversation to add a touch of authenticity to your French!<\/p>\n

And One More Thing...<\/h2>\r\n

\r\n\tIf you like learning French at your own pace and from the comfort of your device, I have to tell you about FluentU<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

\r\nFluentU makes it easier (and way more fun) to learn French by making real content like movies and series accessible to learners. You can check out FluentU's curated video library, or bring our learning tools directly to Netflix or YouTube<\/strong> with the FluentU Chrome extension. \r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\"learn-french-with-videos\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

\r\nOne of the features I find most helpful is the interactive captions<\/strong>\u2014you can tap on any word to see its meaning, an image, pronunciation, and other examples from different contexts. It\u2019s a great way to pick up French vocab without having to pause and look things up separately.\r\n<\/p>

\r\n\"learn-french-with-movies\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

\r\nFluentU also helps reinforce what you\u2019ve learned<\/strong> with personalized quizzes. You can swipe through extra examples and complete engaging exercises that adapt to your progress. You'll get extra practice with the words you find more challenging and even be reminded you when it\u2019s time to review!\r\n<\/p>

\r\n\"practice-french-with-adaptive-quizzes\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

\r\nYou can use FluentU on your computer, tablet, or phone with our app for Apple or Android devices. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oh l\u00e0 l\u00e0 !\u00a0This well-known phrase is an example of a French exclamation: a word, sound or noise that we make to express an extreme emotion such as excitement, anger…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":236,"featured_media":249723,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"25 French Exclamations to Sound More Natural | FluentU French Blog","description":"French exclamations can help you sound like a real native French speaker, but only if you know what they mean and how to use them correctly. These phrases will let you express surprise, anger, joy and more. Check out this list of the top 25 exclamations in French, so you make native French speakers say oh l\u00e0 l\u00e0!"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[570,571],"tags":[],"coauthors":[176],"class_list":["post-120047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-french","category-french-vocabulary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/236"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120047"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":250816,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120047\/revisions\/250816"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120047"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=120047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}