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You are here: Home / Learn French / French Vocabulary / 9 Annoying Filler Words You Can Use to Sound More French
9 Annoying Filler Words You Can Use to Sound More French

9 Annoying Filler Words You Can Use to Sound More French

last updated on June 9, 2016 By Benjamin Houy

Have you ever met someone who says “like” in like every sentence?

Super annoying, right?

Well, here is the bad news: French people use filler words all the time too, like most of us can’t even say a sentence without using a filler word.

And here is the good news: I’m in a good mood today, so I’ve decided to show you how to use 9 common filler words so you can sound more French and annoy the French by giving them a taste of their own medicine.

But before we get started, you have to promise me you’re not going to overuse them, because that’s well, annoying, right?

Okay, allons-y!

Contents

  • 1 Euh
  • 2 Hein
  • 3 Quoi
  • 4 Tu sais
  • 5 Bref
  • 6 Enfin
  • 7 Quand même
  • 8 Bon ben
  • 9 Eh bien
  • 10 It’s hum time to create your own sentence

Euh

Euh…I don’t know what to write actually…

“Euh” is the king of French filler words.

You use it when you don’t know what to say, need some time to think before answering, don’t really want to answer or just aren’t very sure of what you’re saying.

It’s the French equivalent of the English “uh”.

Alors, vous prenez la première à gauche, et ensuite euh, je crois que c’est à droite.
So, you take the first (street) on the left, and then uh, I think it’s on the right.

Hein

This filler word is mostly used at the end of sentences to confirm something the same way you would use “right?” or “isn’t it?” in English.

It can also be used alone as a (rude) way to say you didn’t understand what someone said.

Tu seras là ce soir, hein ?
You’ll be here tonight, right?

Quoi

“Quoi” means “what” and you can use it at the end of sentences to drive people crazy.

No seriously, you can use it to ask questions (c’est quoi ça ?) or put it at the end of a sentence to say “you know” and emphasize what you’re saying as if it was an absolute truth.

Il ne fait pas beau chez moi, c’est la Normandie quoi !
The weather is awful where I live, it’s Normandie you know!

Tu sais

Sometimes “quoi” just isn’t enough to irritate people.

Luckily, you can also use “tu sais” (you know).

Just add it at the end of the sentence and let it destroy a perfectly fine sentence.

C’est pas facile tu sais.
It’s not easy you know.

Bref

“Bref” literally means “brief” or “short”.

It’s a French filler word you can use to end a conversation you find too long or to summarize something you said.

It’s the equivalent of “anyway”, “basically” or “in short”. You can also say “enfin bref” which basically means the same.

Bref, the best way to understand the use of “bref” is to watch the French TV series Bref.

Did I say “bref” too much?

Oh and don’t worry if you don’t understand anything the guy says in the video, he speaks very fast.

Le film était sympa au début, mais j’ai trouvé le scénario vraiment ennuyant au final. Enfin bref, je te conseille pas d’aller le voir.

The movie was nice at first, but I found the story really boring at the end. Well, anyway, I don’t recommend you to go watch it.

Enfin

“Enfin” is the French equivalent of “anyway” or “welll”.

Ton frère est parti ? Oui, enfin je crois.
Did your brother leave? Yes, well, I think.

It can also be used in formal situations. In this case, it means “finally”.

Il a enfin décidé de quitter son travail.
He finally decided to leave his work.

Quand même

“Quand même” means “even though” or “still” in formal situations . It can also be used to express surprise, both in formal and informal situations.

Mon nouvel appartement fait 120 m2. Ah oui quand même !

My new apartment has a surface of 120 m2. Wow!

Bon ben

This is the equivalent of “alright then” or “ok well”. You can use it to end a conversation when you need to go.

Bon ben, à demain alors !
Ok. I will see you tomorrow then!

Eh bien

You can use “eh bien” at the beginning of sentences to say “well” or “well, I’m not sure”.

Eh bien justement, j’allais te poser la même question
Well, actually, I was about to ask you the same question

It’s hum time to create your own sentence

Here is a challenge for you now: create a sentence with one of those filler words and post it in the comment section below this article!

 

Filed Under: French Vocabulary Tagged With: French Pronunciation Audio

About Benjamin Houy

Benjamin Houy is a native French speaker and the founder of French Together. He helps English speakers learn the 20% of French they need to understand 80% of conversations and speak French with confidence. Download his list of the 100 most common French words to start learning French now!!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kate Jackson

    March 1, 2017 at 5:36 am

    Euh…est bien…Il fait avoir, tu sais, une sense de l’humor…euh…quand je parle Francis, tu sais, mais,,,euh…Ou est la tour Effie? Tu sais, je suis American et mon Francais euh est drole, n’est pas, quoi. Je m’excuse, je suis une de la “Drole des Dames” de le television, vraiment…une de l’originals, tu sais

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      March 1, 2017 at 3:44 pm

      Parfait Kate 🙂

      Reply
  2. Anshul

    January 10, 2017 at 10:42 pm

    euh, je veux le 30 jours course, mais denny stein a le 30 jours course tu sais. With my limited french vocab that was so hard.

    Reply
  3. mhello

    June 23, 2016 at 12:48 am

    @Benjamin Who is the lucky guy? 🙂 The course starts today! 🙂

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      June 23, 2016 at 10:08 am

      Denny Stein won, but your sentence was great too 🙂

      Reply
      • mhello

        June 23, 2016 at 10:24 am

        Bravo! 🙂 @Denny Stein

        Reply
      • mhello

        June 23, 2016 at 10:47 am

        Thank you, Benjamin! 🙂

        Reply
  4. Vanessa

    June 17, 2016 at 4:34 pm

    Eh bien, je pense que l’utilisation de ces mots me fera semblant avoir euh…quelques moins de points de QI tu sais!

    Reply
  5. Janet Lingel Aldrich

    June 16, 2016 at 12:43 am

    Bon ben, je vais créer une phrase …. mais bien que je ne pense pas que Ben me adjuger le livre.

    Reply
  6. maffiong

    June 15, 2016 at 5:53 am

    Mais enfin c’est tout le monde qui aura besoin du livre quoi

    Reply
  7. Nathan Whiting

    June 14, 2016 at 3:07 pm

    Est-ce que tu as vu une vache en faisant ses cours? Eh bien, pas moi aussi, mais quand même j’ai entendu qu’elles n’achetent jamais du boeuf, tu sais. Quelle surprise, hien? Tu n’est pas intéressé, quoi! Bon ben…

    Reply
  8. Benjamin Houy

    June 14, 2016 at 8:40 am

    Cette phrase est parfaite 🙂

    Reply
  9. mhello

    June 13, 2016 at 2:03 pm

    Euh … tu sais, enfin, je vais obtenir un cours, quoi? Quand même cette phrase peut-être n’est pas correcte! Bon ben! 🙂

    Reply
  10. Shaked Eizman

    June 12, 2016 at 7:21 pm

    je t’aime, quand meme tu as des chats

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      June 13, 2016 at 12:01 pm

      Bonjour Shaked

      Do you want to say “even though”? In this case, you can say “je t’aime, même si tu as des chats”.

      Reply
      • Shaked Eizman

        June 13, 2016 at 12:45 pm

        looks like I really need the book;)

        Reply
  11. Madeline Currie

    June 12, 2016 at 12:05 am

    Eh bien, justement, je besoin “30 Day French” parce que j’ai essayé apprendre Français en soixante jours, et, quand même, euh, j’encore ne peux pas bien parle, quoi! En bref, je le besoin!

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      June 13, 2016 at 12:02 pm

      Great sentence Madeline. Just one thing: “I need” is “j’ai besoin”, so you can say “j’ai besoin de 30 Day French”.

      Reply
  12. Megan B

    June 11, 2016 at 3:40 pm

    Eh bien, il semble que nous sommes prêts à ennuyer les français, tu sais?

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      June 13, 2016 at 12:02 pm

      Les pauvres :p.

      Reply
  13. Joseann Freyer-Lindner

    June 11, 2016 at 1:39 pm

    Est-ce que tu as oublié le mot “donc”? Je l’écoute toujours…

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      June 13, 2016 at 12:03 pm

      Ah oui. Je vais ajouter “donc” :).

      Reply
  14. Mair

    June 10, 2016 at 6:26 pm

    Tu as dejà choisi un gagnant, hein? Eh bien, je laisse un commentarie quand meme, quoi!

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      June 13, 2016 at 12:03 pm

      Eh oui. Mais tu aurais pu être le gagnant avec cette phrase :).

      Reply
  15. ramira

    June 10, 2016 at 2:02 pm

    je suis tres mal a parler francais tu sais, donc j’ai besoin de 30 DayFrench, hein?

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      June 13, 2016 at 12:04 pm

      Bonjour Ramira. It’s better to say “j’ai du mal à parler français” 🙂

      Reply
  16. FrenchyonLplates

    June 10, 2016 at 3:59 am

    Je parle francais comme une vache espagnole, tu sais! 🙂

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      June 10, 2016 at 6:39 am

      Belle maitrise des expressions idiomatiques françaises 🙂

      Reply
  17. me

    June 9, 2016 at 8:08 pm

    Le mot “hein” veut dire “right?”,n’est-ce pas?

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      June 10, 2016 at 6:39 am

      C’est ça 🙂

      Reply
  18. Maria

    June 9, 2016 at 7:23 pm

    Est-il possible de regarder la vidéo aux États-Unis?

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      June 10, 2016 at 6:39 am

      Oui je pense, mais si ça ne fonctionne pas, vous pouvez utiliser un vpn. J’en parle dans cet article:

      https://frenchtogether.com/watch-french-tv/

      Reply
  19. Denny Stein

    June 9, 2016 at 5:12 pm

    Enfin bref, je voudrai un copie de 30 Days French. Parce que, tu sais, j’ai besoin d’apprendre le français tout de suite, hein?

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      June 10, 2016 at 6:50 am

      Parfait :). I sent you an email with your copy of 30 Day French.

      Reply
    • Benjamin Lau

      October 20, 2016 at 5:10 am

      Félicitations Denny! I like your sentence, although err… I’ve noticed 4 minor mistakes in your sentence. I’m a person who can’t sit still whenever I see a grammatical error, you know! Anyway, if I were you, I’d write it like this:

      Enfin bref, je voudrais une copie de 30 Day French. Parce que, tu sais, j’ai besoin d’apprendre le français tout de suite, hein ?

      In French, there’s a non breaking space (espace insécable) before ? ! ;
      But you can simply insert a normal space.

      « Je voudrais » means “I would like” and « je voudrai » means “I will like”, non ?

      (I know I’m supposed to write in French, but my French isn’t that good yet, you know.)

      Reply
      • Benjamin Houy

        October 20, 2016 at 8:57 am

        You’re right. There is indeed a space before “?” in French.

        “Je voudrai” does mean “I will like”. But nobody really uses it.

        Reply
        • Benjamin Lau

          October 20, 2016 at 10:35 am

          Yes, I’ve read quite a bit about French typographic rules and I’m trying to follow. But I’m still getting used to the ‘flying’ French question mark and the spacey « guillemets ». Interestingly, when I write (not type) in English, I find it more natural to leave a space before “?”, “!”, and “:”, as it makes them stand out more. A non-breaking space (espace insécable) before the above-mentioned punctuation marks is important to make sure that “?” or ”!” doesn’t hang on its own.
          Par exemple :
          “I hate it when this happens
          ! And I still don’t know how to equally insert a non-breaking space in «
          Androïd » (other than copying and pasting of course).”

          Do the French say « non ? » sometimes instead of « n’est-ce pas ? »?

          Reply
          • Benjamin Houy

            October 21, 2016 at 3:26 am

            Yeah, we use “non” in less formal settings. “N’est-ce pas” is rather formal and you’ll rarely hear it in spoken French.

  20. Alpacalaca

    June 9, 2016 at 4:35 pm

    Eh bien, les tomates sont dégoûtant et vous … Euh aimés à manges ces et euh donc je ne vais pas vous embrasser.

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      June 10, 2016 at 6:50 am

      Very imaginative 🙂

      Reply
  21. Sonja Aquino Paulino

    June 9, 2016 at 4:26 pm

    J’ai enfin décidé de passer de ce lieu terrible

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      June 10, 2016 at 6:51 am

      Hola Sonja! What do you mean exactly with “passer” ? “Go to”?

      Reply
      • Sonja Aquino Paulino

        June 10, 2016 at 3:13 pm

        Hola Benjamin! I tried to say move, like moving from a place to another. Example moving from a house to another.

        Reply
        • Benjamin Houy

          June 13, 2016 at 12:05 pm

          Ah ok. You can say “J’ai enfin décidé de quitter ce lieu terrible” ou ‘J’ai enfin décidé de déménager”.

          Reply
          • Sonja Aquino Paulino

            June 13, 2016 at 4:24 pm

            Ok thanks a lot!

  22. Nathalie

    June 9, 2016 at 4:20 pm

    Bon ben, merci pour l’article! C’était informative quoi.

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      June 10, 2016 at 6:51 am

      De rien, ça fait plaisir de lire ça quoi.

      Reply
  23. Steve Clarke

    June 9, 2016 at 2:39 pm

    Tu pense que nous sommes des idiots hein? J’ai jamais gagner un jeu comme ca tu sais? c’est toujours les escrocs qui les lancent!

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      June 10, 2016 at 6:52 am

      Mais non, mais non, c’est un vrai jeu, et j’ai déjà choisi un gagnant 🙂

      Reply
  24. Dian Wessels

    June 9, 2016 at 2:16 pm

    Salut! Ton nom est Hein, hein? 😉 (PS. Hein is a male name in my country, South Africa)

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      June 10, 2016 at 6:55 am

      My name is Houy actually :).

      Reply
  25. Katiana Ricci

    June 9, 2016 at 1:58 pm

    Et donc, et voilà aussi, Mais oui?

    Reply
    • Benjamin Houy

      June 10, 2016 at 6:56 am

      Mais oui 🙂

      Reply

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