1. Bref [bʁɛf]
= To summarize or conclude quickly (In short / Anyway)
Exemple : Il a raconté toute sa vie... bref, il a besoin d’aide. (He told his whole life story... in short, he needs help.)
2. Du coup [dy ku]
= So, as a result (So / As a result)
Exemple : Il pleuvait, du coup on est restés à la maison. (It was raining, so we stayed home.)
3. Genre [ʒɑ̃ʁ]
= Like / For example (Like / Kind of)
Exemple : J’ai vu un mec, genre hyper bizarre, devant chez moi. (I saw a guy, like super weird, in front of my place.)
4. En fait [ɑ̃ fɛt]
= To correct or clarify something (Actually / In fact)
Exemple : En fait, je ne viens pas demain, j’ai un rendez-vous. (Actually, I’m not coming tomorrow, I have an appointment.)
5. Bon [bɔ̃]
= To introduce or conclude an idea (Well / So)
Exemple : Bon, on y va ou pas ? (So, are we going or not?)
6. Bah [ba]
= Expression of hesitation or reaction (Well / Duh / Umm)
Exemple : Bah oui, évidemment que je viens ! (Well yes, of course I’m coming!)
7. Tu vois [ty vwa]
= To make sure the other person understands (You know / You see)
Exemple : C’est pas si simple, tu vois ? (It’s not that simple, you know?)
8. C’est clair [sɛ klɛʁ]
= To express agreement or obviousness (Totally / Absolutely)
Exemple : Ce film était incroyable. – C’est clair ! (That movie was amazing. – Totally!)
9. Voilà [vwa.la]
= To conclude or point to something (There you go / That’s it)
Exemple : Voilà, c’est tout ce que j’ai à dire. (That’s all I have to say.)
10. Quand même [kɑ̃ mɛm]
= To show insistence or surprise (Still / Even so / Come on)
Exemple : Il a oublié mon anniversaire ?! Quand même ! (He forgot my birthday?! Still!)
11. Hein /ɛ̃/
= Used to ask for confirmation or express surprise. (Right? / Huh?)
Exemple : "C’est dingue, hein ?" (That's crazy, right?)
12. Hop /ɔp/
= Often said while doing an action or to signal you're about to act. (There we go / Up we go)
Exemple : "Hop, on y va !" (There we go, let’s go!)
13. Mouais /mwa/
= A hesitant or unimpressed “yes”. (Meh / Yeah, maybe)
Exemple : "Mouais… j’suis pas trop fan de ce film." (Meh... I'm not really a fan of that movie.)
14. Tiens /tjɛ̃/
= Used to catch someone's attention or when giving something. (Here / Hey)
Exemple : "Tiens, regarde ce que j’ai trouvé !" (Hey, look what I found!)
15. Bof /bɔf/
= To show you’re unimpressed or not very enthusiastic. (Meh / Not really)
Exemple : "T’as aimé le spectacle ? — Bof." (Did you like the show? — Meh.)
16. Eh ben /ɛ bɛ̃/
= Informal form of “eh bien”, to express surprise or a conclusion. (Well then / Wow)
Exemple : Eh ben, t’en as mis du temps ! (Well then, you sure took your time!)
17. Franchement /fʁɑ̃ʃ.mɑ̃/
= To express a sincere opinion or strong feeling. (Honestly / Seriously)
Exemple : Franchement, j’ai adoré cette série. (Honestly, I loved that show.)
18. Figure-toi /fi.gyʁ twa/
= Used to introduce a surprising story or anecdote. (Guess what / You know what)
Exemple : Figure-toi que j’ai croisé ton cousin hier. (Guess what, I ran into your cousin yesterday.)
19. En gros /ɑ̃ ɡʁo/
= To summarize or simplify. (Basically / In short)
Exemple : En gros, il a tout fait foirer. (Basically, he messed it all up.)
20. Dis donc [di dɔ̃]
= To express surprise or to get someone's attention. (Hey / Wow / Say)
Exemple : Dis donc, t’as changé de coupe de cheveux, non ? (Hey, did you change your hairstyle?)
21. D’ailleurs [dajœʁ]
= To add something or make a transition. (By the way / Besides)
Exemple : D’ailleurs, tu savais qu’ils partaient en voyage ? (By the way, did you know they're going on a trip?)
22. Enfin bref [ɑ̃.fɛ̃ bʁɛf]
= Used to wrap up a story or move on. (Anyway)
Exemple : Et là il m’a regardée comme si j’étais folle… enfin bref, j’ai changé de sujet. (And then he looked at me like I was crazy… anyway, I changed the topic.)
23. Euh [ø]
= To express hesitation or to buy time while thinking. (Uh... / Umm...)
Exemple : Attends, comment il s’appelle déjà ? Euuuuuh. Ah oui, Marc ! (Wait, what’s his name again? Uuuuh. Oh right, Marc!)
24. Au fait [o fɛt]
= To introduce something you forgot to mention. (By the way)
Exemple : Au fait, t’as vu mon message d’hier ? (By the way, did you see my message yesterday?)
25. Ouf ! [uf]
= To express relief. (Phew! / Wow!)
Exemple : Ouf ! J’ai failli rater mon train. (Phew! I almost missed my train.)
You’ve just discovered 25 key expressions that French people use in everyday conversations. And these are exactly the kinds of expressions that make the difference between speaking “correct” French… and speaking fluent, natural, native-level French.
My tip: don’t memorize them blindly. Listen to them, use them in context, say them out loud, and most importantly, make them a part of your speaking habits, step by step.
And if you want to go further, download your free ebook with all the expressions, their pronunciation, translation, and plenty of real examples. It’s a great tool to boost your vocabulary and make your spoken French sound more natural.
