Language/French/Vocabulary/Say-Yes

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Ways to say "Yes" in French
Différentes-façons-de-dire-OUI-en-français3.jpg

"Bonjour!" everyone, 😊

In today's lesson, we will explore the various ways to say "Yes" in French. If you want to better understand and speak everyday French, it's essential to learn other ways to say "Yes" besides the classic "Oui".

After mastering the art of saying "Yes" in French, you might also be interested in learning more about How to say "No", polite French vocabulary, discovering how to express surprise in French, and even finding out the proper way to say goodbye in French. These additional lessons will help you further enhance your French language skills and make your conversations more engaging and authentic. Bonne chance! 🇫🇷

Oui[edit | edit source]


Yes

To say you agree in French, you can simply say "Yes" or you may repeat the whole sentence:

  • Aimes tu la glace ? oui / oui, j'aime la glace. = Do you like icecream? Yes, I do

Ouais[edit | edit source]


Yep, Yeah

"Ouais" is the informal way of saying "yes" in French.

You'll hear this a lot in casual conversations:

  • Tu habites à Paris ? Ouais, j'habite ici. = Do you live in Paris? Yep, I live here.

Mouais...[edit | edit source]


Yeah, not that much

It's as casual as "ouais". It's saying "ouais" while showing little enthusiasm.

  • Tu aimes les escargots ? Mouais, en fait, pas trop = Do you like snails. Yeah, actually, not that much.

It can be used for "Yeah kinda sorta".


Mouais[edit | edit source]


Yeah, I don't believe you.

It's saying "ouais" while showing some serious doubt.

  • Tu penses qu'il a rédigé ce texte tout seul ? Mouais... ça m'étonnerait = You think he wrote this text alone? Right... I doubt it.

Ouep[edit | edit source]

Ouep is used if you want to sound "cool" :)

Si[edit | edit source]


Yes

“Si” is what I like to call the contradiction yes. "Si" is a way to say yes, but we only use it to contradict someone who said a negative statement.

  • Tu n'aimes pas la glace ? Si, au contraire ! = You don't like icecream? Yes I do

D’accord[edit | edit source]


alright

  • “D’accord” is the French equivalent of “alright”. = It's a short way of saying "Je suis d'accord" (I agree). Tu viens avec nous ? D'accord. Are you coming with us? Alright.

OK[edit | edit source]


alright

"Okay" has the same meaning as "D'accord" but a little less formal.

They can even be used together like this: "Ah! d'accord, okay"

Saying both, one after the other, is just a way to stress your agreement with what is being stated.

Pourquoi pas?[edit | edit source]

Why not?

Avec plaisir[edit | edit source]

With pleasure.

C'est parti ![edit | edit source]

Let's go

ça marche[edit | edit source]


alright

“ça marche” is a casual way to say “it’s ok for me” in French. You can use it with friends or family. You could also use the less common “ça roule” (lit: it rolls”) instead.

  • Je passe te chercher à la sortie du lycée 17 heures mercredi. ça marche = I’ll pick you up at 5 PM after school on Wednesday. Alright.

Bien sûr[edit | edit source]


of course

If a person asks you something to which the answer seems obvious, you could answer:

  • Bien sûr (of course)
  • Évidemment (obviously)

You can use "bien sûr" in all situations, but "évidemment" is more formal.

  • Tu aimes la glace ? Bien sûr ! = Do you like icecream? Of course!

Carrément[edit | edit source]


Sure

If you are really excited and wish to say yes without hesitation, you can use "carrément". It is less formal than évidemment.

  • ça te dirait de visiter les USA cet été ? Carrément ! = Would you like to visit the US this summer? Sure!

Mais oui[edit | edit source]


Yes

If someone asks you an irritating question, you can say "Mais oui" or "Ben oui". Warning: this can be considered as rude.

  • Tu as rangé ta chambre ? Mais oui, je te l’ai déjà dit 4 fois = Did you tidy your room? Yes, I've already told you 4 times!

In the example provided, "mais oui / ben oui" would sound slightly condescending or passive agressive, "OBVIOUSLY I did what you're asking". But as I said it's a matter of context and tone of your voice. "Mais oui", told with an impatient or irritated tone, would indeed be somewhat rude.


Volontiers[edit | edit source]


Yes, please

If you’re happy to do something, you can say "Volontiers", politely. You can also use : - Avec plaisir - Certainement

  • Vous désirez un café ? Volontiers = Woud you care for a coffee? Yes, please

Exactement[edit | edit source]


exactly

When you want to confirm in a rather formal way that what someone says is correct, you can use:

  • Exactement (exactly)
  • Tout à fait (that’s right)
  • En effet (indeed)

In a less formal way, you would say : "Exact !".

  • Vous êtes bien Monsieur Durand ? Tout à fait = You are Monsieur Durand, right? That’s right

Parfait[edit | edit source]


Perfect

Sometimes, you may want to say that something is perfect. In this case, you can use:

Parfait, Très bien

  • Votre chambre vous convient-elle ? oui, parfait ! = Your room suits you? Yes Thanks !

If you know other ways to say "Yes" in French, please edit this page ;-)

References[edit | edit source]

https://www.reddit.com/r/French/comments/6ls757/what_are_the_different_ways_to_say_yes_in_french/


Videos[edit | edit source]

How to say YEAH in FRENCH - 7 Words to Sound more French ...[edit | edit source]

Other Lessons[edit | edit source]

Contributors

Maintenance script and Vincent


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