French Filler Words

If you're a Yabla subscriber, you may have noticed that we translate every word in the video captions, even if it's a repeated word or a filler word such as euh... (uh...). This allows you to really hear everything the speaker is saying and gives you a better understanding of everyday French speech patterns. In this lesson, we'll review some of the most common filler words and interjections that pop up in Yabla French videos.

While euh (uh) is pretty straightforward, hein is a filler word whose translation really depends on context. In general, it's used as an interrogative to mean anything from "right," to "isn't it," to "you know":

Donc, euh... c'est le même système, hein, pour les légumes,

So, uh... it's the same method, right, for the vegetables,

euh... comme pour les homards.

uh... as for the lobsters.

Caption 54, 4 Mains pour 1 Piano - Médaillon de Homard - Part 2
Play Caption

Il bouillonne bien, hein?

It's bubbling nicely, isn't it?

Caption 77, 4 Mains pour 1 Piano - Médaillon de Homard - Part 1
Play Caption

Enfin, j'ai déjà trois filles, hein!

After all, I already have three daughters, you know!

Caption 42, Actu Vingtième - Vendanges parisiennes
Play Caption

If you didn't quite catch something someone said, you can simply say, Hein? (Huh?) But like its English counterpart, this usage of hein is very informal. A more polite way of expressing the same sentiment is, Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît? (Can you repeat that, please?)

The word quoi usually means "what," but as a filler word it has the same meaning as hein:

Ouais, euh... ça serait vraiment le...

Yeah, uh... that'd really be the...

le rêve ultime, quoi, pour le fan...

the ultimate dream, you know, for a fan...

Caption 9, Alsace 20 - Rammstein à Strasbourg
Play Caption

Also like hein, quoi can stand alone to express incomprehension: Quoi? (What?) It's a little less informal than hein in this context.

Là ("here," "there," or "now") can also mean "you know," but it's often used as an informal way of adding emphasis:

Parce qu'en fait hier, on allait... avec... avec,

Because actually, yesterday, we were going... with... with,

euh... avec des grands, là...

uh... with some older kids, you know...

Caption 80, Actus Quartier - Fête de quartier Python-Duvernois
Play Caption

Là tu exagères!

You're really exaggerating [going too far]!

Ben or eh ben (well) is another common filler word. It's a shortened form of bien, the standard word for "well":

Les températures, eh ben, cela va être relativement facile,

The temperature, well, that's going to be relatively easy,

quatre degrés partout...

four degrees everywhere...

Caption 6, Alsace 20 - Météo des Maquilleurs
Play Caption

You'll also find it in the expression, Ben oui! (But of course!)

Our final example contains two common interjections:

Oh la la! Oh mais dis donc, non mais... oh, qu'est-ce qui se passe?

Oh my! Oh but you don't say, no but... oh, what's going on?

Caption 24, Il était une fois... l’Homme - 6. Le siècle de Périclès
Play Caption

The first has been adapted into English as "ooh la la!" But while "ooh la la" is a comical way of expressing attraction or excitement, oh la la (often shortened to oh la) is a more neutral expression of surprise (more like "oh my" in English).

The second interjection, dis donc, literally means "say then," but is better translated by the phrase "you don't say" or a number of others.

In short, if you ever find yourself at a loss for words in French, a filler word or an interjection is a good way to plug the gap!

Topics Vocabulary