5 Phrases That Will Make Your French Conversations More Engaging

Have you ever wondered what can make your communication in French more engaging? As a French learner, you have a lot to deal with – French grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Consequently, you might have never considered or simply put on hold learning how “to listen” in the French manner.

Now, what if I told you that there are French phrases that you already know, and by simply using them in the right moment of a conversation you can make a significant difference in your communication with the French. Intrigued? Let’s dive right in. The phrases I am talking about are meant to express your interest in a conversation, to validate and to confirm that you were paying attention to what the person you talking with has to say.

ouais / oui
The words “ouais” or “oui” fall into the category of the most common and natural reactions during a conversation for the French speakers. The reason for that is that using these words and phrases is a natural and almost unconscious habit, a communication norm. However, the importance of using the phrases is the least obvious for French learners. It is incredible! It’s a good idea to adopt this tiny norm. All you need to do is to say “ouais” or “oui” continuously during the conversation to express your agreement and acknowledgment of what has been said to you.

ah bon ?! / ah ouais ?!
These two phrases “ah bon ?!” and “ah ouais ?!” mean “oh really!?” in English. In French, these expressions are used not only to express a surprise. More often you use them to affirm your interest in a talk. Using “Ah bon ?!” and “ah ouais ?!” is a great way to make your conversation more engaging.

c’est vrai ?! / c’est pas vrai !
“C’est vrai ?!”, “c’est pas vrai !” are, also, used to affirm interest in a conversation. “C’est vrai ?!” means “is it true?!”, “c’est pas vrai !” means “it’s not true!”. Additionally, you can use the phrases to express your surprise about something that you learned from your interlocutor.

mince ! / mais non ! / ah merde !
It makes sense to be empathetic for both negative and positive information that you learn from your interlocutor. “Mince !”, “mais non !”, “ah merde !” are examples of how you might react while listening to something negative. “Mince !” is an equivalent of “gosh!”, and can be used both in a formal and informal setting. “Ah merde !” means “oh shit!”, and the use of the phrase is the same as in English. “Mais non !” means “oh no!” (the literal translation is “but no!”).

Try to use more often the phrases from this article while speaking to the French. It takes a small conscious effort, but the payoff is big. You will find yourself having much more pleasant, enthusiastic, and engaging conversations with French speakers. People will perceive your level of French higher, this will give you more confidence and motivation to continue your French journey!

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Bonjour Good morning

Bonsoir Good afternoon

When you talk to your friends you can use

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Have you ever wanted to learn French? Lesson 01

Is it because of its culture, Paris or simply because of the French pronunciation and songs?

You may not know how and where to start?

I am now preparing a series of lessons related to French learning. From beginner levels to advanced.

Have you ever wanted to learn French? Lesson 01

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Formal is used when you want to talk to a stranger, teacher, boss or when write essays and documents.

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