C'est vrai ?
The English phrase "are you?" can be translated into French as C'est vrai ? when used to express surprise or disbelief.
It is used to express surprise or disbelief regarding something the other person has just said.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Québec, the informal T'es-tu? can be used instead of Tu es?
Did you know?
- In Québec, adding -tu to a question like T'es-tu ? does not refer to a second person, but acts as a particle to signal that a question is being asked.
- In casual spoken French, people often omit C'est vrai ? entirely and simply raise the pitch of the last word of the other person's sentence to express disbelief.
- The word 'vrai' comes from the Latin 'vērāx', making it a linguistic cousin to English words like 'veracity' and 'verity'.
Examples in context
- Êtes-vous M. Dupont?Are you Mr. Dupont?
- Tu es prêt?Are you ready?
- T'es là?Are you there?
- Est-ce que tu es fatigué?Are you tired?
- Tu as gagné le premier prix ? C'est vrai ?You won first prize? Is that true?
Example conversation
Léa tells Hugo that she is moving to another country.
- LéaJe déménage au Japon le mois prochain.I am moving to Japan next month.
- HugoC'est vrai ?Is that true?
- LéaOui, c'est tout à fait vrai.Yes, it is completely true.
- HugoTu vas beaucoup me manquer, Léa.I am going to miss you a lot, Léa.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries c'est, vrai, CC BY-SA 4.0.
