hé
/e/
hé is the French way to say hey.
The interjection hé is primarily used to grab someone's attention or to express surprise, rather than as a standard friendly greeting like 'hello'.
Meaning: informal greeting (intj)
Which one should you use?
While hé is used to get someone's attention, it is much more abrupt and informal than salut or bonjour. For a standard friendly greeting, you might use salut (hi or hey) or bonjour (hello or good day). Other informal options include coucou (hey or hi) and the casual yo (hey).
How do you pronounce it?
/e/
Did you know?
- French has a specific word for the 'hey' used when you realize you forgot something, hop, which is often used to mark a quick transition or sudden movement.
- While English speakers use 'hey' as a casual greeting, using hé to greet a stranger in France can come across as aggressive or even confrontational.
- In certain French-speaking regions, particularly in parts of Africa, the phonetic sound of an interjection like hé can carry different emotional weights or social signals than in Paris.
Examples in context
- Hé, toi là !Hey, you there!This sentence shows how to use hé to get someone's attention.Tatoeba #473112 by sacredceltic, translation #329023 by fcbond
- Hé, t'es où ?Hey, where are you?This sentence shows how to use hé to call out to someone.Tatoeba #6210371 by Aiji, translation #3575352 by CK
- Hé, un moment !Hey, wait up!Tatoeba #955254 by sacredceltic, translation #953322 by CK
- 81 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé spots Hugo in a crowded park.
- ChloéHé, Hugo !Hey, Hugo!
- HugoSalut Chloé, ça va ?Hi Chloé, how are you?
- ChloéÇa va, et toi ?I'm fine, and you?
- HugoTrès bien, merci.Very well, thanks.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry hé, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
