nan
/nɑ̃/
The French phrase for "nah" is nan.
nan is an informal way to say "no". If you wish to convey a sense of slight disagreement without being confrontational, you might instead use pas vraiment (not really). For expressing indifference or a lack of enthusiasm, you can use the colloquial terms mouais or bof, which are similar to the English "meh".
Meaning: no (intj)
How do you pronounce it?
/nɑ̃/
Did you know?
- French has a related colloquialism nan mais, which doesn't actually mean 'no but'. It is often used as an exclamation of disbelief or shock, similar to 'no way' or 'you're kidding'.
- In some regions of France, nan can be stretched into nananan when someone is stubbornly refusing a request or pretending to be a difficult child.
- If you say nan while accompanied by the sound bof, you are essentially performing a complete linguistic shrug that communicates 'no' and 'I don't care' simultaneously.
Examples in context
- « United va gagner. » « Nan. » « Je mettrais un billet de cinq là-dessus. » « J'te parie un billet de 10 qu'ils ne gagneront pas. »"United'll win." "Nah." "I'd put a fiver on it." "Bet you a tenner they won't."This example shows how to use nan as a short response to a statement.Tatoeba #11167782 by lbdx, translation #11167773 by sundown
- Veux-tu essayer ce nouveau plat? Non merci, ça ne me tente pas vraimentDo you want to try this new dish? No thanks, it doesn't really appeal to me
- Tu penses que ce film est génial? Mouais, il était moyenDo you think this movie is amazing? Meh, it was average
- La soirée sera incroyable, non? Bof, je ne suis pas sûr(e) que ça vaille le déplacementThe party will be amazing, right? Meh, I'm not sure it's worth going
- Nan, je ne veux pas sortir ce soir.Nah, I don't want to go out tonight.
- « Tu veux du café ? » « Nan, merci. »"Do you want some coffee?" "Nah, thanks."
Example conversation
Léa and Gabriel are deciding what to eat.
- LéaTu veux commander une pizza ?Do you want to order a pizza?
- GabrielNan, j'ai déjà mangé.Nah, I've already eaten.
- LéaAh bon ? Tu n'as pas faim ?Oh really? You're not hungry?
- GabrielPas du tout.Not at all.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nah” translations and entries nan, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
