évidemment
/e.vi.da.mɑ̃/
The English phrase 'obviously' is translated into French as évidemment. Wiktionary also lists clairement.
Meaning: in an obvious manner, clearly apparent (adv)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| évidemment | /e.vi.da.mɑ̃/ |
| clairement | /klɛʁ.mɑ̃/ |
The word évidemment is used to indicate that something is self-evident or follows a logical conclusion. It can also be used as a standalone exclamation, Évidemment !, which means 'Of course!' or 'Obviously!' when responding to a question.
Which one should you use?
While both évidemment and clairement can mean 'obviously', they are used in different contexts. évidemment expresses that something is self-evident or follows logically, whereas clairement focuses more on the clarity or lack of ambiguity of a physical or spoken thing.
How do you pronounce it?
/e.vi.da.mɑ̃/
Did you know?
- The word évidemment contains a linguistic quirk called haplology, where one of two identical sounds is dropped during its formation to make the word easier to pronounce.
- In spoken French, clairement is often used as a slangy agreement among young people, functioning like the English word 'facts' or 'totally'.
- French speakers often use bien sûr instead of évidemment to be more polite when agreeing with someone, as it feels warmer and less logical or cold.
Examples in context
- Évidemment que non !Obviously not!This sentence is useful for practicing an emphatic 'Obviously not!' using évidemment.Tatoeba #13692622 by Orange, translation #4889474 by warrenbisch
- Ceci est évidemment faux.This is obviously fake.This sentence shows how to use évidemment to say something is 'obviously' false.Tatoeba #7804070 by Aiji, translation #4826251 by Hybrid
- Sami était évidemment gay.Sami was obviously gay.This sentence demonstrates how to use évidemment to describe a person's state.Tatoeba #7801805 by theachaean, translation #6072648 by OsoHombre
- Bien évidemment, je prendrai toutes les mesures nécessaires pour résoudre ce problème.Obviously, I will take all necessary measures to resolve this issue.
- Naturellement, les résultats de leurs efforts sont remarquables.Obviously, the results of their efforts are remarkable.
- Tu vas bien sûr assister à la fête ce soir ?You will obviously come to the party tonight, right?
- De toute évidence, il n'avait pas fait ses devoirs.Obviously, he hadn't done his homework.
- 40 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are discussing a movie plot.
- EmmaC'est évidemment une erreur du réalisateur.It is obviously a mistake by the director.
- GabrielJe suis d'accord, c'est très bizarre.I agree, it's very strange.
- EmmaÉvidemment, il a oublié ce détail.Obviously, he forgot this detail.
- GabrielC'est possible, Gabriel pense la même chose.That's possible, Gabriel thinks the same thing.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “obviously” translations and entries évidemment, clairement, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries clairement, évidemment, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
