ah oui
The English phrase "oh yeah" can be translated into French as ah oui.
ah oui is an expression used to confirm a fact or to agree with something someone has just said. For a more colloquial sense of strong agreement, such as saying "totally" or "completely", you might use Carrément.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the interjection ah and the affirmative oui, which means "yes". Literally, it means "oh yes".
Which one should you use?
ah oui is used to confirm a fact or to express a sudden realization. In contrast, you should use ah non to express a sudden realization of a negative or to make a correction.
Did you know?
- In French, the word oui is used for agreement, but when answering a question in the negative, you cannot simply say non to agree with a negative statement as you can in English.
- The 'ah' in ah oui comes from an Old French exclamation 'a!' which was used to express woe or sorrow, rather than just simple realization.
- Depending on the intonation, ah oui can be used sarcastically to mean 'oh, really?' in a way that implies the speaker does not actually believe the other person.
Examples in context
- Ah oui, je l'avais oublié ce con-là !Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that idiot!The first sentence shows how to use ah oui when remembering something about a person.Tatoeba #876729 by sacredceltic, translation #11838995 by sundown
- Ah oui, c'est vrai.Oh yeah, it's true.The second sentence demonstrates using ah oui to confirm that a statement is true.Tatoeba #7556800 by Adelpa, translation #8357303 by marioo
- Cette fête sera incroyable, n'est-ce pas ? / Carrément, j'ai trop hâte !This party is going to be amazing, right? / Oh yeah, I can't wait!
- Ah oui, il y a du pain.Oh yeah, there is some bread.
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are talking in their kitchen.
- NathanTu as acheté du lait ?Did you buy some milk?
- ChloéAh oui, j'ai pris du lait.Oh yeah, I got some milk.
- NathanSuper, merci Chloé.Great, thanks Chloé.
- ChloéDe rien, Nathan.You're welcome, Nathan.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ah, oui, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
