heu
/ø/
The English filler word "um" is translated into French as heu.
heu is a casual filler word used in everyday conversation to indicate a pause while the speaker is thinking of what to say next.
How do you pronounce it?
/ø/
Did you know?
- Using heu can sometimes be a subconscious way for French speakers to soften the blow of a disagreement before they actually state their opposing opinion.
- While heu is the standard filler, French speakers often use bah to express a sense of 'obviously' or to signal that a question is redundant before pausing to think.
- The filler heu is often paired with a characteristic shrugging gesture or a slight tilt of the head to signal that the speaker is searching for the right word.
Examples in context
- La situation est un peu complexe, euh, je dois y réfléchir.The situation is a bit complex, um, I need to think about it.
- Hum, je ne suis pas sûr que cela soit la bonne approche.Um, I'm not sure if that's the right approach.
- J'ai, ben, vraiment besoin de réfléchir à cette proposition.I, um, really need to think about this proposal.
- Je dois heu… chercher mes clefs avant de partir.I have to, um… look for my keys before leaving.
- Heu, je ne sais pas.Um, I don't know.
- C'est, heu, assez difficile.It is, um, quite difficult.
- Je cherche, heu, mes clés.I am looking for, um, my keys.
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are deciding what to eat for dinner.
- ManonQu'est-ce qu'on mange ce soir ?What are we eating tonight?
- HugoHeu, peut-être des pâtes ?Um, maybe some pasta?
- ManonOn en a mangé hier.We ate some yesterday.
- HugoAh oui, heu, alors une pizza !Ah yes, um, then a pizza!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry heu, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
