oui et non
The English phrase "yes and no" is translated into French as oui et non.
The phrase oui et non is used to indicate that a situation is complex and cannot be answered with a simple affirmative or negative, much like in English.
Meaning: indicating there is no simple "yes" or "no" answer (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of oui (yes), et (and) and non (no).
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that something is "both yes and no" more emphatically, you can use the construction à la fois oui et non.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- La réponse est à la fois oui et non.The answer is both yes and no.This sentence shows how to use the phrase to describe an answer that is both yes and no using oui et non.Tatoeba #4236065 by sacredceltic, translation #4225696 by Hybrid
- Oui et non.Yes and no.This sentence provides a direct example of the phrase oui et non.Tatoeba #1330532 by Scott, translation #51133 by shanghainese
- Ouais, je veux bien sortir ce soir.Yeah, I'd love to go out tonight.
- T'as déjà vu ce film? – Ouep, il est vraiment bien.Have you seen that movie? – Yep, it's really good.
Example conversation
Lucas and Léa are discussing if a movie was good.
- LucasTu as aimé le film ?Did you like the movie?
- LéaOui et non, l'histoire était lente.Yes and no, the story was slow.
- LucasC'est dommage pour ce film.That's a shame for this movie.
- LéaMais les acteurs étaient géniaux.But the actors were great.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yes and no” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries et, non, oui, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
